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No matter the country or era, it’s an immutable law of the cinema that what works once will probably work twice, and thus a sequel is inevitable. After A Fistful of Dollars dominated the Italian box office in 1964, director Sergio Leone quickly reassembled much of the cast and crew and began production on For a Few Dollars More. With one success in the genre behind him, Leone crafted a bigger, bolder film that expanded on the themes and techniques of the first film, while telling a completely unconnected story.
The film starts with a new character, a former colonel turned bounty hunter, Douglas Mortimer, played by Lee Van Cleef. After a lengthy introduction to the new guy, Clint Eastwood shows up as a new Man with No Name (although he’s occasionally referred to as “Manco” here), also a bounty hunter. The two cross paths on the trail of bandit leader El Indio, played by Gian Maria Volonte—the same actor who played the lead villain role in A Fistful of Dollars. Agreeing to split the reward on Indio’s gang, they work together—and, from time to time, against each other—to collect a small fortune in bounties.
While Eastwood again masters the role of the quiet, dangerous stranger, this time, he’s not driving the plot all on his own. Van Cleef’s Colonel Mortimer provides a complement to Eastwood’s laconic lead, presenting someone who’s just as shrewd, just as ruthless, but perhaps just an ounce more noble. The almost-but-not-quite friendship that develops between the two adds a new layer to the movie without compromising its amoral point of view. Meanwhile, Volante again goes big, giving us the perfect sort of villain to contrast these two extremely cool antiheroes. As an extra treat, professional cinematic nutjob Klaus Kinski even turns up as a hunchbacked henchman in Indio’s gang.
All of the stylistic flourishes that distinguished A Fistful of Dollars return here, too, from Leone’s unique pacing and frequent extreme close-ups to another off-kilter and atmospheric Ennio Morricone score. Punctuated by a haunting flute theme and various western sound effects like gunshots and whip cracks, it shows a marked evolution from the previous film. Meanwhile, everyone else involved in the technical side of the film takes advantage of the increased budget, from the costumes to the locations, and it looks gorgeous on a high-def screen.
As with the other films in the trilogy, this version is taken from the two-disc 2007 DVD release, including the same slate of special features. Leone historian Christopher Frayling again provides an audio commentary, as well as two brief retrospectives on the making and marketing of the film. Clint Eastwood shows up for a quick interview on his recollections of making it, and there’s a short comparison reel showing the differences between the original European and later American theatrical releases. These are good extras, with plenty of background information for those interested.
Where A Fistful of Dollars offered a fresh take on the Western from a rising filmmaker, For a Few Dollars More sharpens the elements that worked the first time around and expands upon the themes of a violent, uncompromisingly Wild West and the kind of men who could make a home in it.
