For a Few Dollars More

For a Few Dollars More (1965) puts two bounty hunters on the same man, and their reasons are not the same. One is Monco, working for money. The other is Colonel Mortimer, older, colder, and indifferent to the money. They start by trying to eliminate each other and end up partners. But why Mortimer wants this man is withheld for most of the film. The answer is in a music box. The villain El Indio carries a pocket watch that plays a tune, and Mortimer has its twin. Every time the tune plays we know a duel is about to begin, and the film's entire tension is tied to that sound. What Morricone does here is not a score but a plot device. Lee Van Cleef's career had faded before this; he had been taking small parts for years. Leone found him, and Van Cleef played leads for years afterwards. Klaus Kinski has a small, unforgettable role. It is the second of the Dollars trilogy. Although Clint Eastwood's character looks like the same man throughout, the films are not continuous. The last duel is where the whole structure gathers, and the music sets its rules. It runs 132 minutes. Good for: westerns, Leone, and film music. Less good for: the pace is slow and the violence was harsh for its time.