Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Review: Leone's Elegy

Is Once Upon a Time in the West worth watching?

Yes. Once Upon a Time in the West is Sergio Leone’s masterpiece, a vast, operatic western that turns the genre’s familiar pieces into something closer to myth and requiem. Its images, Ennio Morricone’s score and a superb cast make it one of the most purely cinematic films ever made. The one reservation is pace: Leone stretches moments almost to breaking point, and viewers who want brisk storytelling may find nearly three hours of it testing.

What is Once Upon a Time in the West about?

As the railroad pushes relentlessly across the desert of the American West towards the Pacific, Jill (Claudia Cardinale), newly arrived from New Orleans, comes to the dusty town of Flagstone to begin a new married life on a remote homestead. She arrives to find that the future she was promised has been violently destroyed. Around her gather three very different men: Frank (Henry Fonda), a cold-eyed hired killer; Cheyenne (Jason Robards), a charming outlaw; and a mysterious stranger known only as Harmonica (Charles Bronson), who has his own reasons for being there.

Once Upon a Time in the West was directed by Sergio Leone from a story he developed with Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento. It is an Italian-American co-production, shot largely in English with an international cast, and it runs 166 minutes.

Time stretched into myth

Leone’s great achievement here is his manipulation of time. The famous opening sequence, in which three gunmen wait at a remote train station, stretches a few minutes of plot into an extended study of faces, sounds and silence, and it establishes the film’s method: tension built through anticipation rather than action. Throughout, Leone holds shots and moments far longer than convention allows, so that gunfights become rituals and glances carry the weight of speeches.

The visual design is equally bold. Leone alternates between extreme close-ups of weathered faces and sweeping wide shots of Monument Valley and the desert, creating a rhythm that feels both intimate and monumental. The film looks at the West as a landscape of legend, and every frame seems designed for the biggest possible screen.

Morricone and a perfectly cast quartet

Ennio Morricone’s score is one of the greatest in film history. Each main character has a distinctive musical theme, from Harmonica’s piercing, mournful motif to Jill’s soaring melody, and the music often does the storytelling that dialogue would do in another film. The result is a film that moves like an opera.

The casting is inspired. Henry Fonda, long associated with decent, heroic roles, is chilling as Frank, and his first appearance is one of the great villain entrances. Charles Bronson brings a stony, watchful intensity to Harmonica, and Jason Robards gives Cheyenne a rough warmth and humour that balance the film’s grimness. Claudia Cardinale’s Jill is the heart of the story, a woman whose resilience comes to represent the future of the West itself.

The price of grandeur

The film’s deliberate pace is part of its greatness, but it is also a real demand. Some sequences stretch beyond what their dramatic content requires, and the plot, involving railroad schemes and land rights, can feel secondary to the atmosphere. Jill is a strong character, but the film sometimes frames her in ways that feel dated, and the violence, though stylised, is frequent and harsh.

Who should watch Once Upon a Time in the West?

It is essential viewing for fans of westerns, admirers of Leone and Morricone, and anyone interested in the art of cinema at its most ambitious. Set aside an uninterrupted evening and, if possible, watch it on a large screen with good sound. The violence includes shootings and brutality, but it is not graphic by modern standards.

If it works for you:

• The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Leone’s earlier epic, more playful and adventurous, with an equally iconic Morricone score.
• Cinema Paradiso, a very different Italian classic whose Morricone score shows his more tender side.

The verdict

Once Upon a Time in the West is a monumental, mesmerising western that transforms the genre into grand opera, with unforgettable images, performances and music. Its slow pace will test some viewers, but for those who give themselves to it, it is one of the great experiences cinema offers.

Rating: 4.5/5