A Fistful of Dollars

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A Fistful of Dollars

R

Released Jan 18, 1964

1h 36m

Western

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98%

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56 Reviews

91%

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50,000+ Ratings

Wandering gunfighter Joe arrives in the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among sheriff John Baxter and the three Rojo brothers. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, Joe is hired by Esteban to join the gang, but he plays one side against the other.

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Critics Consensus

With Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo as his template, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars helped define a new era for the Western and usher in its most iconic star, Clint Eastwood.

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Simon Abrams

Village Voice

Every genre-loving moviegoer should see at least once projected on a theater screen.

May 23, 2018

Full Review

Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

The climatic bloodbath of A Fistful of Dollars still stings because the film's swaggering braggadocio deliberately fails to prepare us for it.

Rated: 4/4

May 21, 2018

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

[Clint] Eastwood may not have been technically gifted, but he had plenty of star quality.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 13, 2018

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

The Italian western that launched a genre.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 11, 2024

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Gian Maria Volonté lends excellent support as the snarling Ramon and Ennio Morricone's minimalist score is a gem.

Rated: 5/5

Jul 9, 2024

Full Review

Howard Waldstein

CBR

It seems all that it took was a spark to ignite the storied career, but it all truly begins with A Fistful of Dollars. We should all be thankful.

Rated: 9/10

May 16, 2024

Full Review

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D H

Excellent movie!! Excellent Western of this genre!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/03/25

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Kimmo K

Amazing start to the trilogy.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/13/25

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Ho L

That's one is old but classic.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/25/25

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Gregg P.

It’s one of Clint‘s spaghetti westerns. Nothing else to say.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

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Judson H.

One of the coolest movies I have ever seen.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

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HameZz O

One of the more underrated trilogies made. It's unbelievable how every movie doesn't just fail or feel like a copycat of the other. They all feel like their own. The entirety culminates in something that very few movie trilogies are able to pull off. Each movie forever being held in a special place in not just the western genre but in cinema. You might not think it's underrated but I feel that people talk about these films separately. When people say favorite trilogies they say Back to the Future trilogy, LOTR trilogy, the Dark Knight trilogy, Planet of the Apes trilogy. This should, in my opinion, be in the mix.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

06/27/25

Full Review

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Sergio Leone

Director

Clint Eastwood

Joe

Marianne Koch

Marisol

Joseph Egger

Piripero

Wolfgang Lukschy

John Baxter

Gian Maria Volonté

Ramón Rojo

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Synopsis

Wandering gunfighter Joe arrives in the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among sheriff John Baxter and the three Rojo brothers. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, Joe is hired by Esteban to join the gang, but he plays one side against the other.

Director: Sergio Leone
Producer: Arrigo Colombo, Giorgio Papi
Screenwriter: Adriano Bolzoni, Víctor Andrés Catena, Jaime Comas Gil, Sergio Leone
Distributor: Tobis Filmkunst, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Ízaro Films S.A., Unidis
Production Co: Jolly Film, Ocean Films [es], Constantin Film
Rating: R
Genre: Western
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 18, 1964, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 22, 2012
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Mono

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