Analysis of the Dollar Trilogy [part 3 of 7]

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Michele Iovinella

July 25, 2025

The Characters: A Pantheon of Complex Humanity

The Evolution of the Nameless Man

Clint Eastwood embodies through the three films a character who is both one and three. The Stranger, the Monk and the Blond are the same archetypal figure seen in three different moments of his spiritual evolution. From the cynical opportunist of the first film to the professional bounty hunter of the second, to the pragmatic with flashes of humanity of the third, Eastwood builds a portrait of increasing complexity.

The American actor, with his minimal and expressive acting, created an iconic character that redefined the archetype of the western hero. His Nameless Man is not a champion of justice, but a survivor navigating a world where conventional moral rules have dissolved. Its "goodness" is always relative, contextual, never absolute.

The Gallery of Supporting Actors

Leone demonstrates an extraordinary talent in the construction of secondary characters, each of whom carries the weight of a recognizable personal story. Gian Maria Volonté, in the role of Ramon Rojo and El Indio, creates two complementary villain figures: the first cynical and calculating, the second tormented and self-destructive. Lee Van Cleef goes from the role of the cold killer of the first film to that of the melancholic avenger of the second, up to the absolute evil of Sentence in the third.

Eli Wallach, in the role of Tuco, gives one of the most extraordinary performances in the history of western cinema. His "ugly" is the most human and contradictory character of the entire trilogy, capable of passing from grotesque comedy to existential tragedy in the span of a single sequence.