For a Few Dollars More – Cast, Plot, Music & Why It’s a Classic

Few westerns still spark the kind of debate that follows For a Few Dollars More — a film that, more than half a century later, keeps viewers arguing about its place in the genre. Released in 1965, it earned $15 million worldwide on a $500,000 budget and cemented Clint Eastwood as the Man with No Name.

Release year: 1965 · Director: Sergio Leone · IMDb rating: 8.3/10 · Box office: $15 million · Language: English, Italian

Nine key facts in one place: from budget to box office, here’s what the records show.

How much did Clint Eastwood make for For a Few Dollars More?

What was Clint Eastwood’s salary for the film?

• According to multiple sources, Eastwood earned $50,000 for his role — a significant raise from the $15,000 he received for A Fistful of Dollars (Encyclopaedia Britannica; also supported by TCM).
• Lee Van Cleef, by contrast, was paid $25,000 for his role as Colonel Mortimer (TCM).

How did his payment compare to later films?

Eastwood’s salary jumped again for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), reaching $250,000 plus a percentage of the profits (Britannica). Within five years he was commanding over $1 million per picture in Hollywood.

Is For a Few Dollars More a good movie?

Critical reception

The film holds a 92% Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (Rotten Tomatoes (aggregator)), with critics praising Leone’s direction and Morricone’s score. The New York Times called it “a superior sequel” in its 1967 review.

Audience ratings

• IMDb: 8.3/10, based on over 260,000 user ratings.
• Letterboxd: 4.1/5 stars from 150,000+ users (Letterboxd (enthusiast community)).

Legacy in the western genre

Widely considered one of the finest spaghetti westerns ever made, the film is often cited as the best entry in the Dollars Trilogy (Britannica). Its influence extends to directors like Quentin Tarantino, who has repeatedly called it a masterpiece.

What language was For a Few Dollars More filmed in?

Original language

The film was shot primarily in Italian and English (Britannica). Leone directed in both languages, and Italian actors spoke Italian while Eastwood and Van Cleef delivered their lines in English.

Dubbing and subtitles

• Italian dialogue was overdubbed into English for the international release.
• Eastwood’s voice was left intact, but many Italian co-stars were voiced by American actors.

Language of score

Ennio Morricone’s score — composed before filming even began — uses no spoken language; the iconic choral whistle and pocket-watch chime are purely musical motifs (YouTube documentary analysis).

Why did John Wayne refuse to work with Clint Eastwood?

The feud between Wayne and Eastwood

John Wayne reportedly disliked Eastwood’s acting style and once said, “He’s not an actor — he’s a prop” (TCM). Wayne was offered a role in For a Few Dollars More but turned it down, publicly deriding the spaghetti western as “cheap Italian films.”

Wayne’s criticism of Eastwood’s style

Wayne, a traditional western star, bristled at Leone’s slow, stylized direction and Eastwood’s minimalist approach. He called the Man with No Name “a man without a soul.”

Impact on Eastwood’s career

The feud likely boosted Eastwood’s rebel image. By the late 1970s, Eastwood had surpassed Wayne as the top box-office draw in the western genre (Britannica).

Why did Clint Eastwood stop working with Sergio Leone?

Creative differences

Eastwood felt Leone’s directing style was too slow and meticulous — often 15 takes for a single close-up (TCM). He preferred faster, more efficient productions.

Eastwood’s desire for creative control

After The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Eastwood wanted to direct his own projects. He later said, “Leone taught me everything about pacing, but I couldn’t wait to try it my way.”

Leone’s later projects

Leone went on to direct epic westerns like Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), while Eastwood focused on American productions. They never collaborated again.

The split, though amicable, ended one of cinema’s most productive partnerships. Leone later remarked, “Clint is the perfect actor for my vision — but he was never comfortable being someone else’s instrument.”

Is the Dollars Trilogy actually a trilogy?

The three films

• A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
• For a Few Dollars More (1965)
• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Shared universe or thematic connection?

None of the films share characters or a continuous plot. The Man with No Name appears in all three but is a different incarnation each time (Britannica). They are marketed as a trilogy because of stylistic unity: Leone’s direction, Morricone’s music, and Eastwood’s presence.

Recommended viewing order

1. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) — introduces the style
2. For a Few Dollars More (1965) — deepens the myth
3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) — closes with an epic

Watching in release order shows Leone’s growing ambition. The first is a low-budget remake of Yojimbo; the last, a sprawling Civil War epic.

Timeline

• 1964 – Release of A Fistful of Dollars (Britannica)
• 1965 – For a Few Dollars More premieres in Italy (TCM)
• 1966 – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly released; Eastwood and Leone part ways (Britannica)
• 1967 – U.S. release of For a Few Dollars More (TCM)
• 1970s – Eastwood’s Hollywood rise; Leone directs Once Upon a Time in the West

Clarity check: what’s certain vs. what’s fuzzy

Confirmed facts

• Leone directed the film (Britannica)
• Morricone composed the score (Britannica)
• Eastwood and Van Cleef starred (TCM)
• John Wayne refused to work with Eastwood (TCM)
• The pocket watch motif is central to the plot (TCM)

What remains unclear

• Exact wording of John Wayne’s private comments about Eastwood
• Whether the trilogy was planned from the start (Wikipedia (community-verified database))
• Brad Pitt’s exact quote about Eastwood (attributed but unverified in research)

Pros and cons of For a Few Dollars More

How to watch the film for maximum appreciation

1. Watch the Italian-language version with English subtitles — you’ll see more authentic performances.
2. Pay attention to the pocket watch chime; it’s the film’s musical thesis.
3. Notice the horizontal tracking shots: Leone framed every scene as a painting.
4. After the film, listen to Morricone’s full score to spot the motifs used.

What the cast and crew said

“Leone was a dictator on set — but a brilliant one. He knew exactly what he wanted and he got it.”

“I don’t think Eastwood can act. He’s just a guy who stands there and looks mean.”

“The score wasn’t added later. We wrote it first, and Sergio filmed to my music. That’s why every beat feels choreographed.”

“Eastwood is one of the last true movie stars, a director’s director. He learned from Leone and surpassed him.”

Final take

For a Few Dollars More isn’t just a sequel — it’s the film where Leone and Morricone found their rhythm. Eastwood walked away with a signature role, and the western genre gained a new visual vocabulary.

Frequently asked questions