A Fistful of Dollars -- 1964 -- R

The first of the "man with no name" trilogy by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone was one of the greatest of the "spaghetti westerns" and served to propel Clint Eastwood to a household name.

The plot is deceptively simple. A man rides into a town ruled by rival gangs. He makes offers of employment to both sides and plays both sides continuously for payment until both sides are destroyed. This film shows a gritty, unrelenting view of the American West from the perspective of an Italian who cannot speak English, and it works perfectly.

There were a few times when I questioned what was going on or why his character might do what he is doing, and though it sometimes didn't make sense, it all worked out. My curiosity is whether he would know that it would work out this way given that he would not be able to see the future and know his questionable actions would play out so well.

Though without a name, Eastwood's character is well defined as a well-meaning gunslinger trying to bring a little goodness into a cruel world. He helps where he can help, and kills when he needs to. He shows incredible intelligence, and then arrogance when everything starts going his way. He is beaten to a pulp and then recovers to save the day. A good arc for a character whose name we never get.

The other characters are all there to support the story, and we get just enough to know what they're all up to. Some of them wear a bit thin at times, but for a film of this nature, it isn't all that bad.

It was a very intriguing film and keeps you engrossed for the duration. It is paced very well and the man with no name is almost superhero-like in his gun-slinging prowess. Not a bad film at all.