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Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
Not as great as the previous installments, but still a fitting end to the saga...
Although still great entertainment, it is not quite on the same level Empire Strikes Back or Star Wars. Still, that is no slight on this movie...it is difficult to equal those two masterpieces-- they stand as quite possibly the best sci-fi action movies ever made. The costumes are great, the opening sequence on Tatooine is tense and exciting, and the final space battle blows away A New Hope in terms of scope and size. In addition, the emotion of the final confrontation between Luke and the Emperor/Vader is both cathartic and saddening, as finally the story comes full circle...as Anakin betrayed his Jedi brethren due to fear for his wife's life, so too did he betray the Emperor out of love and compassion for his son. The major themes and morals of the movie may be simplistic and childish to an extent, but it is honest and innocent in its message of love and trust over hatred, anger and fear; there shouldn't be anything wrong with that. More pluses - Yoda and Obi-Wan are back, confirming that Vader is Luke's father- and that Leia is his twin sister!! Han and Leia's love is fleshed out a bit and firmly established during the rescue of Han from Jabba's palace. The Emperor, played by Ian McDiarmid, is deliciously evil as well. This movie is a great transition. The first two movies belonged to Vader, especially Empire Strikes Back. This installment is about Luke's rise and transformation into a Jedi. This is his movie. One could argue that Vader loses this role because he has good in him - because of his inner conflict about his love for his son and his wish to overthrow the Emperor, as stated in the previous movie. Luke's burning of his father's suit is symbolic of this final destruction of Vader. His appearance with Yoda and Obi-Wan at the end is touching. Two negatives - the Ewoks and the ending. The Ewoks are too kiddie, and you can't tell me that the Ewoks and a few rebels could beat imperial troopers and Imperial Walkers in a fight. Also, the ending is a bit too kitschy - rebels and Ewoks partying in the trees? Please. Still these flaws cannot ruin this movie. A great finale to maybe the greatest movie trilogy ever.
Star Wars (1977)
The opening installment of the greatest trilogy in cinematic history...
Truly a landmark film. When it came out, there had never been anything like it before, and it truly caused quite a stir. I would contend that it is not as good as its sequel, Empire Strikes Back; but it is still a great movie. There is humor, action, and some heartfelt moments. It is also our introduction to some great characters that people will never forget - Chewbacca, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi...and of course everyone's favorite villain, Darth Vader. Alec Guinness really is outstanding in this movie. His role as Luke's first mentor is understated and believable...his somewhat tired attitude in retrospect seems very understandable after watching the prequels - after all he's been through, it is very believable when he tells Luke, "I'm getting to old for this sort of thing." The visual effects are not only groundbreaking, but they still hold up very well even in this CGI-effects laden era. I would contend that ILM's use of modeling and lighting in the old films actually lends a more believable look to the action scenes than the prequels' use of video-game style battles and sensory overload. There is great chemistry between the actor's - and while Luke is a bit annoying, the back and forth of Han and Chewbacca, and C-3PO and R2-D2, as well as Leia's chemistry with Han and Luke, make this movie extremely entertaining on an emotional level - it also makes you care about the characters. Let us compare the lightsaber duel of this movie with that from Phantom Menace. Although the acrobatics and sheer fury of the duel just are not there in A New Hope, we actually feel something when Obi-Wan allows Vader to strike him down. Conversely, when Qui-Gon Jinn is slain, there is not the same (if any) feeling after it is done. Well, I'm rambling now. But this movie has it all. Space battles, lightsaber duels (a la Samurai flicks), chase sequences, thinly veiled references to the Western genre in the Canteen on Tatooine. A Truly great adventure that, as it ended, was really just beginning.
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The best of the three (really, the best of the six)
What a movie. I remember crying when I found out that Vader is Luke's father (Granted, I first saw this when I was six, but still). It is easily the darkest of the original trilogy - nothing good happens to any of the heroes, but plenty of bad things happen. On the plus side, the rebellion lives to fight another day, and certain relationships are enhanced, and our main protagonists characters are further developed.
Some of the greatest characters in the trilogy are also introduced in this movie (some are fleshed out in the sequel) - Yoda, Boba Fett, and of course, the Emperor. The sets are great, and it features two epic battles; the Rebel defeat on Hoth at the hands (feet?) of the Imperial AT-AT walkers, and Luke's defeat and maiming at the hands of Lord Vader. The lightsaber battle and its accompanying dialog is easily the emotional climax of the movie.
As always in the original trilogy, the humor is great. It is probably at its best in this movie ("laugh it up, fuzzball!") Seeing these movies again (I just watched the whole original trilogy for the first time since seeing Revenge of the Sith) made me realize what is really missing from the new movies - that great chemistry that the actors/actresses had. For all the technical and visual flair of the new flicks, you just don't have the kind of relationships like you had in the old movies - Han and Chewy, Han and Leia, Luke and Leia, R2 and 3PO, Luke and Vader, Luke and Yoda, Yoda and Ben, Luke and Ben...I could go one forever. That human element makes up for any "shortcomings" the old movies had visually (although I would contend that the use of models helps these movies stand the test of time - the re-release looks AMAZING) and allows the audience to connect on an emotional level much deeper than with the new trilogy. While the last installment of the prequels was good, it does not hold a candle to this epic, sad and yet heroic tale. EMPIRE is the crown jewel of the saga, replete with mythical story lines, humor and stunning visuals. Fun for folks of all ages.
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
Outstanding finale to the prequels...
Lucas certainly went out with a bang. I just saw the finale and I am awestruck. I honestly don't even know where to begin, but I can say that it has everything you could ever hope to see. Huge space battles that dwarf anything from any of the other installments; a slew of lightsaber battles that every Star Wars fan has wanted to see; and some plot developments that actually elicit emotional response from the audience, something that was sorely lacking in the other two prequel installments. Now unlike a lot of the so called "fanboys" of this Series, I enjoyed the first two prequels; however, there was still something lacking when compared with the earlier saga. I call it the little things, which are back in a big way here. It seems Lucas finally heeded some of the criticism from the earlier installments and put all of his creative forces towards bringing back some of the original feelings and ideas from the earlier movies. The movie is dark, darker even than Empire Strikes Back, and gruesome at times. But all this does is bring a more realistic feeling to the movie, something that was often lacking in the more kid-friendly Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. The movie ties up the plot lines very well and sets everything up for A New Hope. Questions about why certain things were done in episodes IV, V and VI are answered here. And in the end, this was the most important aspect of this movie. However, it is a testament to Lucas' willingness to listen to his fans that this movie is as much of a success as it is. Bravo George.
**SPOILERS** The most emotional moments are the montage of "Order 66" and the final exchange between Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker: Anakin: "I hate you!" Obi Wan: "You were my brother...I loved you!" Wow. See it.
The Prisoner (1967)
possibly the most cerebral and clever show I've seen...
What a show. It is difficult to fully describe this show to the uninitiated...there is just too much there, and it must be seen to be believed. The basic premise is as follows: A man whose job we do not fully know (although he appears to be part of a secret service or some such outfit) decides to resign from his office. It becomes immediately clear that this man knows too much. In order to protect his silence so that none of his knowledge is transferred, the man is gassed and finds himself in "The Village". The Village basically is a housing complex for all sorts of individuals who know too much. Over the course of the series, different "number 2"'s attempt to break No. 6 in order to find out why he resigned.
My only real qualm with the series was the rather haphazard, quickly thrown together final few episodes, one of which is a Secret Agent Man ripoff, another a Western ripoff, and the finale of which, "Fallout", while telling, strays from the initially intriguing arguments and dialog of the early episodes.
It should be noted that this series is not for everyone. You must come prepared to watch a highly intellectual, symbolic show that does not follow standard plot conventions. The Village, its characters (the bubble), and its numerous idiosyncrasies ("be seeing you") immerse you in a strange land where only the strongest men, like No. 6, can survive. Definitely worth a look.
Be seeing you.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Cmon it was fun!
I think people are overly harsh concerning these movies. A lot of people complain about the use of CGI vs. modeling in the original trilogy, but this is a bunch of bull. If Lucas had the capability to use CGI in the first trilogy, he definitely would have used it. The only reason that he didn't use it was that he couldn't, so instead he spent an inordinate amount of time creating set pieces and large-scale miniatures of ships (Milennium Falcon, X-Wings, Tie Fighters, Star Destroyers, the Death Star). This must have cost an absolute fortune, not to mention that the manpower effort to realize his visions must have been staggering. And while I agree that the use of models has allowed those movies to stand up to the test of time (I recently watched the trilogy on DVD for the first time in years), I still think there is a lot of good stuff in this installment. The CGI is amazing, particularly the sequence showing the rescue of Anakin, Obi Wan and Amidala on Tatooine. I thought Yoda's fighting sequence was well-done (he's the most powerful Jedi in the galaxy - why is this so unbelievable?) And the chase with Obi Wan and Anakin trailing the would be assassin through the skyways makes the similar scene in the 5th element look like a coarse little flip-book (a movie which has a higher score on this site). The acting was a deterrent - especially in depicting the love story of Padme and Anakin. Gone is Liam Neeson, but added was Christopher Lee, a favorite of mine. Unfortunately this incarnation of Anakin is highly annoying, much more so than the boy from Ep. 1. I simply could not accept that Amidala would fall in love with this immature, arrogant little punk for a second. Still, I give the movie an 8. People's expectations are way too high for these movies, mostly because of the phenomenon the original series spawned. I think it is unfair to judge these movies in this way, but rather to take them as they are without trying to constantly compare them to the originals. The originals are obviously superior, without doubt; however the originals are also some of the greatest movies ever made, and to expect the same this time around is unfair; it is difficult to catch lightning in a bottle once, let alone 6 times - Lucas managed to do it 3 times with the original movies, and while these are not on the same level, they are enjoyable nonetheless. 7 of 10
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Not THAT bad...
I think people are overly harsh concerning these movies. A lot of people complain about the use of CGI vs. modeling in the original trilogy, but this is a bunch of bull. If Lucas had the capability to use CGI in the first trilogy, he definitely would have used it. The only reason that he didn't use it was that he couldn't, so instead he spent an inordinate amount of time creating set pieces and large-scale miniatures of ships (Milennium Falcon, X-Wings, Tie Fighters, Star Destroyers, the Death Star). This must have cost an absolute fortune, not to mention that the manpower effort to realize his visions must have been staggering. And while I agree that the use of models has allowed those movies to stand up to the test of time (I recently watched the trilogy on DVD for the first time in years), I still think there is a lot of good stuff in this installment. The CGI, even 6 years later, still looks as good as anything we have seen since. The concerns about jar-jar and the use of "accidental" actions helping to bring victory to the good guys? Hello, what about Return of the Jedi? Ewoks were easily as annoying as the gungans, and just as goofy in the battle on Endor. The acting - while Han Solo is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic anti-hero/hero characters in modern movies, people seem to forget that Luke was an extremely annoying character (especially in Ep. 4), and much of the other acting was not great (Alec Guiness excepted of course). I think Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid, Samuel L Jackson, and Liam Neeson more than constitute good acting for Episode I(Natalie Portman is pretty dull unfortunately). Set pieces. This movie has some unbelievable scenes in it, regardless of what its detractors say. The lightsaber finale blows away the originals completely both in choreography and sheer electricity. The pod racer scene is another excellent sequence, and considering that this movie is 6 years old it still looks great (and sounds even better). While I would not put these movies in the same class as the originals, I do think people are extremely hard on these movies because they try to compare them to the originals, which are absolute classics. This sort of relativism leads to unfair comparisons, which harm the votes. People were under the impression that these movies would be as life-changing as the first movies - but unfortunately, that time is past. STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE was essentially the first action movie to even attempt the sorts of things the movie displayed - it simply blew people away. Unfortunately, since then, we have seen numerous rip-offs which have steeled us against being blown away by SFX extravaganzas. For all its flaws, it is still an entertaining watch - 7 of 10.
La cité des enfants perdus (1995)
Great visuals and interesting premise, but...
It leaves me wanting. I just rented this movie after reading all of the rave reviews on this site and others. People talked about a movie reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" in terms of the look and feel, and when I saw that the director did "Amelie", one of my favorite movies, I was intrigued needless to say. However, while the visuals were definitely reminiscent of a Gilliam work, the screenplay and the acting was sorely lacking. Don't get me wrong; I thought the idea was fine - I just don't think that the script was properly hashed out for a story that strove for something so grandiose. And while there are elements of humor, horror, and surreality interspersed throughout the picture, these genres are touched on in a far less subtle way than in a Gilliam production.
On the plus side, I loved the way this world was created; the mix between pseudo-futuristic and ancient technology led to a feeling of timelessness, while the dark lighting gave this film, so obsessed with dreams and the ethereal qualities of the human soul, the proper "shadow" through which to explore these themes. I liked some of the techniques used to keep the viewer enthralled. For instance, the scene where Miette's tear starts a chain of events which alters the fates of her and One was unique and well-done, albeit slightly contrived. The Siamese twins were hilarious. The smoking octopus. The idea of the murderous dancing fleas, also very well done and unique.
However, for me the whole of this movie is less than the some of its parts. Dialogue is sparse, and for a movie with such an esoteric plot, this is not necessarily a good thing. I also thought much of the acting left a lot to be desired; One (Ron Perlman) was pedestrian, and many of the supporting characters were guilty of overacting. I did not care for Krank (Daniel Emilfork) at all - while I thought he looked the part, he was by no means convincing as the arch-villain in mind or mannerisms. On the other hand, I thought Judith Vittet (Miette) and Dominique Pinon (the merman/the clones) were excellent.
One the whole, I thought the concept and the visual aspect of the movie was great - but the banal script and mostly sub-par acting really ruined it for me. I would say that this was a grand effort for Caro and Jeunet, but an effort that ultimately failed. See it if you want to watch something completely different than what you are used to, and see it for the outstanding sets and gadgets. However, don't rent this if you are looking for a true sci-fi masterwork on par with Brazil -chances are you will be hugely disappointed.
5/10
The Sixth Sense (1999)
predictable and overrated.
What a stupid movie. I cannot believe that this movie is considered #100 on the top 250. I had this movie pegged in 25 minutes, right down to the realization that Willis' character was dead. There were certainly some interesting subplots, but I still found this movie to be utterly pointless and essentially self-congratulatory in its "brilliance". On the plus side, I did think Haley Joe Osment did a fantastic job as the gifted little tyke. But aside from that, I did not find most of the acting to be particularly strong, and I apologize but a little kid's acting cannot save this movie. I just don't understand how a movie as simple as this can be considered "great", especially when you can't watch the movie more than once and enjoy it! However, that seems to be the norm, considering how great Se7en was considered as well (another movie that I just figured out in the first half hour.) Overdone, over-hyped, over-primed, this movie will be forgotten in a few years while the truly great films live on.
Se7en (1995)
predictable, methodical, overrated...
I finally saw this movie after seeing how highly regarded this was on IMDb. I have to say I was extremely disappointed. I thought the plot was interesting, but it quickly became see-through as the movie continued. This is certainly not as good as people believe it to be, and I found it to be dark and disturbing, and without any real "mission" to speak of. Usually, a great movie is the kind of movie you can view over and over again, and it consistently gets better with subsequent viewings. However, this movie can hardly stand with those. As I said before, it was fairly predictable from the start (I knew about 45 minutes early that his wife would be dying at the end) and it doesn't get any better every time you see it. For instance, check out 'Chinatown'; this is a legitimate film-noir thriller that does get better with age; it features outstanding performances and a dense plot, whereas this movie has a fairly methodical plot and some good but not great acting. I just don't see the appeal that this movie holds with people (similarly to Sixth Sense, which I figured out in about 25 minutes.) You may like it, but it just doesn't do it for me.
Wo hu cang long (2000)
The beginning of a new era for Wuxia films.
When I first saw this movie, I was utterly blown away. I had never seen anything like it before...just a remarkable conglomeration of many different movie genres; comedy, romance, action, mystery and martial arts film. And the truly amazing thing was that this movie did all of these things well. Since I saw this movie, I have explored the genre fairly extensively; I have watched some of the contemporary films, like Hero, House of Flying Daggers; some other slightly older films, like Ashes of Time and the Bride with White Hair; and some of the classics, like Touch of Zen, Come Drink with Me, and Golden Swallow. And of all of these films, the oldest are the ones that still compare well with this, particularly Touch of Zen, in which one can really see the roots of this movie (highly recommended). Anyways, getting back to the movie; I won't spoil the plot, but Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat are fantastic in their roles, as they simply display perfect emotion for their situation. Zhang Ziyi is outstanding in her role as a feisty young woman who is unwilling to bend to her parent's wishes. And Chang Pei-pei, in a small role as the Jade Fox, is outstanding, a nod from And Lee to her early classics (Golden Swallow, Come Drink with Me). When I watched this movie, I felt that the cinematography and choreography put me into a dreamlike state that made me even more willing to accept all of the ideas and themes that this movie presents. An enjoyable experience worth watching if you just saw Hero or House of Flying Daggers but missed this one. A must see, even for those who are not fans of wuxia or martial arts films.
Ying xiong (2002)
Outstanding visual feast with a more than adequate plot.
Zhang Yimou is truly a visual artist. While I won't compare him to Kurosawa in terms of his prowess as a director, he does share one similarity to the great master of Asian cinema: Many of the scenes/images in this film are practically paintings, rather than simple frames of a movie. A perfect example would be the shot of the unnamed walking towards the King's chambers through tens of thousands of guards. The overwhelming see of black, with colors interspersed and a lone figure walking past this sea of armor is truly epic art. The colors are vibrant, Tan Dun's accompanying score is beautiful and haunting, and the action (while limited) is more dance-like than it is pure violence.
The storyline is similar to Rashomon, in that the protagonist, the unnamed (Jet Li), is brought before the emperor after slaying 3 powerful would-be assassins; Sky, Snow, and Broken Sword. He tells the emperor of how he managed to complete this impossible task. As the movie progresses, we hear several different variations of this story: The one which unnamed tells, followed by the emperor's response to the story of what he believes actually happened, followed by the real truth concerning what happened. It is masterfully woven and Yimou's use of color themes to separate these perspectives is wonderfully done.
Some of the effects are absolutely breathtaking. The sequence in which Donnie Yen and Jet Li face off while a blind man plays them a tune is simultaneously kinetic and poetic. When Moon (Zhang Ziyi) faces of against Snow (Maggie Cheung) following the latter's killing of Broken Sword (Tony Leung), the first version of the tale reaches its climax visually and chromatically. The sequence where unnamed and Snow defend the calligraphy school from the deadly arrows of Qin is also a lesson in beautifully coordinating CGI with live-action. The scene where the unnamed and Broken Sword duel on the lake...the list goes on and on.
While the movie is very different from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, fans of that movie should still watch this one. There aren't as many battle scenes, but in terms of epic backgrounds, lush costumes and emotion, this movie matches CTHD. Fans of beautiful imagery in general should watch this, actually. Some reviewers have complained that the end of this film carries with it a pro-communist message, but I feel as though this sentiment is too short-sighted; it is more of an idealistic, large minded-view than it is a communist view. And it reads too much into the intentions of the film. Just sit back and enjoy the movie for what it is: A visual feast with gorgeously choreographed action and a plot to boot.
If you really like it, try to find the full-cut of this movie, which is available for region-1 as a Chinese import. The subtitles aren't as well-done, but there are additional scenes which, while they do not alter the story in any way, add to the general mood and feel of the work substantially in my opinion.
Beautiful movie, 9/10 stars.
Casshern (2004)
Beautiful Imagery hiding an absolute mess...
What can I say about Casshern? The movie is essentially a beggar parading about in the clothing of an emperor. But beneath all of the CGI-enhanced effects and varied bits of an alternate world that Casshern creates, it fails to deliver any cohesive storyline (albeit a very thin one). The movie is completely disjointed, there is absolutely no character development, and the pacing is choppy and disconnected at best. The different camera techniques used here make the movie seem more like a music video than a 2-hour feature length film, and these techniques get old fast.
From what I can tell, our lead man Casshern was once Tetsuya, the son of a doctor involved in "neo-cell" research. However, he hates his father (we're not really sure why) and decides to fight in the remnants of a 50-year war with Europa, the loser of the battle against the Eastern Federation. His fathers research is not going so well, when suddenly something happens which spawns a mutant humanoid race from his experiments, so aptly dubbed "neo-sapiens". Some of these neo-sapiens escape (kidnapping Tetsuya's mother in the meantime) and go to the North, to a so-called sector 7, to set up their stronghold. Meanwhile, during the war, Tetsuya dies; his father is so overcome with grief that he brings his son back with neo-cell technology, thus re-making him as a superhuman. This leads Tetsuya on the path to becoming Casshern. Plot doesn't sound TOO bad, huh? Well, unfortunately, there's not much else by way of story line for the remainder of the film, aside from clichéd progressions which lead to the inevitable apocalyptic climaxes followed by the "why must humans destroy each other?" questions so often found in Anime (not surprisingly, this movie is based on an old Japanese Anime series of the same name). And considering the movie has a runtime of 2hrs 20min, the story is definitely spread far too thin.
The only things that keep me from giving this move the lowest rating are the sometimes breathtaking effects sequences, some of which are quite memorable. However, since this film is essentially spawned from an anime, even some of these sequences tend to meander towards the absurd and cartoonish. But I digress: there are some very interesting representations of future cities, weapons and assorted devices that keep the movie from being unwatchable.
I would suggest this movie to anyone who is either a fan of this anime series or enjoys some serious CGI-aided visual stimuli. If you like MTV, you might be a big fan of this short-attention span, audio-visual bombardment...there is certainly plenty of eye candy. But if you enjoy a riveting storyline, deep and thought provoking characters and themes, and, basically, anything else that turns a series of images (beautiful or not) into a cohesive movie, you probably will want to steer clear of this...it is basically an expensive fiasco, and not surprisingly I heard it was recently voted one of the worst movies of the year in Japan.
Ronin (1998)
Good action flick helped by some outstanding acting.
I'm surprised how underrated this film is. I thought it was one of the better action movies of recent years. DeNiro and Reno had a great chemistry, and some of the chase sequences, especially the last car chase scene (one of the best filmed/coordinated I've ever seen). The supporting actors were great, there were plenty of devious double-crosses and the like as well.
The basic plot is as follows: There is a group (presumably IRA) which is looking to steal something important. They hire a group of criminals/ex-operatives to do a job in return for exorbitant pay. DeNiro's character (Sam) is mysterious,although he seems to be some sort of ex-operative. Needless to say his true origins do not become clear until much later in the film. The remainder of the gang members also have shady backgrounds. They are tasked with finding a specific package which their employing shadow group covets. However, once they have the package, greed takes over and the group begins to break down as order and allegiances quickly dissolve. What results is some compelling action, as Skaarsgard (Gregor) turns out to be DeNiro's antithesis, another ex-operative from the other side. As I mentioned before, the camera-work in the chase scene is outstanding, and as far as I know, very original. I have never seen anything like it before or since.
I thought it was a highly entertaining movie, and, well I'm a huge DeNiro fan. If you're in the mood for an entertaining crime film with a twist or three, then go rent this. You won't be disappointed.
The Last Samurai (2003)
A good Hollywood action epic...
I have recently started getting into the Samurai genre, starting with the Kurosawa's Yojimbo, Hidden Fortress, Throne of Blood, and Ran as well as Shogun's Samurai(a great, mostly ignored flick) and Sword of Doom. So I finally sucked it up and picked up this movie, curious to see what a mega-sized Hollywood budget could do with the genre. I would have to say that this movie does not compare to any of those previously mentioned, but nonetheless it is an incredibly entertaining action epic, with outstanding costumes, great acting, some fine sword play, and some well-choreographed battle sequences. However, this movie's attempts at philosophy are definitely very simplistic and Western, while Ran, Throne of Blood, Sword of Doom et al examine deeper issues than simple honor and personal redemption.
But, I must digress. I am a sucker for action-epics, and this one is certainly that. There are plenty of tense battle scenes, involving everything from ninjas to brutal sparring sessions to daring rescue missions where samurai with bows and arrows and swords must contend with myriad gunmen. I must say, I found it mildly unrealistic that Cruise's Algren could master Bushido in 6 months, but I guess that's what suspension of disbelief is for.
Anyways, if you like action-epics, and you are curious about the Samurai film genre, I would highly recommend this movie. Then go see "When the Last Sword is Drawn", a Japanese production set in the same time period, which was released in the same year and is a cut above.
Per un pugno di dollari (1964)
"Get Three Coffins Ready...
Sorry, Four Coffins." First off, I am not a fan of westerns for the most part. However, the story told here is one that can be translated to just about any genre. In fact, this story has been re-told several other times on screen (most notably Kurosawa's Samurai classic "Yojimbo", which actually came first and is extremely similar...even some of Leone's shots are copied to the T from this; there's also a sub-par Bruce Willis version of this, but the name escapes me). But I digress. Clint Eastwood was born to play the "man with no name". And while he is certainly not my favorite actor, or an actor with the greatest range, I cannot imagine anyone else in this role. His squinting, grimacing, reluctant hero ushered in a new era in westerns, one which was initially ridiculed but has become a standard of sort over time. One need look no further than the fact that the phrase "Spaghetti Western", when first coined, was considered a derogatory term, but no longer implies that connotation; if anything, quite the opposite.
The basic plot involves our protagonist (Eastwood) wandering through the desert. He happens upon a miserable little town on the Texas-Mexico border which is overrun by two factions of thieves; a group of rum runners, and a group of gun runners. Although he is warned against it, Eastwood (at one point referred to as "Joe" by a townsman) decides to stay in town and rack up some coin by being hired as an enforcer for both sides, thereby playing the two groups of brigands off on each other while slowly whittling down their numbers.
The story is great; while no-name is not really a "good guy" at all, he still does good deeds, even if they do end up serving his own ends. He helps a Marisol, a woman forced to live in captivity with the head antagonist away from her husband and child, and her family escape from town; however this is done partially so that he can blame the escape and massacre of her guardsmen on the other faction of crooks so as to incite trouble. On the flip side, the villains are utter scum; totally reprehensible creatures without an ounce of good will among them. You don't feel any remorse for these characters when no-name finally takes them out.
The action scenes are very well done, considering the movie was shot in 1964; there are some particularly gruesome deaths, as well as a pretty serious beating of which no-name is the recipient, along with the standard "bang-bang-bang-bang-bang" scenes, where 5 guys fall dead before they can even draw their guns against no-name. The music fits perfectly, and you'll notice the similarity of the music in FFOD's final scene to the music used in the climactic scene of "Kill Bill: Vol. 1", Tarantino's nod to the genre.
Plenty of memorable dialog, considering how minimalist the script is, and all in all a great watch that moves along quickly. It can be watched over and over. See this movie, it's a real treat even if you are not a Western fan. If you like it, you should watch the rest of the Eastwood-Leone collaborations in their loose trilogy: "For a Few Dollars More", and "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly".