Per Qualche Dollaro in Più

For some reason, this second movie in Leone’s “dollars” trilogy was the only one I hadn’t seen. Well, calling it a trilogy is really something of a misnomer, since the three are only loosely connected. And using “the man with no name” is not really correct either, since Clint Eastwood’s characters do have names (or at the very least nicknames) in all three.

Anyway… in this one Eastwood plays Manco, a bounty hunter (or “bounty killer” as they’re called in the movie), who makes his living hunting down (and often killing) outlaws for money. Lee Van Clef plays another such bounty killer by the name of Colonel Douglas Mortimer. The two run into eachother on a job, and decide to team up to bring down the most wanted man around, Gian Maria Volontè’s El Indio.

The plot in this one is excellent. Leone sticks to his patient pacing, which I like. And, as you’d expect, Ennio Morricone’s score is perfect. The two really had a great relationship going there.

The characters are rich and detailed, too. Eastwood is dependable and cool as always, and Lee Van Clef is a joy to watch. There’s one scene early on where he is exceptionally calm and collected when shooting down a guy in the street which sticks with me.

The bad guys are a lot of fun, too. Volonté is sinister and murderous, and even has that evil maniacal laughter down pat. I was also surprised to see Klaus Kinski in a small role as the hunchback — he has one fun scene with Lee Van Clef which I enjoyed.

The one thing that still bothers me about these Italian movies is the dubbing problem. I find it distracting, but I guess I’d rather have that than not have Eastwood, Van Clef, Kinski (and any other non-Italian speaking actor) in the roles.

This is my second favourite in the “trilogy” after Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo, and I say it’s definitely worth your time, especially if you’re into these cool westerns.