Summary
One ofClint Eastwood’s most iconic Western movies is getting a remake 60 years after its initial release, and it’s one that seemed truly untouchable. Over the course of his impressive career,Eastwood has appeared in plenty of Western movies, and many of them have become timeless examples of the genre. While not all of them were hits -Ambush at Cimarron Passis at the bottom of theranking of Eastwood’s Western movies- he’s made some of the most iconic movies the entire genre has to offer.
The fact that Eastwood made so many Westerns in the course of his career makes it even more surprising that one of his greatest is being remade. There are other Westerns in Eastwood’s filmography that seemed much more likely to be remade, and likely would have benefited more from getting a modern-day update. The movie that will be getting a remake is so classic and beloved that it seemed to be completely untouchable: until now.
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A Fistful Of Dollars Is Getting A Remake - I Thought It Was Untouchable
Remakes have become increasingly more common in recent years, but the fact thatA Fistful of Dollarsis getting a remakestill came as quite a surprise. Plenty of great movies have been remade in the past, and even Westerns likeTrue GritandThe Magnificent Sevenhave been updated, butA Fistful of Dollarsseemed special.Even after 60 years,A Fistful of Dollarsis still an absolute classic, and it seemed like no one would ever dare attempt to update or remake it. RemakingA Fistful of Dollarsseemed as ridiculous as remakingThe Godfatheror another one ofthe best movies of all time.
A Fistful of Dollarsis essentially a remake itself, as it’s an unofficial Western version of Akira Kurosawa’s 1961 samurai filmYojimbo.
Could A Fistful Of Dollars Remake Actually Be Good?
While there’s virtually no wayA Fistful of Dollarscould realistically be improved, it wouldn’t be impossible for the remake to come close to being as good as the original. The actor who getsrecast as the Man with No Namein the remake may be able to add something fresh and exciting to the role, and give the remake a reason to exist.Choosing the right actor to replace Eastwood could open up opportunities for the remake ofA Fistful of Dollarsto update for modern sensibilities and take a more realistic look at the mythical Old West.
The remake ofA Fistful of Dollarscould also learn from some previous remakes of Clint Eastwood’s movies. Sang-il Lee’s remake ofUnforgivenworked quite well, mostly because it added to the original film by using a feudal Japanese setting. Similarly, Sofia Coppola’sThe Beguiled, though it’s more a reinterpretation of the same book, improved upon Eastwood’s version by making McBurney more desperate and improving on the characterizations of the story’s women.The remake ofA Fistful of Dollarscan even learn what to avoid by looking at a previous remake ofYojimbo: Bruce Willis’Last Man Standing.
Unforgiven
Cast
Unforgiven is a 2013 Japanese Western written and directed by Lee Sang-il. The film is classified as a remake of the 1992 Clint Eastwood film of the same name. The plot follows a former samurai who is hired to help find two wanted men.
The Beguiled
The Beguiled (2017) is a Southern Gothic drama directed by Sofia Coppola. Set during the American Civil War, the narrative unfolds in a Virginia girls' school where the arrival of a wounded Union soldier disrupts the equilibrium of the female inhabitants. The film stars Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Colin Farrell, intertwining themes of desire, jealousy, and betrayal in a confined setting.
Last Man Standing
Last Man Standing is a 1996 action film starring Bruce Willis as John Smith, a mysterious stranger entangled in a violent conflict between two Prohibition-era gangs. Navigating a treacherous landscape, Smith manipulates alliances and takes the law into his own hands in order to survive.
RemakingA Fistful of Dollarsis a very surprising decision, but it’s not necessarily doomed to become one ofthe most unnecessary remakes ever. It will be incredibly tricky, and every person involved in the remake will have to be doing their absolute best work, but there is a way it could make itself a worthwhile reimagining of a classic Western movie. Surprising as it is, the remake ofA Fistful of Dollarsis underway, and only the finished product will be able to prove if it can live up toClint Eastwood’s enormous legacy.
A Fistful of Dollars
A Fistful of Dollars is a spaghetti Western film from director Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood. A Fistful of Dollars is notable for being Clint Eastwood’s big break in Hollywood and also for being the beginning of the “Dollars Trilogy.” The film was followed by For a Few Dollars More in 1965 and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly in 1966.
