Considered by many as one of the greatest westerns ever made, and even one of the greatest movies ever made, Once Upon a Time in the West is none of the above, really. Almost 3 hours long, Sergio Leone's "masterpiece" loses focus most of the time and doesn't seem to go in any particular direction.The scenes are way too long and most of them don't even create tension as better Leone films so greatly do. The haunting score by Morricone is good and Henry Fonda as the baddest cat in the west is also very intriguing. The movie is propelled by the motivation of Harmonica, which we always want to discover. That being said, the shootout between Fonda and Bronson is awesome, with flashbacks revealing the nature of Harmonica's motivations. But after that, the movie should have ended quickly, for it deserved a climactic ending, at least. But it doesn't, and it's just another 15 minutes (at least) of talking, talking and more talking!The Good the Bad and the Ugly is Leone's masterpiece. This, is mediocre filmmaking.
Once Upon a Time in the West
(1968)
Loses focus many times and is WAYYY too long
11 May 2015
Warning: Spoilers