Once Upon a Time in the West
(B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Once Upon a Time in the West' is a densely plotted, epic in scale, visually breathtaking Spaghetti Western by Italian director Sergio Leone. Coming right off of his Dollar trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad & the Ugly), Leone beings us his next masterwork and, while I have a few issues with it, it is undoubtedly one of his finest cinematic offerings. The story takes place in Flagstone, Arizona during the 1870s, where 4 main characters will do battle over desert land with water rights that would be the perfect spot to build a lucrative railroad town on the frontier.
Henry Fonda - playing against type - stars as Frank, an unscrupulous killer-for-hire, employed by a crippled, merciless railroad tycoon to get said desert land from rancher, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff), who had the forethought to know where the railroad was laying its tracks when he bought the property for farming. Brett's bride would soon be arriving via train from New Orleans. But Frank seeks to get the land by killing the McBains; including his teen daughter & young son. After executing that, Frank pins the murders on half-breed bandit/outlaw, Cheyenne (Jason Robards), at the scene of the crime.
Frank also dispatches his desperadoes, including Snaky & Stony (Woody Strode), to gun down McBain's newly arriving bride, Jill (Claudia Cardinale), but are instead shot down by a taciturn harmonica playing gunslinger (Charles Bronson). When Cheyenne escapes from the law after being falsely accused of killing the McBains, he teams-up with the harmonica man to go after Frank & his ailing boss. Greed, revenge & fragile alliances commence. And everything culminates in a shoot-out btwn. Fonda & Bronson where we learn why Bronson had been stalking Fonda ... and the significance of the harmonica. Tragedy ensues for nearly all, save for one character who inherits the valuable land en route to the living the American Dream.
Phew. What a movie -- all 165 minutes of it. Sergio Leone gives us quite the epic, operatic western to experience. Filmed in Italy, Spain & John Ford's Monument Valley, Leone utilizes familiar themes from his other recent classic westerns, as well as 1954's Johnny Guitar, High Noon & Shane. The main theme being: blending the building of the west into a civilized society run by business types with a personal revenge tale. The movie is noted for Henry Fonda's chillingly sadistic performance as the cold-blooded gunman. Known for playing all-American heroes for most of his career, Fonda crafts one of cinema's all-time villains, here. Claudia Cardinale is alluring & emotionally gripping as McBain's sudden-widow. Jason Robards excels as the innocent #1 suspect, Cheyenne -- a doomed romantic baddie. And Charles Bronson rivets as the silent-but-deadly, harmonica playing, trigger happy mystery man.
Also among the cast are Jack Elam & Keenan Wynn as the sheriff. Other than these fine performances, this film is also known for its haunting & glorious music score by the great Ennio Morricone; for its dance of death plot framework; for its stylized, slowww-moving shoot-outs; and for its visuals. Tonino Delli Colli's vast landscape cinematography is just stunning. And Carlo Simi's sets designs & costumes are startlingly beautiful. Leone was a poet with the camera. There are several versions of this movie with various run times, but this one is best. I personally found the film a bit too languorously paced & too downbeat. But it is also an immersive experience that is sure to enthrall more often than not, and make you think long after it is over.
Henry Fonda - playing against type - stars as Frank, an unscrupulous killer-for-hire, employed by a crippled, merciless railroad tycoon to get said desert land from rancher, Brett McBain (Frank Wolff), who had the forethought to know where the railroad was laying its tracks when he bought the property for farming. Brett's bride would soon be arriving via train from New Orleans. But Frank seeks to get the land by killing the McBains; including his teen daughter & young son. After executing that, Frank pins the murders on half-breed bandit/outlaw, Cheyenne (Jason Robards), at the scene of the crime.
Frank also dispatches his desperadoes, including Snaky & Stony (Woody Strode), to gun down McBain's newly arriving bride, Jill (Claudia Cardinale), but are instead shot down by a taciturn harmonica playing gunslinger (Charles Bronson). When Cheyenne escapes from the law after being falsely accused of killing the McBains, he teams-up with the harmonica man to go after Frank & his ailing boss. Greed, revenge & fragile alliances commence. And everything culminates in a shoot-out btwn. Fonda & Bronson where we learn why Bronson had been stalking Fonda ... and the significance of the harmonica. Tragedy ensues for nearly all, save for one character who inherits the valuable land en route to the living the American Dream.
Phew. What a movie -- all 165 minutes of it. Sergio Leone gives us quite the epic, operatic western to experience. Filmed in Italy, Spain & John Ford's Monument Valley, Leone utilizes familiar themes from his other recent classic westerns, as well as 1954's Johnny Guitar, High Noon & Shane. The main theme being: blending the building of the west into a civilized society run by business types with a personal revenge tale. The movie is noted for Henry Fonda's chillingly sadistic performance as the cold-blooded gunman. Known for playing all-American heroes for most of his career, Fonda crafts one of cinema's all-time villains, here. Claudia Cardinale is alluring & emotionally gripping as McBain's sudden-widow. Jason Robards excels as the innocent #1 suspect, Cheyenne -- a doomed romantic baddie. And Charles Bronson rivets as the silent-but-deadly, harmonica playing, trigger happy mystery man.
Also among the cast are Jack Elam & Keenan Wynn as the sheriff. Other than these fine performances, this film is also known for its haunting & glorious music score by the great Ennio Morricone; for its dance of death plot framework; for its stylized, slowww-moving shoot-outs; and for its visuals. Tonino Delli Colli's vast landscape cinematography is just stunning. And Carlo Simi's sets designs & costumes are startlingly beautiful. Leone was a poet with the camera. There are several versions of this movie with various run times, but this one is best. I personally found the film a bit too languorously paced & too downbeat. But it is also an immersive experience that is sure to enthrall more often than not, and make you think long after it is over.