Review of Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) by Stuart K — 02 Feb 2010
After his Man With No Name trilogy made history and brought in a whole new wave of violent westerns. Italian director Sergio Leone went to Hollywood, sort of. Adapted from a story Leone devised with two other Italian cinema legends, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento, this would be alot more epic on scope, and although it was a flop in America, it wasn't long before it was heralded as a masterpiece.
It's set around the building of a railway in the western town of Flagstone, and the battle for a small piece of land outside the town called Sweetwater, owned by Brett McBain (Frank Wolff). When McBain is killed by hired gun Frank (Henry Fonda), hired by corrupt rainroad magnate Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) to get the land, and bandit Cheyenne (Jason Robards) is framed for it.
McBain's new bride Jill (Claudia Cardinale) hires a mysterious gunman known as Harmonica (Charles Bronson) to seek vengeance. It's a moody and almost other-worldly western. Leone certainly knew how to frame a shot.
Though it does lag in places, and it's not as compelling as The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. But it's good to see Fonda play against type as a villian, and Bronson's gunman is imposing and impactful.
This review of Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) was written by Stuart K on 02 Feb 2010.
Once Upon a Time in the West has generally received very positive reviews.
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