I didn’t have any intention of sitting down and watching this movie. True, I know it’s a classic on the western genre and there’s also a great scene and back to the future part two where Biff watches the movie. Incidentally, Marty would pick up inspiration from that particular clip of a fistful of dollars in back to the future part three.
And even though it is a classic, it is a movie that I figured I would get around to watching someday. But I was scrolling around on prime video the other day and I saw all 3 parts of “The Man with No Name trilogy” pop up on my recommended viewing; so I decided to finally sit down and begin the trilogy.
The movie, arguably the most famous of Sergio Leon’s “spaghetti westerns” stars Clint Eastwood as a man simply known as Joe. He enters San Miguel, a small town where there are two warring gangs – the Rojo brothers and the Baxter family – who are at odds over control of the town. They are corrupt criminals, and instill fear into all the town’s residents – as prosperous as they are. Joe decides to manipulate both factions in order to get them to essentially destroy each other before getting his final showdown with the Rojo family.
Look, Fistful… ain’t Shakespeare. It’s not a high-brow, artsy-farts character study. It’s popcorn escapism. Sometimes it’s really hard to watch old movies with 2025 eyes. Eastwood’s performance is the Elvis Presley of Westerns. It has been copied so many times that the character has become a caricature of itself. I like Elvis Presley, Eastwood‘s character has a slightly greater depth to him than what pop culture would have you otherwise believe Having said that, Fistful… holds up well for being over 60 years old.
FINAL TAKE: Recommended for fans of Westerns or classic films. Given the time that Fistful… was made, I thought it was well shot and well done. I’ve always heard stories about people claiming they could see airplanes flying overhead in the “spaghetti westerns“ when I had no such luck here. Yes the blood looked obviously fake But given the timeframe, I was surprised that the acting wasn’t too hammy or too over the top. Fistful… didn’t necessarily feel like a 60 year-old movie. Based on the strength of A Fistful of Dollars, I am looking forward to watching both For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly after this.
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts
- Rob’s Retro Movie Review: This is Spinal Tap (1984) – The Movie That Scaled to Eleven
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- The Supporting Cast: Navigating the Eras of Male Friendship
- Life is What Happens: A Look Back at My Non-Existent 2025 Vision
- The Moment I Walked Inside a Hallmark Movie
The article: “Rob‘s retro review: A Fistful of Dollars (1964)” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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