Once Upon a Time in the West – Review

By Joe

Take the first eight minutes of any movie and put them up against that same time in Once Upon A Time in the West, and I guarantee the former won’t stand a chance.

From the creaking windmill to the buzz of the fly, the only plot thread pulling us along is the wonder of what’s coming. What is coming is the man with the harmonica.

This is by far one of the greatest movies ever put to film. It’s a story of greed, revenge, power, love and of course bullets. It’s a western that moves slowly at a calculated mosey with a hand on its holster, ready to draw.

And when it does draw, it’s an amazing sight. Witness the dirty, fast shootout to open the film or the savage killing of a family. No punches are pulled. It’s quick, painful, brutal.

But for all the violence, the movie has heart too. A criminal who is looking for a place in the world. A woman fighting for independence. A quiet man looking for revenge. Their stories cross back and forth like streets in an dying town. They know little about each other except that there will be bullets fired and blood spilled.

The Rundown:

Quotable: Easily. “How can you trust a man who wears both a belt and suspenders? The man can’t even trust his own pants.”

Defining Scene: The opening. It builds and builds until… 

Remembered After Two Days: From the famous lines (“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”) to the final shots, it’s a movie that’s hard to forget.

Top 50 Rating: 10.
It’s one of the best westerns ever and one of the best movies. Watch it and try to fight that urge to go buy a harmonica.