Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

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Director: Sergio Leone

Writers: Sergio Donati & Sergio Leone, from a story by Dario Argento & Bernardo Bertolucci & Sergio Leone

Stars: Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Claudia Cardinale, Gabrielle Ferzetti, Paolo Stoppa, Woody Strode, Jack Elam



Three gunfighters (Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, and Jason Robards) and a former prostitute (Claudia Cardinale) become entangled in a web of greed and revenge when a powerful railroad magnate (Gabriele Ferzetti) tries to take over a strategic piece of land.

 


Sergio Leone’s classic Western certainly takes its time with carefully constructed sequences such as the 10-minute scene at the beginning in which three gunfighters await our hero’s arrival on the afternoon train.

 


It’s a masterful construction of sound and visuals as small details accumulate to build tension and a deep sense of place, and there are several similar sequences throughout the film. 



It will test your patience if you aren’t into this type of storytelling, but the experience is very rewarding for those who are (although I will admit to wanting to reach through the screen to slap that fly off Jack Elam’s face--oops, spoiler!). 



There is so much great stuff here, including Fonda's subversion of his blue-eyed all-American image and the haunting Ennio Morricone score.



Along with “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” and “Once Upon a Time in America,” this is Sergio Leone at his best.



Spoiler alert!!! The final gunfight!!







































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