For a Few Dollars More (1965)

The Evolution of the Spaghetti Western

For a Few Dollars More (Per qualche dollaro in più), released in 1965, is the second entry in Sergio Leone’s legendary Dollars Trilogy, a follow-up to A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and a prelude to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). Where the first film redefined the Western genre through minimalist storytelling and stylish brutality, this sequel expands the canvas significantly. It’s bigger, bolder, more narratively layered—and arguably even more satisfying.

Leone develops his trademark style with greater confidence, deepening his exploration of moral ambiguity, vengeance, and myth-making, while giving us one of the most fascinating duos in Western cinema: Clint Eastwood’s laconic Man with No Name and Lee Van Cleef’s coldly elegant Colonel Mortimer. With Ennio Morricone’s unforgettable score and Leone’s increasingly operatic visuals, For a Few Dollars More solidifies the Spaghetti Western not as a novelty—but as serious cinema.

Plot Overview

The story takes place in the lawless borderlands between the United States and Mexico, where bounty hunters reign supreme. Two of the best in the trade—Eastwood’s “Manco” and Van Cleef’s Colonel Douglas Mortimer—are both pursuing the same target: El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté), a psychotic, drug-addled bandit who has just escaped from prison with his gang.

Initially working independently, Manco and Mortimer engage in a high-stakes game of mutual suspicion and one-upmanship. Eventually, they agree to team up—though with separate, unstated motivations. As the hunt unfolds, it becomes clear that Mortimer’s quest is personal, tied to a long-buried tragedy involving Indio and Mortimer’s late sister.

The film builds to a masterfully staged confrontation in a ghostly western town, where Leone uses music, close-ups, and silence to ratchet the tension to nearly unbearable levels.

Performances and Character Dynamics

Clint Eastwood as “Manco”

Eastwood reprises his role as the Man with No Name, though this time he’s referred to as “Manco” (Spanish for "one-handed") due to his habit of doing everything with his left hand while keeping his right hand free for his gun. He brings the same stoic presence and moral opacity as in A Fistful of Dollars, but his performance is now shaded with dry humour and more nuanced decision-making. There’s a growing sense that, beneath his detached exterior, he has a personal code of justice.

Lee Van Cleef as Colonel Douglas Mortimer

Van Cleef, in what would become a career-defining role, nearly steals the film. With his crisp Southern gentleman’s style, calm demeanour, and eyes that burn with restrained grief and rage, Mortimer is both enigmatic and magnetic. Unlike Manco, whose motivations are monetary, Mortimer’s are deeply emotional and tied to his tragic past. Van Cleef plays him with quiet intensity, exuding menace and dignity in equal measure.

The pairing of Eastwood and Van Cleef is one of the film’s greatest strengths. Their evolving relationship—from suspicion to reluctant partnership to mutual respect—is handled with subtlety and flair. They’re not friends, but they understand and value each other, which makes their alliance all the more compelling.

Gian Maria Volonté as El Indio

Volonté, who also played the villain in A Fistful of Dollars, returns in a new and far more complex role. El Indio is one of the most fascinating antagonists in the Western canon: a deeply disturbed man haunted by his past, prone to violent mood swings, and ruled by his obsession with a stolen musical pocket watch. Volonté gives a riveting performance, lacing El Indio’s cruelty with madness and even moments of despair. He’s less a stock villain than a tragic figure undone by his own demons.

Direction and Cinematic Style

Sergio Leone’s evolution as a filmmaker is evident in nearly every frame of For a Few Dollars More. He builds on the visual grammar of the first film but pushes it to new heights:

Cinematography: Shot in Techniscope by Massimo Dallamano, the film blends the sweeping vistas of the Spanish Almería desert with intense, tightly framed close-ups. The contrast between vast loneliness and extreme intimacy reinforces the emotional stakes and the characters’ psychological complexity.

Editing and pacing: The film masterfully alternates between moments of silence and sudden, stylized violence. Gunfights are no longer just action set-pieces; they’re choreographed dances, often driven by music or sound cues rather than traditional cues.

Symbolism: Leone introduces visual motifs—particularly the musical pocket watch—that give the film a mythic resonance. Time, memory, and fate all become intertwined through this symbolic object.

Music: Ennio Morricone’s Masterpiece-in-Progress

Ennio Morricone’s score is a triumph. It’s both a continuation of his innovations from A Fistful of Dollars and a deepening of his musical lexicon. His use of unconventional instruments—whistles, electric guitar, church bells, and chimes—gives the film its eerie, otherworldly tone.

The recurring melody of El Indio’s pocket watch, which plays during duels, becomes a chilling motif. It’s a lullaby of death, growing louder as bullets fly and the past comes roaring back. Morricone’s score doesn’t just accompany the film—it drives its emotion and rhythm, sometimes guiding the very structure of scenes.

Themes and Subtext

Revenge and Justice

At its core, For a Few Dollars More is a revenge story—though it disguises this under the trappings of a bounty hunt. Mortimer is not just pursuing a criminal; he’s exorcising a personal ghost. The final showdown is less about justice and more about redemption.

Duality and Brotherhood

Manco and Mortimer mirror each other in intriguing ways: one is young and impetuous, the other seasoned and methodical. They represent two paths shaped by trauma and violence, yet both are bound by a loose but potent sense of honour.

Time and Memory

The musical pocket watch is more than a prop—it’s a symbol of grief, the past’s inescapable hold on the present, and the subjective nature of justice. The final duel, choreographed to its melody, transforms into a requiem.

Legacy and Impact

For a Few Dollars More was a box office success and solidified Leone’s reputation internationally. While A Fistful of Dollars broke new ground, this film confirmed that the Spaghetti Western was not a fluke—it was a new cinematic language.

Its influence spread far and wide, inspiring directors from Quentin Tarantino to Robert Rodriguez. The character of Colonel Mortimer helped redefine the image of the aging gunfighter in popular culture. The visual and sonic techniques introduced here—particularly the use of stylized violence, ironic music, and long, tension-filled showdowns—would become standard in action cinema for decades to come.

Final Duel: A Masterclass in Tension

It’s impossible to discuss the film without mentioning its final duel—a slow-burning, balletic standoff in a deserted town. Leone combines image, music, performance, and silence with breathtaking control. As the pocket watch chimes and Mortimer’s past is revealed in full, the showdown becomes a moment of spiritual reckoning. It’s not just a gunfight—it’s catharsis.

Final Verdict

For a Few Dollars More is one of the greatest Westerns ever made. It improves on its predecessor in every way: richer character development, deeper themes, grander scale, and more refined cinematic technique. With unforgettable performances, bold direction, and one of the finest scores in film history, it stands as a masterpiece of genre filmmaking and a milestone in international cinema.

A bold, stylish, and emotionally resonant Western—at once thrilling, tragic, and mythic.