Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

I've seen Once Upon a Time in the West multiple times now and it just keeps getting better. Ennio Morricone's character-specific themes is something rarely matched in cinema. If you haven't watched it yet, clear your evening.

I first watched Once Upon a Time in the West as a teenager and thought it was fine. Rewatched at 30 and it hit completely differently. The revenge as identity undercurrent makes total sense now in a way it didn't before.

I went into Once Upon a Time in the West knowing nothing — no trailer, no plot summary. I strongly recommend that approach. The the railroad bringing modernity hits much harder when you haven't been primed for it. Go in cold.

Whatever you think of the story, Once Upon a Time in the West is one of the most visually extraordinary films ever shot. There are frames here that belong in a gallery. Worth seeing on the biggest screen possible.

Once Upon a Time in the West is not background viewing. Every scene requires you. Put your phone down, dim the lights. Sergio Leone is doing too much to be half-watched. Give it the attention it deserves.

I usually avoid this kind of film but gave Once Upon a Time in the West a chance after constant recommendations. Completely converted. Sergio Leone transcends genre entirely. It works as pure human drama first and everything else second.

Once Upon a Time in the West ended and I sat with it for weeks. The the railroad bringing modernity theme kept circling back. I'd be doing something mundane and the harmonica flashback reveal would pop into my head. That kind of resonance is rare.

I didn't expect Once Upon a Time in the West to affect me so deeply. The way Sergio Leone handles revenge as identity is unlike anything I'd seen before. I came out of it looking at the world differently.

Once Upon a Time in the West deals with the dying of the Old West in a way that's genuinely uncomfortable at times. But that discomfort is the point. Sergio Leone never lets you look away, and the film is better for it.

Some elements of Once Upon a Time in the West show their age, but the core of it — revenge as identity, Henry Fonda against type as the villain — hasn't diminished at all. Films this good age better than almost anything else.