When was the last time you watched a movie where after the first hour of the movie you didn't know any of the main character's names or what the movie was about yet you were completely engrossed? Ah, the genius of Sergio Leone. Once again, Leone paints a detailed picture with scant few words and captivates the audience while doing it. This film is also widely regarded as the greatest "face" movie of all time. While Henry Fonda was at the top of the billing, it is actually Charles Bronson (I kid you not) that is the star of this film. One thing I love about Leone is that he's never trying to make a point. There isn't a moral to the story and there aren't any feel-good moments. He brings together a group of characters and spares you the details of who they are and where they come from. There are no good vs. evil confronations. In fact, the most sympathetic person in this movie was a reformed prostitute and the lead in the movie (Bronson) is never actually identified by name. follow me at https://IHateBadMovies.com or facebook IHateBadMovies

Masterful and enthralling storytelling, while barely uttering a word. They just dont make them like this anymore. Really just a mesmerizing film and score

Still the best Western ever made. Superb cinematography. Superb score. Superb actors. A story that is simple in its core and yet told in a complex way with a lot of twists, sub-plots and multi-layered anti-heroes. When you watch this movie for the first time, you won't know the main protagonist's motivation till the end. This movie doesn't shy away from the most brutal aspects of life. Not even sure the outcome is a positive one. There's only little to be criticized. Like the sometimes too cartoon-ish character of some characters. And like the great depiction of violence without the notable exception of blood or visible wounds (That's excused though - it's a 60's movie with strict regulations). It's not really needed though and I certainly don't want this to be a splatter movie but it would add to the immersion.

The absolute best Western to date.

In the wake of _The Good, The Bad and the Ugly_, at the height of his notoriety as master of the spaghetti western, Sergio Leone moved to America and intended to explore different genres. Problem was, all the major studios wanted him to continue making dusty pistol-wranglers. He obliged with this; a somber, atmospheric piece that touches all the familiar hallmarks but lacks the heart, passion and tenacity of his preceding "Dollars Trilogy." _Once Upon a Time in the West_ depicts a cutthroat competition between a posh businessman, a nasty outlaw, two vigilantes and a widow over the development rights to a crucial piece of land in the middle of nowhere. That won't be the case for long, however, as progress demands a continental railroad and the only source of water in a fifty-mile radius lies on this property. Everyone wants a slice of the inevitable riches, if not the whole pie. Matched with a characteristically stirring, yowling musical score from Ennio Morricone, outfitted with big-budget equipment and name actors, the film is positively drenched with character. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the opening scene, where Leone wordlessly dwells on three would-be assassins as they patiently await their mark. We don't need dialog to appreciate how grimy and low-down the trio is, loose with their morals as well as their manners, and the dense ten minutes of their mini-arc wraps us up like a smallpox blanket. In such a bite-sized dose, the restraint is delicious. Leone applies it to the entire sprawling, 160-minute film. It's all syrupy texture with very little concrete storytelling, a drastic example of mood over substance. I love the idea of Henry Fonda playing against-type as a scummy, conniving scoundrel. Charles Bronson, in a role clearly written for Clint Eastwood, deals almost exclusively in piercing squints and creepy harmonica riffs. Claudia Cardinale is breathtakingly beautiful as a recently-widowed spitfire with oodles of defiant willpower. The cast seems well-primed for a wonderful story, but instead they loiter about, rubbing elbows and making threats, while the plot rambles and sprays mundane, cryptic implications. It takes forever and it barely goes anywhere. Clearly, this is the work of a talented director who'd lost interest in making just one type of movie. I think Leone mailed it in.