Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Western/Crime

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonte

English Title: For a Few Dollars More. It was a time when 'wanted' posters adorned every corner of the streets and the sheriffs office was too scared to run behind them. That was when bouty killers came and hunted down wanted criminals for the reward money. Monco (Eastwood) was one such bounty killer and his eyes were set on hunting down El Indio (Volonte) who had $10,000 reward on his head. Col. Douglas Mortimer (Cleef) has an old score to settle with El Indio and he too is hunting for him. Monco and Mortimer realise that both of them are behind the same target and also realise that if they want El Indio, they cant do it alone. They get into a partnership and Monco joins hands with El Indio in a bid to get inside information on what he is up to. El Indio is all set to rob the most secure bank in the territory and Monco and Mortimer realise they have a huge sum of money waiting for them. One inadvertently compares this movie to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, considering it came from the same director, similar cast, same backdrop but just a few years earlier. The movie has the same classic charm of gun-wielding and the ultimate western attitude. The music plays a huge role in the movies appeal and a broad grin gets smacked on your face the moment you hear that western jingle. The movie, however, doesn't have the musical appeal that The Good, The Bad and The Ugly had which went on to become the classic sound clip for every western movie (remember the 'Aah-Aah-Aaaaaah?). If you love Mr. Eastwood then there is no denying this.

Thumbs up: The classic western attitude

Thumbs down: Plot could have been spruced up

Rating: 8.2/10

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Unforgiven (1992)

Genre: Western/Drama/Crime/Action

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, Anna Levine, Frances Fisher, Jaimz Woolvett

In the town of Big Whiskey, Wyoming, Delilah (Levine) a prostitute is attacked and butchered by two men leaving deep scars on her face. The town sheriff, Little Bill (Hackman) does little to punish the man and orders him to give the brothel owner horses as compensation. This act infuriates the prostitutes who decide to pool in their money and offer a $1000 bounty to anyone who kills the two men. Bill Munny (Eastwood) was a notorious assassin who was known to kill ruthlessly. Marriage teaches him a lesson and he changes his bad ways. A young cowboy going by the name of Schofiel Kid (Woolvett) approaches Munny and tells him of the $1000 bounty. Although Bill has stopped killing, he needs the money and agrees to help him hunt down the two men. Bill never works without his partner, Ned Logan (Freeman) and gets him to come along on the trip. Little Bill does not like gunslingers coming into his town and has every intention of protecting the two men from cowboys. Clint Eastwood seems to have the fabled golden touch, where each and every movie turns out to be a box-office extravaganza. With a mighty impressive star line-up, the movie delivers exactly what you have in mind, which comes as a huge relief. Fabulous plot and an amazing show, can seem to get a bit slow at times, but the rest of the movie is too good to bother about such anomalies.

Thumbs up: Amazing performance and an amazing star cast

Thumbs down: Lacks the old-world charm of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Rating: 8.3/10

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Last Man Standing (1996)

Genre: Western/Action/Crime/Drama

Starring: Bruce Willis, William Sanderson, Cristopher Walken, David Patrick Kelly, Karina Lombard, Bruce Dern, Ned Eisenberg

John Smith (Willis) is a gunslinger who arrives at the town of Jericho, Texas. The town is torn apart my gang wars and all the decent folk have been pushed out, leaving gunslingers who are thirsty for their counterparts blood. One of the gangs are run by the Italians, headed by Strozzi (Eisenberg) and the other is Irish, headed by Doyle (Kelly). John is on his way to Mexico and senses a good opportunity to make some easy money. He plays politics on the entire war by crossing sides and makes himself good money. He passes information of one side to other, without either of them knowing what is happening. The movie has some very good twists in the story which keeps your attention alive. However, if your watching this movie to see some nice western action, then your in the wrong movie. Apart from the location and set, nothing else gives you the western movie feel. Some nice action and a good story.

Thumbs up: Story and the twists within it
Thumbs down: Doesn't give the western movie feel

Rating: 7.0/10

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Il Buono, Il Brutto, Il Cattivo (1966)

Genre: Action/Adventure/Western

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef

English title: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The god of all western movies is here. Blondie - The Good (Eastwood) and Tuco - The Ugly (Wallach) are two friends, or enemies, depending upon the situation, who make money off Tuco's bounty. As a routine, Blondie takes Tuco to the sheriff who hands over the bounty money to him, who later frees Tuco and they split the money in half. Angel Eyes - The Bad (Cleef) is looking for a Bill Carson who knows the location of a stash of money hidden somewhere. When Blondie breaks the partnership and betrays Tuco, Tuco hunts him down and eventually takes him hostage. They stumble across a carriage laden with bodies where they find a half-dead Bill Carson. Carson narrates half of the money's location to Tuco and the other half to Blondie. They duo set out on an adventure to find the treasure, when they suddenly encounter Angel Eyes, who realises that the two know the location of the money. What follows is a wild-goose chase to the hidden stash. The movie is filled with high-drama, stylish piece of western action often found in movies of old which makes this movie even more appealing. The movies ever famous soundtrack has been played over again in multiple western movies over time. It plays at the very apt moment and makes the movie a good watch.

Rating: 8.6/10

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