A Fistful of Dollars

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A Fistful of Dollars

R

1964

1h 36m

Western

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98%

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54 Reviews

91%

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50,000+ Ratings

Wandering gunfighter Joe arrives in the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among sheriff John Baxter and the three Rojo brothers. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, Joe is hired by Esteban to join the gang, but he plays one side against the other.

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Critics Consensus

With Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo as his template, Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars helped define a new era for the Western and usher in its most iconic star, Clint Eastwood.

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Simon Abrams

Village Voice

May 23, 2018

Every genre-loving moviegoer should see at least once projected on a theater screen.

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Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

May 21, 2018

4/4

The climatic bloodbath of A Fistful of Dollars still stings because the film's swaggering braggadocio deliberately fails to prepare us for it.

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Tara Brady

Irish Times

Apr 13, 2018

5/5

[Clint] Eastwood may not have been technically gifted, but he had plenty of star quality.

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

Sep 11, 2024

4/5

The Italian western that launched a genre.

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Jul 9, 2024

5/5

Gian Maria Volonté lends excellent support as the snarling Ramon and Ennio Morricone's minimalist score is a gem.

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Howard Waldstein

CBR

May 16, 2024

9/10

It seems all that it took was a spark to ignite the storied career, but it all truly begins with A Fistful of Dollars. We should all be thankful.

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Ryan T

@RT91888008 Oct 21, 2026

It's Clint Eastwood, what could go wrong?

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 9, 2026

A fistful of Dollars also equals a 5 star movie!

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Henry D

@Henry_Domke Aug 25, 2026

A grade-A grade-B action film. Despite this being our fourth viewing, and therefore very familiar, we greatly enjoyed it. This is early Clint Eastwood, but it is already clear that he had star power. Morricone’s iconic score, with its whistling, guitar and bells, was remarkably effective.

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Albert G

@RT62941283 Aug 8, 2026

Marconne did his best work on The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but this is Leone’s best work, the pure Western.

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Kenneth L

@RT28484096 Aug 2, 2026

The original Clint Western, and it still holds up in 2026.

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MARIA R

@RT24488750 Jun 29, 2026

Aside from the dubbing, good movie.

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Sergio Leone

Director

Clint Eastwood

Joe

Marianne Koch

Marisol

Joseph Egger

Piripero

Wolfgang Lukschy

John Baxter

Gian Maria Volonté

Ramón Rojo

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Synopsis

Wandering gunfighter Joe arrives in the Mexican village of San Miguel in the midst of a power struggle among sheriff John Baxter and the three Rojo brothers. When a regiment of Mexican soldiers bearing gold is waylaid by the Rojo brothers, Joe is hired by Esteban to join the gang, but he plays one side against the other.

Director: Sergio Leone
Producer: Arrigo Colombo, Giorgio Papi
Screenwriter: Adriano Bolzoni, Víctor Andrés Catena, Jaime Comas Gil, Sergio Leone
Distributor: Tobis Filmkunst, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corp., United Artists, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Ízaro Films S.A., Unidis
Production Co: Jolly Film, Ocean Films [es], Constantin Film
Rating: R
Genre: Western
Original Language: Italian
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 18, 1964, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 22, 2012
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Mono

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