Synopsis: Sergio Leone’s original uncut masterpiece is a monumental epic. The picture itself is as big as its Monument Valley locations. As grand as it’s fine distinguished cast, and as tough and bawdy as everybody imagines the old west. Henry Fonda plays the blackest character of his long career, and he’s utterly convincing as Frank, the ruthless, murderous psychopath who suffers no conscience pangs after annihilating an entire family. Jason Robards is the half-breed falsely accused of the terrible slaughter. Charles Bronson plays The Man, who remembers how his brother was savagely tortured. Brilliantly directed be Leone, this glorious picture re-established the Western’s significance to cinema art.
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This is perhaps Sergio Leone’s greatest masterpiece (and, truth be told, I’m a huge fan of the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western trilogy and of ‘Once Upon a Time in America’ – but this film is simply awe-inspiring).
From the languid shots of sun-baked landscapes and gritty, calloused cowboys, to the use of music to bring tension to the proceedings, it’s a real feast for the senses. Even the storytelling is all involving: instead of what could have been a 10-minute teleplay, Leone manages to stretch the story to such a slow-pace that the viewer can’t help but feel every… single… beat.
It’s emotionally charged, it’s very human, and it doesn’t hold anything back. It’s a “must see” western; one of the (if not the) greatest of its kind.
thecriticaleye 