Once Upon a Time in the West

           Well folks, let me tell yah, this is one of the greats. Seriously, a truly monumental western. Very iconoclastic, very volatile, very western. Sergio Leone (Dir. Fistful of Dollars) brings a brilliant light to an authentic Western Art Piece. It’s the classic tale of misdeeds and treachery, of karma and comeuppance, all set to a killer western background in the desert.

            First there’s the villain, that’s Frank, (Henry Fonda), and Frank is a mean and ornery cuss, and doesn’t hesitate to kill a family, even when his intention was to scare them away. “People scare better when they’re dying,” he reasons. There’s the lone hero without a name, mysterious as he is deadly. This is played by Charles Bronson (Death Wish) and plays a mysterious harmonica.

            It seems Frank did something to him in the past, and he doesn’t want Frank to get away from justice. Then there’s the strange half-Indian fella’ that’s crazy and wild, and runs with toughs, but isn’t really all that bad. Jason Robards (Julius Caeser) brings this character to life and shines brilliantly.

            And of course there’s the hooker with a heart of gold, that’s Cathy Cardinale, who is basically the Brittany Spears of the 60’s. She’s pretty and she can act, unlike Brittany. She plays the widow McBain, and gets much attention from the three stars.

            It’s a hang ‘em high showdown in the old west, as the railroad expands, and the bodies begin piling up. A 2, and one heck of a western.