So, after that review of Avatar, I got myself thinking, "Wait... I didn't like it because of it's plagiarist nature, but what about Fistful of Dollars?" So then of course, came that inevitable answer: review the damn movie!
Let's start off with the ugly part of the review: the lawsuit. For those of you unaware, Fistful of Dollars is western that takes, pretty much word-for-word, the plot of Yojimbo (EXCELLENT Kurosawa flick, by the by). It's about a man with no name (Clint Eastwood) who strolls into a town in the middle of the desert. Of course, this town is in the midst of strife. Two families have grown to prominence, and they preeeeetty much want to kill each other. Of course, in the midst of this is the town's token dramatic family. In a nutshell: the wife is held by the Rojos because their leader (Gian Maria Volonte) is infatuated with her. So, Eastwood goes to work in setting the families against each other.
Replace Eastwood with Toshiro Mifune and western with samurai, and presto! Yojimbo. This isn't just word-of-mouth, either. Kurosawa succesfully sued director Sergio Leone because of how similar to the two were.
So, now the good aspects of the movie. Well, the acting is enjoyable across the board for one. Eastwood is, of course, all man in this movie. His screen presence is powerful even though he doesn't have to do all that much (look tough, act cool, shoot punk bitches). Counterpart to him is Volonte, who plays a villain really well, as well as his brother Esteban, played by Sieghardt Rupp. He provides his role with an unmistakable cackle and a real menacing look when it calls for it.
All Man.... Sexy, sexy man.
Also, Leone just has this style... this flare, really. He knows the craft of movie-making, and even though he was still obviously honing it at this point, it's obvious that the guy just knew what he was doing. The plot and action moves with deliberate speed, the shots are wide and grand (until you get those excellent close-ups), and he knows when to build tension. The best part may be when the showdown between the two families finally happens. As each shot is fired, you see the characters get more and more thrilled with what they're doing... It becomes more twisted and demented. It passes the point of insanity. It's powerful, damn it!
Like I said, though, he still hasn't quite got it down yet. There are these moments where you just have say, "Huh?" A scene ends with both a fade-out and a musical crescendo... That doesn't make any sense at all! It's just so sudden. His timing is just a little bit off, I think. Not much... but juuuussssst enough to make the film seem a bit weaker than his other flicks. Also, at this point, characters never really develop. The only truly interesting character is, in fact, The Man With No Name. He's the only one achieving his means through questionable actions. Is he in it just for the money, or does he genuinely care for the towns plight? Everyone else is straightforward... save maybe the bartender. There are good guys and bad guys and that's that. Nothing more to it.
On the whole shot, though? A damn good western. Why can't I bring myself to shout out, "IT'S YOJIMBO MINUS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AAAHHHHHHHH!!!!" Maybe it's because Yojimbo was pretty much meant to be a western to begin with... maybe it's because Leone had a better sense of film than James Cameron. Ultimately, though, I think it's because Fistful took a plot strong enough that it deserved to be copied, and in copying it, the alterations gave it a style and feel of it's own. The acting is also light-years ahead of Avatar. In a way, then, it maintained the entertainment side of the biz and met halfway with the technical side. Avatar forgot the second half (effects =/= technical). So am I a hypocrite? It's for you to decide, I suppose.
Overall - 7: A most digable movie, indeed. If western's are your thing, check this stuff yo!
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