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A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

By Scott Root · August 18, 2011

Screenplay Genre: Action / Western

Movie Time: 99 minutes

1. INCITING INCIDENT

Joe (Clint Eastwood) arrives in town, and thugs immediately spook his donkey. He heads into the local cantina and fishes for information about the town, which Silvanito (José Calvo) readily supplies. An idea forms in Joe’s mind to pit the two warring factions, the Rojos and the Baxters, against each other. (00:11:39)

2. LOCK IN (End of Act One)

Joe shoots three of Baxter’s men for scaring his donkey. He offers his services to Esteban Rojo (Seighard Rupp), who pays him for his service. He is welcomed into the Rojo gang, and they offer to put him up in their house. Joe overhears a conversation in which Esteban’s brother wants to kill him, so he leaves. (00:17:02)

3. FIRST CULMINATION (Midpoint)

Joe has been planning to find all of the money that the Baxter gang has. He goes searching for it in their territory while his cohorts create a distraction. He finds it hidden in a barrel with a false top. Immediately after he finds it, Marisol (Marianne Koch) discovers him. He knocks her out and kidnaps her. (00:47:15)

4. MAIN CULMINATION (End of Act Two)

Joe has discovered that Marisol has a family, so he takes on a whole house full of Rojos to free her. After shooting them down and escaping with Marisol, Joe tries to set everything right by sending Marisol and her family across the boarder to freedom. (01:04:00)

5. THIRD ACT TWIST

Seeking retribution on Joe for freeing Marisol, the Rojos go looking for him. He barely escapes their clutches and crawls back to the cantina for help. When he arrives, the Rojos are beating up Silvanito. Once Silvanito reveals he doesn’t know where Joe is and they’ve searched the premises, the Rojos conclude he must be with the Baxters. (01:16:13)