Luke Gublo (zepp007)

One of the best movies of all time... one of my favorites, and probably in my Top 5. Coming out a year before Neil Armstrong's landing on the Moon, Kubrick's vision of Space is quite accurate compared to most. This movie is an adventure, but also quite silent and cerebral. So it probably isn't for everybody.

The genre of the western film has been much revered in Americana. Of course, there's a particular subset of this genre that was distinctive not only due to the fact that they were being made my Italian filmmakers, but also in tone and the themes presented. Thus is the genre of the Spaghetti Western, marked by the use of Spain as a substitute for the American West, and also marked by the much darker portrait of the Wild West than most other western films. The film is noted for both its excellent intro and ending. The intro is classic. Three men gather in a train station, awaiting the arrival of Harmonica (Bronson). The scene captures boredom at its very essence. The noises and silence is enough to drive these cowboys mad. Yet it paints a bleak and realistic portrait of the time. Eventually, Bronson arrives and in a classic scene, does away with all of them. Ultimately, he's after Frank (Fonda) for a undisclosed reason that is revealed later in the film. The drama surrounds the fact that Frank and his gang, hired by Morton (Ferzetti), a railroad baron and businessman, to dispatch of anything that lies in the way of his beloved railroad. As it turns out, the McBain's homestead is sitting in the way, with Brett McBain planning to build a station for the passing railroad (as a means to turn a profit). Frank, in disturbing fashion, kills the entirety of the family, including 9 year old Timmy McBain. Wife Jill McBain, formerly a prostitute from New Orleans, arrives at the homestead during what amounts to a funeral of her dead family. A desperado named Cheyenne (Robards) is framed for the murder, though he eventually is able to reveal his innocence to McBain. Ultimately, converging interests unite Harmonica and Cheyenne to take on the railroad, and ultimately Frank. There were no John Wayne's and Gary Cooper's in Sergio Leone films. Much of the time, the heroes of these particular films were really no better than the men we come to hate in these films. Once Upon a Time in the West is a particular case of this happening. See, we ultimately are rooting for Harmonica (Bronson) in his pursuit of vengeance against the hired gun, Frank (Fonda). We also want to feel compassionate for Cheyenne (Robards) as he searches for humanity in the west. But when you boil it down, these men really are no different from each other. They all have killed, they all have their own motivations behind their actions. They are relics of the American West, a breed of survivors who soon will be antiquated by the interconnectedness of America (as symbolized by the railroad). Prior to the climactic shootout between Frank and Harmonica (one of my favorite ending scenes of all time), during a short conversation, this theme is echoed after Harmonica makes a remark relating to Frank's business interests in Morton's railroad. Frank: Morton once told me I could never be like him. Now I understand why. Wouldn't have bothered him, knowing you were around somewhere alive. Harmonica: So, you found out you're not a businessman after all. Frank: Just a man. Harmonica: An ancient race. Other Mortons will be along, and they'll kill it off. In the end, we're obviously meant to root for Harmonica, but this conversation proves that in all reality, these men are really not that different from each other. Ultimately, Morton's railroad is seen as a dehumanizing reality to these men. In my opinion, this is the best western film ever made. I do like many westerns, however, none seem to capture the sheer brutality of the American West like this film. Most films, after all, glorify the west, giving us a cut and dried bad guy. The West just wasn't this simple. It was a dirty place, a grimy place, one that modern man probably could not survive in. This film captures all of this, and much more realistically than any of Sergio Leone's other spaghetti westerns (which were all great films in their own right). Also worth mentioning is the absolutely gorgeous cinematography, the wonderful score by frequent Sergio Leone compadre Ennio Morricone, and the ending duel between Frank and Harmonica, which in my mind, exceeds the finale in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. I recommend this to anyone who likes movies. I can almost guarantee that you'll appreciate this film if you watch it.