Devran ikiz I always get anxious when I write about my favorite films because I am scared not to be able to be objective. "Once Upon a Time in the West" is one of those films where I talk only about strong points because this film has no mistakes. It is beautifully made and became one of the top films in the cinema industry. Right now, "Once Upon a Time in the West" stays on 36th place in IMDB's top 250 films and has a total point of 8.5. Just like the other films of Sergio Leone, like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly or Once Upon a Time in America; "Once Upon a Time in the West" is also a masterpiece. This is one of the films where you can easily guess the director if you have seen his previous films. He uses all his known techniques to their limits. I have mentioned those techniques of Sergio Leone while writing about his other films but it is no harm to mention them also here. He uses extreme close up shots to express the feelings of the characters whenever it is possible. All of those scenes are silent and much more expressive. He never fails to use beautiful soundtracks in those scenes. In Sergio Leone's films soundtracks are as important as any other component, therefore his collaboration with the composer Ennio Morricone was very important. Before, they have collaborated in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as well, and if you have seen that film, you will understand the importance of his soundtracks.The story, atmosphere, casting, performances and the set are very strong from all points of views. When I think about it, there is absolutely nothing bad in this film. The story focuses mostly on six main characters. Henry Fonda, as Frank, Claudia Cardinale, as Jill Mc Bain, Jason Robards, as Manuel 'Cheyenne' Gutierrez, Charles Bronson, as Harmonica and Gabriele Ferzetti, as the railroad Baron Morton. The story turns around these characters. They all have different backgrounds but their stories are connected with at least one of the other characters. These relations build a complex progress in the story. Most of the time nothing makes sense, you don't know the answer for a particular move. You don't know why they did that. But, the revelation of these mysteries is explained in such ways that you get to understand why this film is considered a masterpiece and why it was selected for the preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." Such a complex story could not be told in a better way. After seeing all Sergio Leone's films, in my opinion this one is the best of all.There is a piece of land in the middle of the desert. This place holds some water reserves that are essential for trains to continue on their journey. A guy buys this land, thinking to build a station there and get rich. However, railroad Baron Morton hires Frank to scare that man and his family to move out from there. Frank kills this guy and his three children in disguise as the bandits of Cheyenne. A couple of days later, Jill arrives in town as the dead guy's married wife and claims this land. In the meantime, Cheyenne tries to find out about the murder and who frame it on him. He meets a stranger in a bar who calls himself as Harmonica. He is also after Frank for a completely different reason. The story evolves and reveals everything towards the end. Morton, the railroad Baron, lives in a luxury train designed for him. He is a disabled man and hires people to do things for him. His death is the most iconic and the saddest part of the film. While his ultimate goal was to go on a cruise ship and see the ocean, he dies near a little muddy water. His constant sadness on his face during the film is one of the best examples of how reflection of feelings are the most important thing in Leone's films. The similar expressions are visible also on the faces of Henri Fonda and Charles Bronson. Henri Fonda is one of the most experienced actors when it comes to western. In this film his character is the bad guy. He has chosen this role of a bad guy in order to escape from his typical image. This is called casting against type. This is how Sergio Leone convinced Henry Fonda to star in his film. His cold blue eyes gave an amazing image for the character of Frank. The role of Harmonica was offered previously to Clint Eastwood but he rejected it. I don't think Clint Eastwood would have fitted for the role of Harmonica. It is nearly impossible to make a film like "Once Upon a Time in the West." You have a story in your head, but in order to reflect this story, you need to find the right casting who have the right amount of expressiveness in their faces and you need to create the right atmosphere for them and for the story and match them in harmony. You need to find the right soundtracks and use them in the right moments. Even if you have all of these components at your disposal, it is very hard to master them. Sergio Leone manages to do that, and this is the reason why his film is considered as one of the best films that was ever made. I have seen a lot of great stories that are wasted in the hands of untalented directors. Sergio Leone's complex style of storytelling must be shown to each and every director that wants to take place in the cinema industry.

rodrig58 The real "characters" of this film are The Train and The Railway. Only then those wonderful actors called Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards. And between them, as a gorgeous and vital "buffer", Morricone's music, without which any Leone's movie would have the half-size of the value if not even reduced to a quarter. I've seen it several times, I studied for a long time, I could give my doctoral thesis with this film, as with all the other films directed by old Sergio. The story is very simple and the only secret, the true identity of Bronson-Harmonica, is revealed, just like in other Leone's films, only at the end. Jack Elam and Woody Strode would have deserved more screen time. It could have taken, for example from Gabriele Ferzetti's time. Lionel Stander, Keenan Wynn, Paolo Stoppa and Frank Wolff are very good and distinguished from other roles in other films, Leone's exclusive merit. Claudia Cardinale has just turned 80 in April 2018 and is the only one who is still alive.

adonis98-743-186503 A mysterious stranger with a harmonica joins forces with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow from a ruthless assassin working for the railroad. Once Upon a Time in the West doesn't deliver what promises and what it could have been especially with Charles Bronson in it who was known of being a very big tough guy in general (if you've seen Death Wish you know what i'm talking about) but the film is so damn slow and almost reaches 3 hours that is just quite disappointing that it never becomes another cool western which it could. (0/10)

soundoflight They will never make a film like this again. An epic western with a large cast and real sets. The cinemascope widescreen format on real film. The languid pacing, demanding patience from the viewer, revealing the story slowly. The artistic shooting and framing of everything. The stylization. Somehow getting A-list hollywood talent into a film by a foreign, b-movie filmmaker. It simply couldn't be done today, and it will forever amaze me that it was done at all. This was Leone's best film, the one where everything came together. The acting, the music, the cinematography, the sets, the landscapes, and the story. It's all there. "Once Upon a Time in the West" may very well represent "peak cinema" - the exact high water mark of the film format. And for that reason, it's my favourite film.