6. A Fistful Of Dollars (1964)
This is the one that started it all: Clint Eastwood starred as the iconic “Man With No Name” in spaghetti western master Sergio Leone’s remake of Japanese samurai flick Yojimbo, and brought attention to the new genre in the west. It’s easy to understand why A Fistful of Dollars was so successful. Eastwood is effortlessly cool in this story of an outsider who manipulates two rival families (who are tearing apart a small community) into killing one another. The music, action sequences, tension and fun factor come at you relentlessly. It’s a simple story, perfectly executed.
Sergio Leone’s style wasn’t as fully developed here as it would be in the sequel (For A Few Dollars More), but the director proves just how much visual flair he can pack into 90 minutes – especially since most of it was done to make up for the low-budget. The fast zooms and quick camera work on show here have heavily influenced Tarantino’s own style, and many Leone-like shots can be glimpsed in Django Unchained‘s trailer. Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack, too, has been sampled in a whole host of Tarantino films already.