Not many will be surprised that "A Fistful of Dollars", the first of Sergio Leone's famous trilogy, is in fact a replica (or if you prefer 'a westernisation of the westernised Samurai genre') of Akira Kurosawa's famed Ronin drama "Yojimbo" (predating this movie by just a few years). The plot will also not come of any surprise, as multiple movies borrowed inspiration from the original Japanese movie. In a town overrun by thieves, crooks and murderers two families rule the wealth and life of its inhabitants: The Rojos and the Baxters. That is until one day an unnamed stranger (The Man Without a Name), concealed within an eternally memorable poncho, arrives on his horse. Offering his services to both sides in an attempt to dispose both of them...
Given how classic "Yojimbo" is and its undying relativity to international cinema, it is almost impossible to not draw any comparisons. And those almost without exception favour the Japanese original. "A Fistful of Dollars" lacks the artistic coherence that Kurosawa effortlessly instills into his movies, whilst at the same time keeping it funny, intriguing and well paced. Despite Leone's best intentions he fails to outdo "Yojimbo" in either of these departments, while the best scenes are almost shot by shot taken out of the Kurosawa original. Meanwhile most script changes or adjustment fail to improve the story. As a stand-alone piece these deficiencies could have been overlooked, but pasting from the master really causes all the flaws to become glaringly obvious. Especially since Kazuo Miyagawa's cinematography vastly overshadows Dallamano's and Larraya's feeble attempts to replicate.
The place where deficiencies are most obvious is in the acting department. Whereas Clint Eastwood's personality and scene presence allows him to go toe to toe with the legendary Toshiro Mifune, the rest of the cast fails to perform and gives some exceptionally cardboard characterisations. Whereas in "Yojimbo" the est ethical experience was a total package.
The sole place where Sergio Leone's movie is a sublime and meaningful improvement is the unforgettable music of Enrio Morricone.
Given how classic "Yojimbo" is and its undying relativity to international cinema, it is almost impossible to not draw any comparisons. And those almost without exception favour the Japanese original. "A Fistful of Dollars" lacks the artistic coherence that Kurosawa effortlessly instills into his movies, whilst at the same time keeping it funny, intriguing and well paced. Despite Leone's best intentions he fails to outdo "Yojimbo" in either of these departments, while the best scenes are almost shot by shot taken out of the Kurosawa original. Meanwhile most script changes or adjustment fail to improve the story. As a stand-alone piece these deficiencies could have been overlooked, but pasting from the master really causes all the flaws to become glaringly obvious. Especially since Kazuo Miyagawa's cinematography vastly overshadows Dallamano's and Larraya's feeble attempts to replicate.
The place where deficiencies are most obvious is in the acting department. Whereas Clint Eastwood's personality and scene presence allows him to go toe to toe with the legendary Toshiro Mifune, the rest of the cast fails to perform and gives some exceptionally cardboard characterisations. Whereas in "Yojimbo" the est ethical experience was a total package.
The sole place where Sergio Leone's movie is a sublime and meaningful improvement is the unforgettable music of Enrio Morricone.