Emilio Estevez is the cowboy with no name, pursued by regulators, but skilled enough with a gun to overcome big odds when the need arises.
One of those near deadly encounters gets the attention of a crippled former Confederate soldier named Dooley (William Forsythe).
Dooley’s holster contains one-fourth of the map to $500,000 in gold, money designed to help the Confederacy rise again.
That clearly isn’t going to happen, so Dooley figures to snag the gold for himself. But he needs a skilled partner to help collect the other three holsters.
The cowboy agrees to be that partner, though it only increases the odds he’s going to face.
Those regulators are led by a man named Reager (Howie Long), who wants revenge on the cowboy for killing his brother.
A band of redlegs and a troop of Mexican regulars join the pursuit, lured by the possibility of finally finding that hidden treasure.
Emilio Estevez as the cowboy with no name in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
William Forsythe as Dooley, the Confederate veteran who recruits the cowboy to help search for the gold in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
Review:
A TNT original and an homage to the Spaghetti Western, a subgenre that had faded into oblivion 20 years before this film was released.
All sorts of Spaghetti Western touches show up. Let’s see: Our cowboy never reveals a name, is haunted by the death of his wife and daughter, sometimes drags around a coffin and always seems to show up with a stick of dynamite at just the right time.
Of course, it all translates into a high body count. The cowboy’s trademark move is launching his body backwards as he fires six-guns with both hands, claiming more victims as he falls.
In one of the better scenes, he’s trapped in a room at the saloon. So he spins in circles, firing at the floor, dropping through a hole he’s made just as the regulators burst in the room. But wait, he falls into a bar filled with more regulators in need of killing.
It all leads up to a three-way showdown sure to remind you of the climatic duel from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.
Ah, if only Estevez was up to pulling off the part. He’s a little too pretty for a Spaghetti hero. Among the villains is Howie Long, the former NFL star turned NFL sportscaster.
Howie Long as Reager, searching for the cowboy who killed in son in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
Joaquin de Almeida as Friar Ramon, priest at the church where the gold is hidden in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
Directed by:
Gene Quintano
Cast:
Emilio Estevez … Cowboy
William Forsythe … Dooley
Jordi Molla .. Federale captain
Joaquin de Almeida … Friar Ramon
Jonathan Banks … Col. Skinner
SImon Andreu … Akers
Ed Lauter … Jacob Colby
Howie Long … Reager
Lance Kinsey … Tracker
Steve Peterson … Toby
Antonio Castro … Julio
Beatriz Guevara … Redhead
Runtime: 94 min.
Jordi Molla as the federale captain after the hidden Confederate gold in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
Jonathan Banks as Col. Skinner, commander of the Redlegs in pursuit of the gold in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
Memorable lines:
Cowboy, when Dooley tries to recruit him as a partner: “Unless you didn’t notice, I attract trouble.”
Dooley: “I noticed you get out of it pretty good too.”
Federale captain, when the priest pulls a gun on him: “What happened to turn the other cheek, father?”
Priest: “I grew tired of bloody cheeks.”
Colby, a freed prisoner with information about the maps: “You can’t make me talk.”
Cowboy: “I can make you wish you did.”
Reager: “If we don’t hurry, we’re gonna lose him to the Redlegs.”
His companion: “Dead is dead.”
Reager: “I don’t want him dead. I want to kill him.”
Dooley: “You know, cowboy, you’re a hell of a shot. But in the human being department, you barely meet basic requirements.”
Dooley, as he and Cowboy try to deciper the maps drawn on four holsters: “Captain wasn’t exactly Leonard da Vinci.”
Cowboy: “No Magellan either.”
Cowboy: “Padre was too damn happy to see me. Makes me nervous. No one’s ever happy to see me.”
Ed Lauter as Jacob Colby, freed from prison to help search for the gold in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
Emilio Estevez as the cowboy with no name, remembering his late wife and daughter in Dollar for the Dead (1999)
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