****Contains Spoilers*** Right, where do I start? On the back of the DVD case is written 'From start to finish, a dance of death'. That's exactly where we will begin. The whole movie is similar to one big Mexican standoff. From the tension, to the quick and brutal violence that the director Sergio Leone had introduced so well by this time in the commonly called 'Spaghetti Westerns'.
The story is all about three men. As the tag-line reads, 'One man to love her, one man to take her away and one man to kill her'. That's basically a short sum up of the story. Charles Bronson plays Harmonica (Labeled this because he has no name, much like Clint Eastwood in the dollars series) a 'Good Guy' role as he tries to protect Jill. Jill played by Claudia Cardinale is a ex whore who agreed to marry a man called McBain. However her new family are brutally murdered and she is left alone, with the killer wanting to kill her.
The opening scene (Similar to the standoff in High Noon) is perfectly done. Charles Bronson takes three guys out in a standoff outside a train station. With one of the greatest lines ever by Bronson. In actual fact the scene was shot last and after it was done, one of the men in the standoff went back to his hotel and jumped off the roof, in full cowboy dress.
As we go through we are introduced to the three men, Harmonica (The one to take her away - Played by Charles Bronson), Cheyenne (The one to love her - Played by Jason Robards) and Frank (The one to kill her - played by Henry Fonda).
When is all boils down to it, the reason for all of the killings came to the plot of land that McBain had purchased. Now it was worth a great deal. Each man wanted to get there hands on some of the money it would appear. But in this case, looks can be deceptive.
Top it all of with some shootouts and some famous Leone close-ups and long shots and here we have possibly one of the greatest movies ever. With an ending that will shock you. Fonda for me seals the show, but really Great acting all round… **********/********** - 10/10 (If you liked The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, you will love this. A great film).
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 1941 - Westerns - Director: Fritz Lang - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger, Barton MacLane, Robert Young
Re-rated based on Ciao's insistence that such reviews are no longer considered "Off Topic"
Soho_Black 10.09.2006 21:57
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, which can be done by accessing "edit review" in the top right of the review and changing the drop down menu under the "Which format are you reviewing?" question at the bottom, please let me know and I'll re-rate.
Ailran 09.09.2006 10:56
I know you've put spoiler warning at the beginning but it makes it pointless for anyone to read if you tell people important plot points. Get rid of the line about why they are all doing it and this is a pretty good review of the film. :o)
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Advantages: Riveting, four main stars, the score, the direction, where shall I stop? Disadvantages: None for me, although it's long and slow, which may not be your cup of tea
![Once Upon a Time in the West -- Special Collector's Edition (2 discs) [DVD] [1969]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78518950.jpg "Once Upon a Time in the West -- Special Collector's Edition (2 discs) [DVD] [1969]")
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