Two bounty hunters--Monco (Clint Eastwood) and Colonel Douglas Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef)--have the same intentions of tracking down renowned criminal El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté). They determine that the best way to find this notorious outlaw is to work together. The three set out on a journey full of headaches and blood, as Indio proves to be a formidable match for the two mercenaries.
The father of the spaghetti western, Sergio Leone, is at it again with his second installment of what is often known as the Dollars Trilogy. Leone is known for creating some of the most well regarded westerns, while using some rather interesting techniques along the way. Those techniques often create mild humor and produce a bit of levity in often intense theatrical scenarios. He outdoes himself as he and his writers create a compelling story of thievery and machismo.
Very few actors better exemplify machismo than Clint Eastwood, making him the perfect choice to lead audiences on this exciting adventure. Eastwood is often regarded as a “man’s man” who has perfectly depicted imposing and superbly masculine characters for more than sixty years. He always flourishes in his performances and typically outshines his co-stars. Having the ability to make others seem lesser than him on screen called for casting director Luis Beltran to choose similarly strong men to play alongside Eastwood. Van Cleef and Valonté were the perfect choices and adequately matched his impeccably strong presence. The three filled the film with intensity and vigor.
Leone’s choice to include the idiodic sound of bullets ricocheting after every shot made parts of the film laughable, yet it allowed those scenes to succeed. The contrast between the intense situations with the idiocracy of bullets ricocheting off of nothing balanced the film and allowed audiences a type of humorous satisfaction as it progressed. Leone, Eastwood and Van Cleef, once again, hit a homerun with For a Few Dollars More.
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