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ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1969) (***1/2)

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I absolutely love THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY. Sergio Leone was a skilled filmmaker who had guts and knew what was cool. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST was made after TGTBATU became an international hit. I think the extra cash for this picture gave Leone a little too much freedom. The film’s length and weaker characters hinders its overall success. But you have to give it to Leone to have the guts to not reveal the main plot details until about two hours into the movie.

The first 2/3s of the film is about mood and iconic showdowns and meetings. The film begins with a stranger arriving in town, which everyone refers to as Harmonica (Charles Bronson, DEATH WISH), because of his choice of instruments. Brett McBain (Frank Wolff, THE DEMON) is preparing for the arrival of his new wife Jill (Claudia Cardinale, THE PINK PANTHER) when hired gun Frank (Henry Fonda, THE GRAPES OF WRATH) murders him and the rest of his family by orders of crippled railroad baron Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti, THE NIGHT PORTER). The characters’ lives all interweave including that of notorious desperado Cheyenne (Jason Robards, MAGNOLIA).

Leone mixes moments of quiet with quick bursts of violence. He knows that it’s the anticipation leading up to the violence that is thrilling not the violence itself. The film’s pace is part blessing and part curse. Some moments work perfectly and some could have been trimmed.

Casting against type made the film even more interesting. Bronson is great as the quiet hero. Fonda brings dimension to his assassin character that wouldn’t have been seen on the screenplay page. I have to note that the film’s screenplay was written by Leone, Italian horror/thriller master Dario Argento and Italian auteur Bernardo Bertolucci, who directed the brilliant films THE CONFORMIST and LAST TANGO IN PARIS. Highlights of the film for me are the opening ambush, Cheyenne’s attack on the train and the final duel between Harmonica and Frank. The film is not perfect, but it has great style, intriguing thrills, good performances and in the end was a lot of fun.

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Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks