Once Upon a Time in the West

It is simply impossible to pick out one particular thing from this film that deserves to be singled out, because it has to be seen in its entirety, and also several times, in order to make one believe that even a western can have the dimensions of a Shakespearean drama! (That's my review)__P.S. from May 14, 2013 - I finally saw Once Upon a Time in the West in the movie theater... And again, I have nothing to add. Perhaps only that Cheyenne is probably the biggest all-star of all the spaghetti western characters. (09/18/2007)

Absolutely awesome in all respects. The acting, the screenplay, the direction, the cinematography. Everything I can think of is excellent. The film doesn’t have any weaknesses. Even if I did find one, it wouldn't matter. The score would make me forget it immediately. That's what happens when true masters work together. There aren’t enough stars for me to rate this. (06/30/2016)

Last time I saw this movie, I was a little boy who loved cowgirls, and Sergio Leone's classic inevitably seemed strange, protracted, not very "dramatic"... It took a few years, and it occurred to me that Once Upon a Time in the West is much more than an absolutely riveting western example of drama, where wild west genre supplements serve only as backdrops. Leone concentrated the focus of the narrative perspective on the detail and semi-detail of Tonino Delli Colli's superbly composed camera; it's almost unbelievable that maybe half the film is concentrated on the faces of the actors. The weight seen in the facial expression is unreal, and the grace with which the actors bear it is equally unreal. Bronson and Fonda manage the expressionist emphasis on the eyes with a breath-taking statuette rigidity, while Claudia Cardinale's sexy face has an ageless charm – fragility, treacherousness, seductiveness. The archetypal story of the avenger is done by Leone so incredibly personally, in a focused way and with feeling that it would be hard to find a stronger film. Moreover, Ennio Morricone's brilliant soundtrack amplifies all the emotions tenfold. How does Once Upon a Time in the West trump all the other westerns? It's not the story, the effectiveness of the shootouts... it's what a classical philosopher would call the cinematicity of the film. Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the most cinematic films I know. (06/19/2005)

The music improves the image. To be honest, at the beginning, when a dirty, hirsute bloke is shown swatting a fly for three minutes, I thought that in the next 160 minutes I would die out of boredom. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and in the end this film entertained me a lot more than The Godfather, for instance. Mostly thanks to the music, the direction and the performances, because the contents don’t stand out. I can’t get rid of the feeling that I will never be a fan of western as a genre. (01/02/2009)

This movie is simply a gem, which sucks you in and enchants you with its soundtrack, atmosphere, and individual performances. Even though it is well over two hours long, you do not get bored for a minute, and thanks to the truly amazing soundtrack, you experience everything to the fullest. Furthermore, Claudia Cardinale is probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen on the screen, and especially in this movie, she is simply irresistible. (04/02/2015)