Once Upon a Time in the West

I've been saving this movie for a long time and I was looking forward to it more and more. Finally, the time has come for me to watch it. I was amazed. The first two scenes are simply great and I was just staring with my mouth open. Slowly, but brilliantly built up with a great ending that truly surprises. Leone is not unnecessarily violent, he doesn't show everything, but some scenes are terrifyingly intense. Brilliant direction with a brilliant musical accompaniment and great performances. I want to see this again and then several more times. (23/06/2015)

It is simply impossible to pick out one particular thing from this film that deserves to be singled out, because it has to be seen in its entirety, and also several times, in order to make one believe that even a western can have the dimensions of a Shakespearean drama! (That's my review)__P.S. from May 14, 2013 - I finally saw Once Upon a Time in the West in the movie theater... And again, I have nothing to add. Perhaps only that Cheyenne is probably the biggest all-star of all the spaghetti western characters. (18/09/2007)

The best western ever, there is not a single ingredient out of place. Very imaginative direction, great actors and a soundtrack that has long since transcended "mere" film music and become a musical treasure and legend. Leone had a very lucky hand in choosing the actors (as always). Henry Fonda handled his only one role as a villain with aplomb (the American audiences couldn't get over the fact that the model good guy was playing such an asshole), Charles Bronson played perhaps the best role of his career, Claudia Cardinale is a delight to the eye and Jason Robards as Cheyenne is one of my favourite movie characters ever. A must see in widescreen format, the VHS crop amounts to a crime on this cinematic gem. (02/03/2003)

This movie is simply a gem, which sucks you in and enchants you with its soundtrack, atmosphere, and individual performances. Even though it is well over two hours long, you do not get bored for a minute, and thanks to the truly amazing soundtrack, you experience everything to the fullest. Furthermore, Claudia Cardinale is probably the most beautiful woman I have ever seen on the screen, and especially in this movie, she is simply irresistible. (02/04/2015)

The music improves the image. To be honest, at the beginning, when a dirty, hirsute bloke is shown swatting a fly for three minutes, I thought that in the next 160 minutes I would die out of boredom. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, and in the end this film entertained me a lot more than The Godfather, for instance. Mostly thanks to the music, the direction and the performances, because the contents don’t stand out. I can’t get rid of the feeling that I will never be a fan of western as a genre. (02/01/2009)