A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

A Fistful of Dollars (1964) is a classic spaghetti Western film helmed by Sergio Leone. The story takes place in San Miguel, a small town situated on the border between Mexico and the United States. Upon his arrival, an unidentified stranger becomes acquainted with Silvanito, the local innkeeper. Silvanito tells him about an ongoing feud between two rival smuggler families: the Rojos (Don Miguel, Esteban & Ramón) and the family of Sheriff John Baxter, along with his wife Consuelo and their son Antonio. Seeking to turn a profit, the Stranger decides to play these opposing groups against each other. He effortlessly proves his sharpshooting abilities by taking out four men who had insulted him upon his arrival in town. Witnessing the Rojos massacre a group of Mexican soldiers who were transporting gold to exchange for rifles, the Stranger seizes an opportunity to devise a plan.

He retrieves two corpses from the scene and props them up in a nearby cemetery to make it appear as though they are still alive. He supplies intelligence to both groups, alleging that two Mexican soldiers have survived the ambush. The factions rush to the graveyard, the Baxters aiming to obtain testimony from the supposed survivors against the Rojos, and the Rojos determined to silence them. A shootout erupts between them, with Ramón ‘eliminating’ the alleged survivors and Esteban capturing Antonio Baxter. Meanwhile, as the Baxters and Rojos are locked in conflict, the Stranger scours the Rojo estate for the stolen loot and unintentionally knocks out Marisol, a woman residing there. He brings her to the Baxters, who strike a deal to exchange her for Antonio with the Rojos. In the midst of this trade-off, Marisol’s son and husband approach her.