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Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, Gabriele Ferzetti ... see more see more... , Frank Wolff , Keenan Wynn , Jack Elam , Lionel Stander , Woody Strode , Paolo Stoppa , John Frederick , Dino Mele , Renato Pinciroli , Conrado San Martin , Marilu Carteny , Claudio Mancini , Benito Stefanelli , Aldo Berti , Spartaco Conversi , Marco Zuanelli

In Sergio Leone's epic Western, shot partly in Monument Valley, a revenge story becomes an epic contemplation of the Western past. To get his hands on prime railroad land in Sweetwater, crippled railr... read more read more...oad baron Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) hires killers, led by blue-eyed sadist Frank (Henry Fonda), who wipe out property owner Brett McBain (Frank Wolff) and his family. McBain's newly arrived bride, Jill (Claudia Cardinale), however, inherits it instead. Both outlaw Cheyenne (Jason Robards) and lethally mysterious Harmonica (Charles Bronson) take it upon themselves to look after Jill and thwart Frank's plans to seize her land. As alliances and betrayals mutate, it soon becomes clear that Harmonica wants to get Frank for another reason -- it has "something to do with death." As in his "Dollars" trilogy, Leone transforms the standard Western plot through the visual impact of widescreen landscapes and the figures therein. At its full length, Once Upon a Time in the West is Leone's operatic masterwork, worthy of its legend-making title. ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi

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PG-13, 2 hr. 45 min.

Directed by: Sergio Leone

Release Date: December 21, 1968

Keywords: epic, western

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DVD Release Date: November 18, 2003

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Stats: 4,748 reviews

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'C'era una volta il West' 'C'era una volta il West' 'C'era una volta il West' Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) Once Upon a Time... Sergio Leone Once Upon a Time... Sergio Leone Leone on the set Frank and Harmonica Only at the point of dyin' Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) Harmonica Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) Jill McBain Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) Jill McBain Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) Frank
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Flixster Reviews (4,748)

  • imrealgod
    April 15, 2012
    imrealgod
    I'd maintain that westerns are not specifically my cup of tea, and I'd also maintain that, occasionally, I do enjoy them. Its music is remarkable, but the same can't be said for all the performances. If you too are running out of options, stop running.
  • fb1664868775
    March 5, 2012
    fb1664868775
    The first scene of this film is maybe the greatest opening of all time, Morricone's music and Leone's camera combine for a truly operatic movie experience. In some ways this film is better executed than The Good, The Bad & The Ugly. It's great to see Henry Fonda introduced into t... read morehe Leone world as well as Jason Robards.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    January 9, 2012
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Sergio Leone has long mastered the art of the Western, but with Once Upon A Time In The West, his talents have culminated and he created the greatest western ever put on film. Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards and Claudia Cardinale give amazing performances. However th... read moree greatest performance of all is Henry Fonda as the psychopathic killer Frank. His performance leaves you astounded and makes your blood run cold at his ruthlessness. Fonda delivers one of cinema's most ruthless performances here, and watching him in his performance makes the film very enjoyable.
    A superb film, Once Upon A Time In The West is a tale of revenge and retribution, and in the hands of master director Sergio Leone, this film is one of the greatest films ever made. The film is filmed in the typical Leone style of letting the images on screen tell the story. This adds to the epic scope of the picture. When I first seen this film, I was totally blown away. I was in awe and what I was seeing on screen. The film is slow of course, but when it's over you are just in awe at how epic this film really is. Sergio Leone delivered something phenomenal and this is by far one of his greatest films. Everything about this film is grand. The acting, the score, the locations. Everything. This is a Western not for everyone as this is a pure work of art. Sergio Leone was a masterful filmmaker and he pulls out every trick to deliver this work of art. Once Upon A Time In The West is a film that is for the true cinema buffs because the common filmgoer will find this film boring, and will definitely not recognize the merit of this epic film. Viewing this film and appreciating it makes you realize how big Sergio Leone vision was. Leone was a man of big ideas, and this film shows that. Right from the memorable opening scene to the awesome climax, Leone manages to hold you in awe right up to the end. Roger Ebert gave this film a terrible review and he should be ashamed because Once Upon A Time In The West is a Western film that has yet to be matched. In Fact it's a film that stands alone as the greatest Western film ever filmed. This film will never be matched.
    A tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat till the epic climax, OUATITW will definitely appeal to any fans of the Western genre.
  • hunterjt13
    November 27, 2011
    hunterjt13
    A man kills a family, another man who plays a harmonica joins forces with another man falsely accused of killing the family, and there's something else about buying land in the way of a train track.
    Almost every critic and Super Reviewer mentions the nearly silent first fifteen m... read moreinutes of Sergio Leone's film, and just so I don't feel left out, let me mention it too: the first fifteen minutes sucked. I have no problem with dialogue-absent beginnings; There Will Be Blood uses such a start to perfection. But in There Will Be Blood the character that is built on such silence and the event that occurs affects the rest of the film. The characters introduced during the first fifteen minutes of Once upon a Time in the West die unceremoniously.
    At three hours, the film often becomes a chore. Leone meditates on the banal, and the exposition lasts about forty-five minutes, about nine times what it should be.
    Once Leone got around to showing us what the story was going to be about, I thought it eventually picked up steam, and the performances by the leads were decent. I especially liked Henry Fonda's turn as a black hatted man (in typical Westerns - and this is a typical western - the bad guys always wear black hats - this is a little nugget you can learn if you move to Oklahoma [don't - it's not worth it]).
    Overall, Once upon a Time in the West may be the slowest film I've seen this year, and though the performances are good here and there, in the end, it's not worth the wait.
  • joelkelly319
    October 27, 2011
    joelkelly319
    This three hour epic completely beat everything Leone had done in the past. In fact it completely beat all other westerns made in the past. Yes, boys, it's true. It's better than High Noon (a film it pays tribute to in its opening sequence), better than The Searchers, better than... read more Rio Bravo, and even better than (Dare I say it!) The Magnificent Seven.
    A nameless man with a harmonica, a widowed prostitute named Jill, and an outlaw named Cheyenne (Charles Bronsan, Claudia Cardinale, and Jason Robards) all have a grudge against a merciless killer named Frank (Henry Fonda). The film is low on dialogue, and choses to build characters through good acting. Each of the four main cast members have brilliant turns as their respective characters, especially Henry Fonda (playing out of type in this one). The soundtrack is possibly one of the greatest ever made, it's grand, bold and operatic. On its own the soundtrack is a brilliantly work of art. The film simply wouldn't work without it (composed by Ennio Morricone). But at the end of the day this film's success comes down to Leone's use of brilliantly built Dramatic tension, and his unique, but familiar vision of the old west. Marvellous!
  • fb619846742
    October 22, 2011
    fb619846742
    An absolute classic that ranks amongst the absolute best of its genre, nobody has ever captured the old-school Western world quite like Sergio Leone, and this is his finest feature. Soaked in atmosphere, with layers upon layers of subtlety, this is a far-reaching epic which succe... read moreeds in every turn. From its well detailed performances while keeping his characters mysterious and intriguing, all the way down to masterful camera direction in which each stare is burned into the viewer's brain, this is unmistakably the best Western film I have seen (with "Unforgiven" coming in at a close second). Leone's choice of casting Henry Fonda as a villain is a sublime stroke, and one that works wonders in the end. But it's Charles Bronson's icy stare that steals the show. All in all, a masterstroke, and one that should be seen by any fan of the genre.
  • blkbomb
    June 8, 2011
    blkbomb
    "Do you know anything about a guy going around playing the harmonica? He's someone you'd remember. Instead of talking, he plays. And when he better play, he talks. " For me there is no doubt th... read moreat Once Upon a Time in the West is Sergio Leones best film and also the best western ever made. It's slow moving, but so beautifully shot that you're never bored even when there hasn't been any action or dialogue for 10 minutes. The score for this movie is also fantastic and makes it all the more epic, and the movie is epic. The story is pretty cool. Morton hires a gang of killers to kill property owner McBain who owns land where the railroad is going to go through. But his unknown wife(Claudia Cardinale) shows up and inherits the land. Now it's a fight between Frank(Henry Fonda) and two others, Harmonica(Charles Bronson) and Cheyenne(Jason Robards), who are looking after Jill and seeking some revenge. The movie isn't for everyone. If you are bored after the first hour, stop watching because it doesn't speed up very much. There are scenes that are draw dropping in how beautifully shot they are. There is something to be said for a film that can show such brutal and heartless violence in the beauty that Leone made Once Upon a Time in the West. The best western, and ultimately one of the best movies ever made; it is a masterpiece.
  • fb732260458
    April 1, 2011
    fb732260458
    The magnum opus of a spaghetti western, Once Upon a Time in The West is a momentous achievement by the great Sergio Leone and a landmark film that, in conjunction with his other works, helped inspire generations of film-makers. I could point out numerous specifics that make this ... read morefilm such a legend, but that would be pointless. Just know, this is a movie you won't soon forget.
  • deano
    September 5, 2010
    deano
    This is superb spaghetti Western film, but The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a Seige Leone classic.
    Henry Fonda's character has a menacing and jarring score which chills and thrills me every time I see it as he's the coldest villain in the screen history. All of the gunsl... read moreingers are badasses or dead, and even some of the very baddest still end up dead, on the wrong end of a bullet. The one who rises above all the rest, only identified as Harmonica, is played brilliantly by Charles Bronson. The character Harmonica's conspicuous similarities with Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name". The opening scene sets the stage for the baddest of the bad who tells the 3 hired guns that they brought 2 horses too many. MEMORABLE!
    The final showdown between Frank and Harmonica is one of the most dramatic scenes ever filmed in a Western.
  • mjgildea
    July 4, 2010
    mjgildea
    Once Upon a Time in the West is a Sergio Leone exercise in brilliance. An epic western with fantastic characters (not a bad performance to be found), appropriately superb dialogue and truly amazing direction. Every shot is a beautifully composed masterpiece. Leone develops his ch... read morearacters with closeups every bit as much as the actors who portray them. The slow and deliberate pacing of the story in tandem with Ennio Morricone's score offer up something truly special and the closest you're going to get to the perfect western.

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Critic Reviews

Andrew Sarris
September 29, 2005
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

Leone (1921-1989) is here at the peak of his epic powers. Full Review

Chuck Stephens
September 27, 2005
Chuck Stephens, Village Voice

If only the first 10 minutes of Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West still existed, this most hyperbolic of oat operas would still be acknowledged as one of the genre's greatest exhumations. Full Review

Vincent Canby
May 9, 2005
Vincent Canby, New York Times

It is mostly fun for the way it cherishes movie styles and attitudes from the past. Full Review

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie stretches on for nearly three hours, with intermission, and provides two false alarms before it finally ends. Full Review

Douglas Pratt
December 10, 2003
Douglas Pratt, Hollywood Reporter

One of the greatest face movies ever made.

Emanuel Levy
January 30, 2012
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Sergio Leone's Western is his undisputed masterpiece, a lush, sensuous, elegiac operatic film made on epic yet intimate scale. Full Review

Tim Brayton
September 2, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

One of the pinnacles of world cinema. Full Review

John J. Puccio
May 24, 2011
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

Heroes, villains, desperados, and the inevitable shoot-outs: You'll find them all in what a lot of fans consider Leone's best film. Full Review

Ken Hanke
June 9, 2010
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

A bold film that you won't soon forget. Full Review

Radheyan Simonpillai
August 12, 2009
Radheyan Simonpillai, AskMen.com

Sergio Leone loaded up for another Spaghetti Western and shot out his magnum opus with this follow-up to the Dollars trilogy. Charles Bronson stars as an ominous stranger known only as Harmonica -- on... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Harmonica: I like my water fresh.
    • Cheyenne: [of Harmonica] He not only plays. He can shoot too.
    • Frank: You paid five thousand dollars for something that belongs to me! [puts down a bunch of dollar bills]
    • Frank: Five thousand... [pulls out a silver dollar]
    • Frank: Plus one! [puts the dollar on the table]
    • Frank: You got a right to make a profit too.
    • Cheyenne: You deserve better.
    • Jill: The last man who told me that... is buried out there.
    • Harmonica: When you hear a strange sound, drop to the ground.
    • Cheyenne: Do you know anything about a guy going around playing the harmonica? He's someone you'd remember. Instead of talking, he plays. And when he better play, he talks.
Submit a Fact | View All

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Once Upon a Time in the West (C'era una volta il West) Trivia

Once Upon a Time in the West (C'e... Trivia

  • In which movie does Charles Bronson play a character known only as 'Harmonica'?  Answer »
  • Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci receive story credits on which 1968 western?  Answer »
  • Near the beginning of which celebrated western would you hear the following exchange of dialogue? First character: 'Looks like we're shy one horse.' Second character: 'You brought two too many.'   Answer »
  • From which movie comes the following quote: -Frank: How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can't even trust his own pants.   Answer »
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