A Fistful of Dollars

What it’s about

A stranger arrives in the Mexican border town of San Miguel, where the Rojo brothers and the Baxter family are locked in a violent struggle for control. He finds the streets empty and a dead man tied to a horse with a mocking note. Learning from the saloon keeper that both gangs are equally matched and beyond the law, the stranger sees an opportunity. He begins selling false information to each side, deliberately stirring the conflict to serve his own ends.

What hooks you

Clint Eastwood stars as the cool, calculating gunman, his famous squint born of bright sun and high-wattage lamps on set. Sergio Leone directs this first collaboration with composer Ennio Morricone, whose initial sketches changed Leone's mind about hiring him. The film is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, and its US release was delayed by a successful copyright lawsuit that gave Kurosawa a share of profits. It is regarded as the first spaghetti western to gain international distribution.

Who it’s for

It suits viewers who like slow-burning standoffs in dusty border towns, where greed and betrayal simmer beneath every exchange. It suits viewers who appreciate the cynical charm of a lone schemer turning a town's hatred to his advantage.