‘Masterpiece’ of Western cinema with 92% rating to leave Prime Vide | Films | Entertainment

A 1965 Spaghetti Western which has come to be regarded as a major work in the genre and currently holds a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, is set to leave Prime Video in the coming days.

One of the defining titles of European Western cinema,the project stars Clint Eastwood as Manco, a bounty hunter – also known as the Man with No Name – as well as Lee Van Cleef as Colonel Douglas Mortimer, a former army officer turned bounty hunter.

On the other side, Gian Maria Volonté plays central antagonist El Indio, a bank robber with a traumatic past symbolised by a distinctive musical pocket watch. Other supporting roles are played by a large ensemble cast drawn from Italian, Spanish and German cinema.

The plot follows Manco and Mortimer as they independently pursue El Indio on the American frontier as the bank robber has been broken out of prison by his gang.

As their paths cross, the two form an unlikely alliance and infiltrate Indio’s operation in order to trap him from both sides.

From then on, the story is built on a series of betrayals, shifting sides and loyalties, and other confrontations that, in true Western fashion, culminate in a final duel. A standout point of the film is the plot depth found in Mortimer’s personal connection to Indio’s crimes – a layer of backstory rarely seen in the genre at the time.

For a Few Dollars More was an international co-production between Italy, West Germany, and Spain, filmed primerily in Tabernas, Almeria, with a built fictional town – El Paso – built in the Spanish desert and serving as a tourist attraction to this day.

The film’s music plays a central role in its narrative, as the screenwriters wrote the scenes and staged them around the songs composed by Ennio Morricone. 

The score, especially the watch melody shared by Indio and Mortimer, became one of the film’s most recognisable features.

For a Few Dollars More performed remarkably well upon release, achieving significant commercial success in several territories and becoming the highest-grossing film in Italy by 1967.

Although not an immediate critical favourite, the film has always had audience acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes now reports a 92% approval rating, with the site’s consensus describing the film as a genre classic.

One review describes it simply as: “Masterpiece! Absolute iconic movie. Sergio Leone classic style and brilliantly brought to screen.”

Another notes, “Might be my favorite out of the three… the ending duel’s tensity felt even more present compared to ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’.” A further review adds, “Awesome story awesome main character awesome partner awesome villain.”

For a Few Dollars More is expected to leave the Amazon Prime Video catalogue by the end of January.