‘For a few dollars More’ was a movie directed by Sergei Leone and starred Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Gian Maria Volontè. It followed the first successful movie of the spaghetti western trilogy, ‘The Man with No Name’. However, what was interesting was that when Clint Eastwood was sought to be signed on for the second movie of the series (after the first, A Fistful of Dollars was not yet released), and Clint was hesitant to sign on the second movie without having even seen the movie (A Fistful of Dollars had been released in Italy, and was a success there, but not yet released in the US). For him, an urgent copy of the print was ordered, and after seeing the movie (even though the print was not in English, but in Italian), he believed enough to sign on for another movie. Another interesting bit from the movie was that the set that was built for the movie, a town called ‘El Paso’ in the Almeria desert, still exists. The movie is rated as one of the best in this category, with the classic portrayal of the characters in the Wild West along with the depiction of the American Southwest.
Clint Eastwood was called ‘Manco’ in the movie because people would see him doing any work using his left hand, his character always kept the right hand free to draw a gun and always be ready.

The movie is about the hunt for an outlaw called “El Indio (Gian Maria Volontè)” by 2 bounty hunters, one of them being the` younger ‘Manco’ (CLint) and the older, once highly respected Colonel Douglas Mortimer (who is no longer much respected, since he is now reduced to being a bounty hunter – one who hunts down criminals for the cash reward on offer against them). Colonel Mortimer has a personal agenda in the hunt for “El Indio”, since El Indio had once raped and killed the Colonel’s sister. Manco however is after the bounty money.
The 2 join hands in the hunt for El Indio, however, each has their own agenda. As a part of the hunt, it is decided that a reluctant Manco will join Indio’s gang, as Indio is planning a raid on a safe in El Paso that contains almost half-a-million dollars, a huge sum of money by any standard. After the raid, Manco and Colonel Mortimer are caught in the act of stealing the money from the bandits, and are brutally thrashed, but are left free by Indio who in reality wants to have a fight between the gang members and the bounty hunters so as to ensure that the entire money belongs only to Indio. This action dutifully happens, and now there is a face off between Colonel Mortimer and Indio.

The story of Al Capone, and the mafia as such, is a popular story with dramatists. There have been numerous books and movies that deal with the story of gangsters, and many of them have been exceedingly popular. The story of Al Capone, his rise, the terror he inflicted on society, the way he fought his way to the top, his exploitation of Prohibition to smuggle alcohol, all these were part of his mystique. What was equally remembered about him was the St. Valentine’s Day massacre that he committed on his rivals, first disarming 7 of them using his men in police uniform, and then using Tommy guns on them. Equally remembered about him were the efforts of the Government to bring him down (even when Chicago and neighboring towns were controlled by his men, with the police and officials on his payroll), and how we was brought down on a charge of tax evasion rather than for the numerous crimes he committed. The jail term on him was a stiff one, and effectively broke his empire.

Brian De Palma made 4 gangster movies, these 4 being Scarface, Wise guys, Carlito’s way, and The Untouchables. The other 3 movies were all about the gangsters, while The Untouchables takes the action from the perspective of lawkeepers, the persons out on a mission to capture the gangster, even when they have to follow rules and laws, while the Gangster can use any kind of force, can subvert the authorities, and threaten whoever they want. The Untouchables is the real life story of the people who managed to break the power of a mob lord against all these factors, and the methods they used (who would have believed that you could send a gangster to prison for tax evasion rather than for the various crimes!).
The movie is based on a subject that has been created earlier as well, and is essentially based on the autobiography of Eliot Ness. Eliot Ness was the agent who was sent to bring Al Capone to justice, and to free Chicago from his destructive and criminal ways. The movie starred Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro and Andy Garcia. Sean Connery won a best supporting actor Oscar for his portrayal of the Irish American cop Jim Malone. The movie does not fully present this as a good vs. evil fight, also portraying the parts where Capone showed support for the poor by running soup kitchens and other similar efforts, as also the role where Ness actually throws a hood off the roof of a building rather than bring him in for justice.
The movie is well choreographed, with the scenes bringing out the drama. The scene right at the end, where the juries are switched is gripping, especially if you don’t know the story. An eminently watchable movie.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Untouchables_(1987_film)

The Searchers was a movie released in 1956. It was the 12th collaboration between the Western star John Wayne and the director John Ford, and is acknowledged to be one of the best westerns ever made. The movie takes the iconic image of a western hero, who stands alone, and is also seen as an anti-hero. The movie takes the violence, the conflicts between settlers and the native Indians, and most importantly, the emotions that drive a person to a relentless quest, and how this search can harden a person and make him full of hatred. The movie is similar to the story of a Cynthia Ann Parker in 1836, who was kidnapped by native Comanches, spent 24 years with them, and married an Indian chief. She had a complete family, but was taken away from her family by Texas Rangers, driven by her uncle.

The movie is the story of Ethan Edwards (John Wayne, also known as ‘The Duke’), a ex-Confederate soldier returning from the American Civil war. He returns to his brother’s (Aaron) home; they accept him and the money he brings, although it is hinted that Ethan had been upto no good. Soon after, a raid by the native Indian tribe, the Comanches, burns down the homestead and kills his entire set of relatives, except for 2 nieces, Lucy (Pippa Scott) and Debbie (Lana Wood), who are abducted.
A group of Texas Rangers led by Captain Clayton accompanied by Ethan set out in pursuit of the Comanches, and they have clashes with the party. It is soon clear that Ethan is willing to take risks that could get the girls killed, and Captain Clayton is unwilling to take these risks. However, Lucy’s fiancee Brad and Aaron’s adopted son Martin are determined to continue, and find the Comanche camp. Ethan soon reports that he found Lucy’s body and buried her, at this Lucy’s fiancee charges to the Comanche camp and is killed.
Ethan and Martin continue this search, a search that takes them 5 years. In this time, Debbie has crossed childhood and marries an Indian chief called Scar, a native Indian who is the same as Ethan. Just as Ethan hates native Indians, Scar hates the whites. This knowledge transforms Ethan, he is struck by hatred at the fact that Debbie is now married to a native Indian, and his mission is now converted to killing Debbie. Soon after, Martin and Ethan manage to meet Debbie, where Martin manages to save Debbie from getting killed by Ethan.
Martin and Ethan find Debbie again, and this time the hatred in Ethan cannot be controlled. In a conflict, Martin kills Scar, and then Ethan does the incredible, he scalps Ethan. It is then he realizes that this hatred has made him become what he did not want. He realizes his emotions, and brings Debbie back to her friends and safety.

The Comancheros was a Western movie starring John Wayne. The movie is reckoned as one of the better of Wayne’s western movies. John Wayne also played a role in direction of the movie (although his role in direction is not credited, since he took over the direction after the Director, Michael Curtiz, cancer-stricken, was unable to complete the movie) along with action specialist Cliff Lyons. The movie is about Wayne’s role as a Texas Ranger who is accompanying a convict after a duel, and how they strike a partnership to fight the bad guys.

The year is set as 1843. Dueling has been banned, and Paul Regret (Stuart Whitman) has just had a duel with the son of a Louisiana judge, and as a result of the death of the son in the duel, Regret has been sentenced to be hanged. He escapes, and Texas Ranger Jake Cutter (John Wayne) is sent after him. Jake manages to capture Regret, and is taking him to his tryst with the hangman, however, Jake has another assignment, to infiltrate and destroy a group of white outlaws called the Comancheros. The Comancheros supply a group of American Indians called the Comanches with guns and whiskey, and incite them against to commit violence. The rest of the movie is about the fights they have, and how they eventually work as partners against the gang.