For a Few Dollars More (1965)

Movie · 1965 · Western · 2h 12m · R · IT

Curator score: 9.1/10 (541.1K ratings)

The man with no name is back... the man in black is waiting... a walking arsenal - he uncoils, strikes and kills!

Overview

Two bounty hunters both pursue the brutal and sadistic bandit, El Indio, who has a large bounty on his head.

Ratings

Director

Sergio Leone

Production

PEA, Constantin Film, Arturo González PC, Taurus Film

Cast

Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonté, Luigi Pistilli, Klaus Kinski, Joseph Egger, Panos Papadopulos, Mara Krupp, Benito Stefanelli, Roberto Camardiel, Aldo Sambrell, Luis Rodríguez, Tomás Blanco, Lorenzo Robledo, Sergio Mendizábal, Dante Maggio, Diana Rabito, Giovanni Tarallo, Mario Meniconi, Mario Brega

Where to watch

fuboTV, MGM Plus, Philo

Curator Review

Verdict

A lean, stylish revenge western with iconic face-offs, sharp visual storytelling, and one of Ennio Morricone’s most memorable scores. It’s less sprawling than Leone’s later work, but the tension, humor, and atmosphere are top-tier.

Best for

  • fans of stylized westerns
  • viewers who like tense rivalries and duels
  • people drawn to iconic film scores and visual composition
  • audiences who enjoy cool, laconic antiheroes

Skip if

  • you want a fast, plot-heavy action western
  • you dislike long stares, pauses, and ritualized showdowns
  • you prefer naturalistic dialogue and realism
  • you are not in the mood for a morally cold revenge story

Overview

For a Few Dollars More is the moment Sergio Leone turns the western into a myth machine. The plot is simple bounty-hunter business, but the film treats every glance, gesture, and gun draw like a ceremonial event. Clint Eastwood’s Monco is all economy and swagger, while Lee Van Cleef gives the movie its haunted gravity.

Worth noting

What makes it endure is the precision of the filmmaking: the editing, the close-ups, the dust-and-sun textures, and Morricone’s score all work together to turn suspense into spectacle. The movie is funny in a dry, almost cruel way, but it never loses its sense of danger. Every alliance feels temporary, and every duel feels earned.

Bottom line

It may not have the scale of Leone’s most famous western, but it has a tighter, cleaner momentum and some of his best set pieces. If you like your westerns operatic, cynical, and impeccably staged, this is essential viewing.

Top Letterboxd reviews

laird (5★) · 5711 likes

The greatest meet cute in movie history is when Colonel Mortimer spots Monco in his spyglass looking back at him with binoculars, then later they shoot each other's hats.

Nakul (4.5★) · 2900 likes

“Very careless of you old man.Try this.NOW we start.”[music by ennio morricone starts playing] If this doesn't give you goosebumps do you have a pulse?

Filipe Furtado (4★) · 2581 likes

Lee Van Cleef was 40 years old when he made For a Few Dollars More, but he acts like he is a ghost doomed to wander through west for some 100 years.

Timcop (5★) · 1600 likes

Q: Who wins in a stare-down between Lee Van Cleef and Klaus Kinski? A: We all do.

Ryley Mann (5★) · 1277 likes

Masterpiece That final duel is so fucking incredible, like holy shit guys.

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Topics

spaghetti western, revenge, bounty hunters, duels, antiheroes, morricone score, stylized violence, 1960s cinema, cynical tone, mythic frontier

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