January Film Festival!

For A Few Dollars More (UA sorta, 1965) Directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volonte as Indio. This is where Leone went from supercool filmaker to supergreat filmaker. This is the first of his 4 masterpieces, and probably one of the most underrated classics movies. Clint is back as the "Man With No Name" though he's know as "Manco" in this one. He's a bounty hunter, and he he and the mysterious Colonel Mortimer are both after Indio, the mudering, robbing pothead rapist. Manco wants the reward, Mortimer wants something more.

Lee Van Cleef had been a heavy in 1950's Westerns and Crime Films, but by the mid-60's, he was a painter living in LA. Sergio liked his face and rescued him. I'm eternally grateful that he did. Van Cleef was a terrific actor and powerful screen presence. Once of the few who's been able to match up with Clint's powerful persona. Gian Maria Volonte plays Indio in this one and was the main bad guy in "Fistful." He's a great villain, but unfortunately, from my perspective, got very wrapped up in making political points in his movies after "More." He was one of the stars of the Zapata Westerns, which sort of corrupted the Spaghetti Westerns into polemics. But that's a rant for another day. Today, I'm enjoyine one of my favorites.