For a Few Dollars More (UK Import) (4K UHD Review)

• Reviewed by: Stephen Bjork
• Review Date: Jul 03, 2025
• Format: 4K Ultra HD
• 

Director

Sergio Leone

Release Date(s)

1965 (May 12, 2025)

Studio(s)

Produzioni Europee Associate/Arturo González Producciones Cinematográficas/Constantin Film (Arrow Video)

• Film/Program Grade: B+
• Video Grade: A-
• Audio Grade: B+
• Extras Grade: A+

https://www.arrowvideo.com/

https://diabolikdvd.com/

Review

While Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars may have been the film that elevated Clint Eastwood out of the B-movie and television world, propelling him along the path to international superstardom, it was their follow-up For a Few Dollars More (aka Per qualche dollaro in più) that actually laid the foundations for the rest of the director’s career—with or without Eastwood in front of his camera. The central hook of A Fistful of Dollars had been to take the basic narrative from Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo and transplant it into a Western milieu, but as clever as that concept may have been, the limited setting of the story constrained Leone from fully realizing his ambitions for the genre. With For a Few Dollars More, he was able to work with a significantly larger canvas—and a bigger budget didn’t hurt, either. The result was a film that established the dramatic template that Leone would use on every other film that he made before his untimely death in 1989. It also made the core anti-capitalist theme in all of his work as explicit as possible—and just to make sure that no one misses the point, the film opens with a title card that states:

“Where life had no value, death, sometimes, had its price. That is why the bounty killers appeared.”

In A Fistful of Dollars, Silvanito (José Calvo) had told Joe (Eastwood) that “if you don’t mind doing a little killing, you will have no problem finding someone eager to pay you here.” Yet the “both sides against the middle” nature of that film’s narrative ended up diluting the bitter heart of what Silvanito was trying to imply. That’s not an issue with For a Few Dollars More, where his sentiment underpins the entire narrative—and again, to make sure that no one misses the point, Leone ends the film with arguably the single most important scene of his entire career, providing a perfect bookend for the opening title card: Manco (Eastwood) counts the bodies of all of his victims by adding up the value of their bounties. He’s concerned that his math isn’t working, but he soon discovers that it’s because he forgot to carry the remainder, and all becomes right in his world the moment that another man dies.

Yet to make that theme work better than it did in A Fistful of Dollars, civilization had to intrude. That film was set in a mythic West so far removed from even Hollywood’s hyperbolized version of the milieu that death lost all of its meaning—and its value, too. For a Few Dollars More takes place in a fully functioning West, with cities, trains, telegraphs, lawmen, and civilians all representing a world that continues to operate outside the immediate context of the narrative. All of that is still filtered through Leone’s mythopoeic lens, but the presence of a civilization that anchors that myth gives life greater value—and death becomes more profitable as a result. Death may have its price where life has no value, but as that value goes up, so do the profit margins.

Civilization would continue to intrude more and more into Leone’s West in the films that followed, from the Civil War in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly to the train to end all trains in Once Upon a Time in the West and even the Mexican Revolution in Duck, You Sucker! That established the central dramatic conflict in all of his films: his gunmen and bounty killers were relics from another age, trying to stay relevant (and alive) in a world that increasingly had no use for them. Critic Danny Peary called them “mythic superwarriors,” but Leone simply referred to them as “an ancient race” in Once Upon a Time in the West. Every race exists along a spectrum, so Leone divided them into Good and Bad, with the difference between the two being largely a matter of where they pointed their guns. The Good characters generally killed only the Bad, while the Bad were much more egalitarian about the process. Stuck in between those two extremes were the flawed superwarriors, who Leone would end up dubbing the Ugly. Fate (and circumstances) could easily drive them one way or the other, although they usually had just enough of a moral compass in order to avoid fully sliding down the slippery slope toward the Bad.

Leone had teased that dramatic structure in A Fistful of Dollars in the relationship between Joe, Silvanito, and Ramón (Gian Maria Volonté). Still, there wasn’t anything particularly good about Joe, while the overly talkative Silvanito was anything but a superwarrior. Even Ramón lacked depth as the villain. Yet this Unholy Trinity would end up being fully fleshed out in For a Few Dollars More, though not necessarily in the expected way. Good this time is represented by Col. Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef), a once heroic man who has ironically been driven to the life of a bounty hunter by the encroachment of civilization represented by the train. The Bad this time is Indio (Volonté again), a man who’s not just wicked, but gleefully wicked. Yet he’s a tortured soul, too, driven by repressed guilt over his past actions. That leaves Eastwood’s Manco as the Ugly. He’s younger and a bit more foolish than Col. Mortimer, whose age and experience gives him the edge. Mortimer is also a man with a righteous cause—he may be trying to make a buck, but he’s also an angel of vengeance looking for a way to right Indio’s past wrongs. It’s only once that mission has been completed that Eastwood’s character would be promoted into the unambiguously Good (while Van Cleef would end up returning later as an Angel of a very different sort).

In one form or another, the concept of an Unholy Trinity would define everything else that Leone ever did. (Even his gangster film Once Upon a Time in America arguably used the same structure between Noodles, Max, and Cockeye.) As a result, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of For a Few Dollars More in Leone’s filmography. It didn’t just improve on A Fistful of Dollars in every conceivable way (although it did that quite handily). It also established all of his themes and stylistic quirks—the extreme widescreen closeups began with For a Few Dollars More, as did the operatic scoring from Ennio Morricone, and it also provided a perfect expression for his feelings about the dark side of capitalistic exploitation. And yes, just as importantly, it established the Unholy Trinity of Good, Bad, and Ugly characters who proved so fascinating for Leone that he would return to them over and over again. Now, if only he could think of an appropriate title for his next film...

Cinematographer Massimo Dallamano shot For a Few Dollars More on 35mm film in 2-perf Techniscope using spherical lenses. The resulting flat negative was blown up optically for anamorphic release prints that were framed at 2.39:1. This version is based on the same 16-bit 4K scans of the original camera negative that were done by L’Immagine Ritrovata in Bologna back in 2014, but it’s been newly regraded for SDR, Dolby Vision, and HDR10 by Silver Salt Restoration in London. (Unlike with A Fistful of Dollars, this time they didn’t specify what elements they used as a reference for their grade.) While Arrow has being switching things up lately in regard to disc authoring, this one was encoded by David Mackenzie at Fidelity in Motion, so there isn’t even a whiff of compression artifacts to be seen anywhere, and the grain is perfectly resolved—and it’s worth pointing out that it’s much less coarse than it can appear on Kino Lorber’s UHD, which may have had some compression noise introduced into the grain field.

The opening title shot doesn’t start things off on a good note: it looks extremely rough and has some scratches running through it. (Presumably that same piece of film was run through the optical printer repeatedly in order to generate all the titles for different languages, and it’s somewhat the worse for wear.) All of that improves once the titles are over, and aside from a stray hair or two at the bottom of the frame, there’s no significant damage visible elsewhere. There is at least one shot at 102:05 that was inexplicably derived from dupe elements, which is odd because the previous shot from the exact same camera setup wasn’t. It’s not bookending a fade or a dissolve, either, so it’s not clear what happened there. Regardless, this is generally a very clean presentation of For a Few Dollars More.

Where things get interesting is with the new HDR grade. The improvements in contrast have allowed Arrow to wring new detail out of the image where it was crushed on Kino’s SDR disc—it’s especially noticeable on dark beards, where more of the individual hairs are visible. Superior compression also means that some smeared textures on Kino’s version are better resolved here. Yet unlike with A Fistful of Dollars, the actual color grade may be a bit more open to debate. Arrow’s grade leans more into the browns and yellows, with a relatively sunbaked look compared to Kino Lorber’s. Kino’s skies are bluer, too. Overall, the colors aren’t as saturated here as they were on Arrow’s A Fistful of Dollars, which clearly looked superior to Kino Lorber’s. This one may be more of a matter of taste. The improvements in apparent detail alone give Arrow the edge, but some people may prefer Kino Lorber’s colors. I hate to equivocate, but such is life. You’ll have to judge for yourself.

Audio is offered in English 1.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, with optional English SDH subtitles—or to be more accurate, it’s offered in two different English 1.0 tracks. The first is the unadulterated original mono mix, which has some high-end distortion during the peaks. The second applies the Academy Curve in order to roll off the high frequencies. The differences between the two can be heard the moment that the whistling starts during the opening credits—it’s harsher and more grating in the first version, and a little smoother in the second. The same thing is true when the organ starts playing on top of the music box theme from Indio’s watch. On the other hand, the rolled-off version undeniably lacks sparkle. The newly remixed 5.1 audio seems to split the difference between the two. It’s mostly just processed mono, not a full remix with added or altered sound effects, so it’s faithful enough to the original to be a viable alternative. I ended up preferring the 5.1, but regardless of what anyone may tell you, there’s no clear right or wrong here, so audition all three for yourself and see what you think.

Note that due to rights issues, the Italian language soundtrack couldn’t be included here. They’ve been omitted on Kino Lorber’s and MGM’s releases as well, so it is what it is.

Arrow’s Region-Free Limited Edition 4K Ultra HD release of For a Few Dollars More is a two-disc set that includes a Region B Blu-ray with additional extras (the movie is UHD only). The insert is reversible, featuring new artwork by Tony Stella on one side and original theatrical poster artwork on the other. It also includes a double-sided foldout poster with both artworks, as well as a 60-page booklet featuring essays by Priscilla Page, Glenn Kenney, Ariel Schudson, and Amy Taylor. Everything comes housed in a rigid keepcase with the Stella artwork, and there’s also an oversized slipcover to match. The following extras are included:

DISC ONE: UHD

• Commentaries:
  • Sir Christopher Frayling
  • Tim Lucas
• Trailer Gallery:
  • International Trailer 1 (HD – 3:44)
  • International Trailer 2 (HD – 2:31)
  • German Theatrical Trailer (HD – 3:35)
  • German Re-Release Trailer (HD – 4:16)
  • US Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:34)
  • UK Teaser Trailer (HD – 1:04)
  • US Radio Spots (HD – 5:10, 8 in all)
  • US Double Bill Trailer (HD – 2:06)
  • US Double Bill TV Spots (HD – 1:23, 2 in all)
  • US Double Bill Radio Spots (HD – 2:21, 4 in all)

DISC TWO: BD

• A Violent Tale of Vengeance (HD – 15:05)
• No One Shoots at the Colonel (HD – 12:12)
• Crafting the West (HD – 16:41)
• Cuts and Rhythm (HD – 18:15)
• Western Strings (HD – 6:41)
• Timeless Voice (HD – 14:03)
• For a Few Notes More (HD – 14:46)
• For Ennio’s Dollar Score (HD – 27:30)
• Large Door Interview with Sergio Leone (Upscaled SD – 65:38)
• On Location in Almeria and Granada (HD – 14:02)
• MGM Archive Extras:
  • The Frayling Archives (HD – 19:03)
  • A New Standard (Upscaled SD – 20:16)
  • Back for More (Upscaled SD – 7:08)
  • Tre Voci (Three Voices) (Upscaled SD – 11:05)
  • The Original American Release Version (Upscaled SD – 5:18)
  • Restoration Italian Style (Upscaled SD – 4:59)
  • Location Comparisons 1965-2004 (Upscaled SD – 12:23)
• Alternate Credits Sequences:
  • Alternate English Opening (HD – 1:04)
  • Alternate German Credits (HD – 3:03)
  • Alternate Spanish Credits (HD – 3:56)
• Image Galleries:
  • For A Few Pictures More (HD – 7:35)
  • Color Stills (HD – 6:02)
  • On the Set (HD – 6:39)
  • Promoting For a Few Dollars More (HD – 18:35)

The commentary with Leone biographer Sir Christopher Frayling was originally recorded for the 2007 Collector’s Edition DVD from MGM, while the one with all-around film expert Tim Lucas was added for the 2019 Kino Lorber Blu-ray. While there’s some unavoidable repetition between the two tracks, each of them has their own interests and styles—while Frayling is well-prepared, he speaks extemporaneously, while Lucas delivers one of his patented scripted commentaries. They break down all the details about the film, including its place in Leone’s Western evolution, as well as information about the cast and crew. Both of them note the greater focus on comedy in For a Few Dollars More, but while they do share similar perspectives like that, they each offer their own nuances. Lucas calls the film “an Italian Western at its most Italian,” and that’s an apt description.

Arrow has also ported over the rest of the old MGM and Kino Lorber DVD and Blu-ray extras while adding a significant quantity of their own, starting off with new interviews, some of which are from the same sessions as the ones that they included on their A Fistful of Dollars set. A Violent Tale of Vengeance is with film historian Fabio Melelli, who explains how the legal fallout over the cribbed story in A Fistful of Dollars led to Leone hooking up with producer Alberto Grimaldi, and how the bigger budgets allowed the director to fully realize his ambitions. No One Shoots at the Colonel is with Lee Van Cleef biographer Mike Malloy, who focuses on the actor’s involvement in For a Few Dollars More and how Leone’s films ended up revitalizing his career. Crafting the West is with Giuditta Simi, daughter of set and costume designer Carlo Simi, who describes how her father came to work with Leone (on both sides of the camera, since he also has a small cameo as the bank manager in El Paso). Cuts and Rhythm is with editor Eugenio Alabiso, who openly enthuses about his love for Leone (he still has one of the watches that the director gave him).

The rest of the new interviews revolve around Ennio Morricone and his score from For a Few Dollars More. Western Strings is with guitarist Bruno Battisti D’Amario, who played the iconic electric and acoustic guitar parts on many Morricone scores. Timeless Voice is with singer Edda Dell’Orso, who contributed the soaring lead vocals. For a Few Notes More is with Morricone biographer Alessandro De Rosa, who explains how despite all of the clashes between the composer and Leone over the music in A Fistful of Dollars, the two ended up forming an indelible partnership. In addition to explaining the use of a Jew’s harp in the title theme, De Rosa also makes the interesting observation that some of the guttural vocal sounds in the background may have been Morricone’s way of conveying the idea that these Western characters aren’t good at expressing themselves. Finally, For Ennio’s Dollar Score is a visual essay by musician Lovely Jon, who describes how Morricone’s scores grew along with Leone’s ambitions.

The MGM Archive Extras collect the rest of the extras from the MGM DVD and Blu-ray releases of For a Few Dollars More. The Frayling Archives features Sir Christopher once again demonstrating some of the memorabilia that he’s collected for the film. He returns for A New Standard, examining the way that Leone expanded on what he had accomplished with A Fistful of Dollars and taking it to the next level with For a Few Dollars More. The Leone trademarks emerged with this film. Eastwood himself appears in Back for More to discuss his memories of making the film with Leone. The Original American Release Version compares three scenes that were truncated in the American release to the longer original versions—and yes, they deliberately removed the moment where Eastwood’s character is referred to as Manco. Restoration Italian Style is an outdated look at the restoration process for the DVD, included here for archival purposes only. Location Comparisons 1965-2004 is self-explanatory, while Tre Voci (Three Voices) is a collection of interviews with producer Alberto Grimaldi, screenwriter Sergio Donati, and Mickey Knox, reminiscing about working with Leone.

Finally, in addition to porting over the four Image Galleries that were originally included on Kino’s Blu-ray release of For a Few Dollars More, there are three different Alternate Credit Sequences: English, German, and Spanish. Arrow has also included Kino’s far superior location comparison, On Location in Almeria and Granada with spaghetti Western uber-fan Alex Cox. The hypnotically soft-spoken Cox takes viewers on a personal tour of what remains of the original locations, even pulling out a map at one point to correct himself. Cox is always pure gold, and this featurette is no exception. Still, the biggest treat on the disc for Leone fans is going to be the Large Door Interview with Sergio Leone, which is the full-length interview that the director did with Large Door Productions for Channel 4 television in 1983. It has only been available via excerpts elsewhere and it’s the full raw footage, including setups for each take and some off-camera discussions. Leone offers an expansive view of his career (including the full Dollars trilogy), so it’s a priceless document.

That’s all of the previous extras from MGM and Kino Lorber save for the Trailers from Hell with Ernest Dickerson. Considering that Arrow has also added even more new extras this time around than they did for A Fistful of Dollars, this is unquestionably the most exhaustive For a Few Dollars More release to date—and it’s unlikely to get toppled from that throne anytime soon. Scanning technology has advanced since L’Immagine Ritrovata did their original work back in 2014, but it’s also unlikely that Leone’s films are going to get fresh 4K scans anytime soon. Anything is possible, but it’s hard to imagine that A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More are ever going to going to look or sound much better than they do on Arrow’s new versions, nor are they going to get the same lavish level of attention, either. Now... let’s see what they do with The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, shall we?

-Stephen Bjork

(You can follow Stephen on social media at these links: Twitter, Facebook, BlueSky, and Letterboxd).