Can We Talk 2

A Few Dollars More

         I was convinced that I had viewed all of the Sergio Leone trilogy, having seen The Good, The Bad and the Ugly more times than I cared to admit, mostly before I liked westerns. I only watched John Wayne and Clint Eastwood to accommodate brothers or husband or friends, except for The Quiet Man. I never really paid attention to the story or the actors. Now I like them on my own. However, last night, I reluctantly watched A Few Dollars More. I had a headache and didn't feel like reading. I had nothing else to do.


         To my surprise, I have not seen this one before. Nothing rang a bell at any point for me. It has the usual loud exotic music of spaghetti westerns. It paints a very bad picture of American western history, starting off with the written words that go something like: Where life has no value, death sometimes has a price. So the bounty killer rose out of this. The point was made that the American west did not value life. Too broad and too general a commentary for my tastes.

         It had the usual foreigners playing the supporting roles and opposition, with strong accents in gruff voices. Eastwood and Van Cleef were partners rather than enemies in this one. The Man With No Name actually had one name-Monco. Only Van Cleef looked like he ever washed his face in the film. Like many Italian made westerns, the bandits hold up in a church or abandoned mission, so there are religious relics everywhere to preside over acts of violence.

         So what kept me following such a violent, dark movie? None of the men appeared to be handsome or cute, so that wasn't it. The story takes some cunning and unexpected twists. The good guys and the bad guys are very clever and keep outwitting each other. And one redeeming moment occurs when we realize Van Cleef's character wants to avenge a crime against his family more than he wants the bounty. It's a brief, but understandable moment. And that moment is not overplayed.

         You would think that the good guys win, but, alas, only our acting heroes win. They are, after all, bounty hunters. Van Cleef rides off into the sunset, content with his revenge. Eastwood counts bounty in dollars and piles dead bodies, about 15, onto the wagon and rides off the opposite way. A lost life is only money to him.