Average Rating: 
Rating: - Magnificent operatic western, possibly the best of all.
"C'era Una Volta Il West" Once Upon a Time in the West is arguably Sergio Leone's best work, and possibly the best western made. A revisionist western, the film examines the stereotypes of its genre through Claudia Cardinale's Jill McBain - no regular woman - and the three gunslingers (Fonda's Frank, Robard's Cheyenne and Bronson's Harmonica). Each of these characters has embedded within their portrayal a motivation for their actions. Where most western gunslingers simply are, these men are drawn with so much more detail. It is the mysterious motivation driving Bronson's character, for example, which drives a large part of the story, resulting in perhaps the most satisfying pay-off ever seen in cinema. It is hard to conceive how the showdown - and the rich history motivating it - at the end of this film could ever be eclipsed. In addition to this climax is one of cinema's most brilliantly executed entrances, equalled only by Orson Welles in The Third Man and possibly Max von Sydow's in The Exorcist. When the camera tracks forward and turns onto Fonda's face, we are witnessing cinematic perfection. Also of considerable note is Ennio Morricone's score. Truly dramatic, each of the four leads has his/her own musical motif which underscores their scenes. Jill slightly nostalgic, slightly mournful tune as she enters to be left alone on the station forces us to care for her, despite the fact that she has been on screen for only a few seconds. Bronson's famous Harmonica motif is (if a little over-used) unforgettable. Outstanding. There is barely a criticism to be made of Once Upon A Time in the West. Perhaps a little over-long depending on what mood you're in watching it, but this truly is unforgettable and unsurpassable cinema.
Rating: - one of the greatest westerns of all time
I was going to say that this is the greatest of the spaghetti westerns but truthfully, this movie is bigger than that. Every single thing about is incredible. The theme, the filming and the music is almost operatic. The casting of Henry Fonda as one of the most vicious villains ever seen in a movie was brilliant. Fonda tears into the role. Claudia Cardinale never looked as gorgeous again and Jason Robards, as the movie's wise man takes what could've been just a supporting character and makes him a hero. Finally, there's Charles Bronson, playing a man with no name, a man with only one thing to live for. When the camera leans in for a close up of Bronson's eyes they are cold, empty and seemingly dead. The only time he allows them to light up is when he looks at Claudia and when he and Fonda finally have their little chat. Every time I watch this film I see something that I never noticed before. It's great.
Rating: - Stunning and dramatic
I just had a brief comment to make about this film.This movie had a strangely powerful effect on me, which most movies don't, especially considering it was a western, and I had a couple of ideas on that, so I thought I'd mention them here. I think one thing Leone did was to transform the players in the movie into almost mythical giants. The characters in the movie, good or bad, are bigger than life, and the emphatic way he shot the close-ups of the actors emphasizes the fact that these characters are terrible bringers of destiny, the way the mythical Greek gods were. In that sense, I think Leone doesn't just over-romanticize the Old West as many before him had done--instead, he sees it as a stage of almost mythical proportions on which the forces of Good and Evil fought life and death battles for supremacy. I'll just mention one other thing. One brilliant move by Leone was casting Henry Fonda, who normally plays good guys, as the treacherous, cold-blooded, and murderous gunslinger, Frank. All the actors turned in outstanding performances in the move, including Bronson, Cardinale, and Robards, but his choice of Fonda for the lead bad guy was truly inspired, since Fonda did a great job in the role. Overall a great movie, a great western, and a great testament to Leone's inspired vision of this movie, which is perhaps all the more remarkable in that it was not an American but a foreigner who created it and brought it to us.
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