Once Upon a Time in the West

96%

Tomatometer

68 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

There's a single piece of land around Flagstone with water on it, and rail baron Morton (Gabriele Ferzetti) aims to have it, knowing the new railroad will have to stop there. He sends his henchman Frank (Henry Fonda) to scare the land's owner, McBain (Frank Wolff), but Frank kills him instead and pins it on a known bandit, Cheyenne (Jason Robards). Meanwhile, a mysterious gunslinger with a score to settle (Charles Bronson) and McBain's new wife, Jill (Claudia Cardinale), arrive in town.

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Critics Consensus

A landmark Sergio Leone spaghetti western masterpiece featuring a classic Morricone score.

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Critics Reviews

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Once Upon a Time in the West | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

TIME Staff

TIME Magazine

Leone's newest effort, Once Upon a Time in the West, with a major cast and a lot of big studio money behind it, proves that he is simply a serious bore.

Mar 24, 2020

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Once Upon a Time in the West | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Joshua Rothkopf

Time Out

If there had to be a final Western, Once Upon a Time in the West would be it.

Mar 24, 2020

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Once Upon a Time in the West | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Moments of intense realism flow into passages of operatic extravagance; lowbrow burlesque exists side by side with the expression of the most refined shades of feeling.

Mar 24, 2020

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Once Upon a Time in the West | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

Sergio Leone’s 1968 spaghetti western might be set in the 19th century, but it captured the violence of the ’60s, yet the grandly cinematic film that still somehow embraces humanity.

Jun 8, 2024

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Once Upon a Time in the West | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

John Nguyen

Nerd Reactor

The epic spaghetti Western features an excellent score from Ennio Morricone, sweeping cinematography, and a gritty cast with rugged features that are great for Leone’s close-up and long takes.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 21, 2024

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Once Upon a Time in the West | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

Leone’s gloriously inflated epic isn’t just any old Western. It’s all of them.

May 26, 2023

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Audience Reviews

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JOE S Classic spaghetti Western Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/21/24 Full Review Tom Awesome quality film print. Really enjoyed the movie. Excellent food and drink service Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/01/24 Full Review Audience Member Once Upon a Time in the West is not just a revenge film. It also marked the time in history when period of honor and purity were at the precipice of a new age about be born. Harmonica and Frank were already part of mythology. They played out their last hand. A remarkable feat of film-making. Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/20/24 Full Review Tasos L Talk is cheap. We've got to bow to this masterpiece, its creator and the whole cast! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/27/24 Full Review Robert P It's a good 1.75 hour movie. Unfortunately, it takes 2.75 hrs. Don't believe me. Watch the opening scene, then decide if you like the pacing. Hint: it doesn't pick up after that. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/21/24 Full Review Thomas H the most impressive western! Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/15/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Once Upon a Time in the West

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Cast & Crew

Sergio Leone Director Henry Fonda Frank Claudia Cardinale Jill McBain Charles Bronson Harmonica Jason Robards Cheyenne Frank Wolff Brett McBain

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Once Upon a Time in the West

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