For Quentin Tarantino, Sergio Leone’s “Dollar Trilogy” is nearly the epitome of perfection. Discover why each film outshines the last and redefines the Western genre.
Quentin Tarantino, a lifelong Western aficionado, has never hidden his admiration for the grand sagas of the genre. It’s no surprise that he holds one trilogy in particular in high regard as a benchmark of excellence.
In an episode of the podcast Club Random with Bill Maher, the director stated, “I think there’s only one trilogy that absolutely works from start to finish, and that’s A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
These three films make up what is now known as the Dollar Trilogy, directed by Sergio Leone and released between 1964 and 1966. Clint Eastwood stars as the iconic “Man with No Name,” while Ennio Morricone provides the unforgettable score that defines these spaghetti Westerns.
A Trilogy That Surpasses All Others
What sets this series apart, in his view, is the remarkable progression between each film.
“It’s the vision of a single director, Sergio Leone, across all the films, but the thing is, it accomplishes what no other trilogy has ever done. The first film is great, but the second film is so fantastic and takes the concept to such a broader canvas that it completely overshadows the first. Then the third, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, does the same to the second, which never happens. You see this massive leap from the first to the second, and they don’t really pull off the third. You know, Mad Max, The Road Warrior doesn’t overshadow Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.”
However, Tarantino does mention another perfect trilogy: Toy Story, which he refuses to watch the fourth installment of.
A Saga Born Almost by Chance
Initially, the first film wasn’t intended to spawn a series of films. However, its phenomenal success in the United States prompted United Artists to shape it into a cohesive saga. Sergio Leone hadn’t planned to write a continuous story: the characters share the same actors but not always the same names, and each film can be enjoyed independently. This freedom might explain why, according to Tarantino, the trilogy achieves such narrative and artistic perfection.
The Dollar Trilogy remains available on VOD for those who wish to discover or revisit these Western masterpieces.
Listen to Quentin Tarantino’s comments in the video below:
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A passionate journalist, Iris Lennox covers social and cultural news across the U.S.