Like the "Three Flavors Cornetto" trilogy, there's no central plot that links the three films in the "Dollars" trilogy (also known as the "Man With No Name" trilogy). These spaghetti westerns, helmed by Italian director Sergio Leone, are instead named after the Man With No Name, played by Clint Eastwood in all his squinty-eyed, no-nonsense glory.
Each film features this nameless, poncho-wearing antihero of few words practicing vigilante justice throughout the sand-blasted Old West of the 19th century, when the only law enforcement around was whoever had the quickest draw.
In 1964's "A Fistful of Dollars," the Man With No Name enters a town split by corruption and greed, and plays the two rival families in charge against each other. In 1965's "For A Few Dollars More," the Man teams up with a bounty hunter to track down a Mexican outlaw. And in 1966's "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," the Man (the titular "Good") teams up with a rival (the "Ugly") to race a vicious criminal (the "Bad") to find buried treasure in a remote cemetery.
Other than the Man himself, the setting, and certain themes, the main thing linking these distinct chapters is the quality of Sergio Leone's work. All three rank among the finest westerns ever produced (the latter is considered one of the greatest films ever made, period, independent of the genre). Maybe westerns themselves declined in popularity after this because these three simply couldn't be topped.
