Dollar for the Dead

This "spaghetti western" wannabe is long on style, and short on story, with mixed up casting. The action scenes are so stylized with slow motion and cartoon like violence that any impact is completely lost. Emilo Estevez is severly miscast as the mysterious stranger. He certainly lacks the mystique of Clint Eastwood, and his sidekick, William Forsythe is no Eli Wallach. The greatest strength of "Dollar For the Dead" is in the supporting cast, but they are criminally underused, and barely have any screen time. Ed Lauter is a fine character actor, and he outshines Emilio Estevez in every scene they share. Jonathan Banks barely has any lines at all. When the only one in the entire movie who comes close to nailing true laconic "spaghetti western" acting is Howie Long, you know you have a problem. - MERK

Good Eurowestern! The producer Tony Anthony is in fact THE Tony Anthony who starred in several very well made Eurowesterns including the original version of this movie known as "A Stranger In Town" Un-fortunately, Emilio Estevez is miscast in this remake,and his acting is not suited to this kind of film. The movie would have been a lot better with someone else cast in the role of "The Stranger" AKA "Cowboy"! See the original instead! It is available on video at a hefty price of $25.00, from Luminous Film and Video Wurks, but it is well worth your time and money!

I would have liked a few more plot twists and turns but was entertained by this film for the most part. I thought the guy who played the padre & the mean Federale captain, Jordi Molla, did a very good job acting. Also good was Dulley, the one-legged companion to Estevez. The photography was pretty good, beautifull scenery & I loved the movie score that went with it. It was interesting to note at the closing credits that the whole film was filmed in Spain. I would of sworn the film took place somewhere in the southwestern United States. Also interesting was the old-fashioned "machine gun" that Dulley used toward the end of the flick. I wouldn't mind having this video in my own library.

Dollar for the Dead is a great little western experiment, and should be seen by all western enthusiasts - especially if you like Sergio Leone's western style, or almost any western with Clint Eastwood.

The movie is pretty predictable all the way, but that's really missing the point. It never tries to be a great work of art - just an homage to the old spaghetti westerns.

The style of the movie is great, it has all the right clichés, and the cast works well together - I especially liked William Forsythe in this movie. The movie is pepped up with a modern pace, hilarious over-the-top shootouts and a good dose of comic relief - which all works great. You just have to recognize the movie's almost sarcastic way of approaching the whole genre.

A must-see for all fans of the genre - 8/10

There is really very little to criticise in this action-packed movie, that`s pure entertainment all the way. The plot may be a little thin, but it is filmed in true Spaghetti western style: the hero remains in the grey area of good and bad and says little, but he knows how to shoot and the action scenes are fast and very `operatic`. `Dollar` is well cast: no one will replace Clint Eastwood as the mysterious cowboy with no name, but the much under-rated Emilio Estevez is an excellent choice. Estevez has the ability to say as much with a look as with words and so few actors nowadays can do this. In the same way as he previously brought Billy the Kid to life, he does a splendid job with the Cowboy. A thoroughly enjoyable movie ! Carole Zorzo/ England