Director: Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone is the master of the close-up facial shot. His films are filled with shots of sketchy dudes suspiciously eyeing one another, sizing up how threatening they are. In the lawless West, any stranger can be the last person you ever see, especially if you forget all the people you've pissed off.
Leone's film purports to have an epic sweep, but it's really only concerned with vengeance and the death of the Old West. There's a group of men that live by the scores they have to settle, progress be damned, money men be damned.
Bronson's performance as a Man With No Name is stellar, and the rest of the performances are solid as well. The film is nearly three hours, which begins to feel padded by the end - it's as if he is trying to make a film with huge scope without a grand story or budget behind it. Regardless, I'd say it's (probably) worth the time.
Definitely worth the time! The best western I've every seen (better than the good the bad and the ugly and the wild bunch anyway -- i haven't seen any john wayne movies, so don't count me an expert). One of the best movies.
ReplyDeleteOther than the length, what knocked this movie down for you? Just didn't resonate?
I thought the subplot involving building of the station was almost totally discarded until the end when it just served to underscore how the Old West is dying. I thought the female lead wasn't really fleshed out. It's not just the length - it's the fact that the action moves so slowly to create the appearance of import.
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