Review: Once Upon a Time in the West

   

    Movie of the Week (3/3/13-3/9/13): My first movie of the week review is for the western classic by Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in the West. This is known as one of, if not, the best westerns of all time and it is truly a masterpiece. Even though it is regarded as that it received zero Oscar nominations in 1968, probably because it is in the Spaghetti Western category, and if you look back no western in that style has been nominated. They are called Spaghetti Westerns because they were directed by Italians and filmed on cheap budgets in Europe, mostly, but were received greatly by the American public.
    Once Upon a Time in the West is Sergio Leone's best Spaghetti Western, behind The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and stands as one of the best westerns of all time. From the beginning you are hooked because it has such a long opening sequence, one of the best on film, that grabs you by the arm. It is followed by a nearly 3 hour epic story of land, greed, love, and revenge.
    The characters in this story, written by Sergio Leone, are the reason to watch this because the actors deliver such captivating performances. Henry Fonda, probably the best of them as an assassin who works for a railroad baron, puts himself in the character so well you begin to like him. We also have Charles Bronson, in his best role and performance, as a man known as Harmonica out for revenge long waited. Bronson, not the best actor there was, delivers a chilling performance in this role as we wait to find out why he is out for revenge. He best performance on screen and a very good one.
    The movie itself does take a while to get going as we are introduced to the characters slowly, which is what you get when you watch a Sergio Leone film. The long scenes that take time to develop make the movie seem drawn out at times, but makes the film worth while in the end. That being said, the plot is hard to follow and you really don't know exactly what is going on until the second hour or so. But, Leone grabs you with each scene slowly and pulls you in one second at a time, which is what we love about him.
    One final thing that makes this classic complete is the score by Ennio Morricone. It is done in such a way that it is haunting, yet relieving at times. Mixed so good together it creates the perfect atmosphere for a western. We also have the chilling playing of the Harmonica theme whenever Bronson's character is on screen and, again, gives you that irie feeling of a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. 4/4 Stars