Once Upon A Time In The West 4K UHD Review
“Once Upon A Time In The West” is Sergio Leone’s masterpiece.
Written by Sergio Donati and Sergio Leone from a story by Leone, Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci (what a trio!), “Once Upon A Time In The West” is an ensemble spaghetti western. The story begins with a mysterious man (Harmonica) being ambushed by 3 of Frank’s men. Frank is a nasty hired hand who works with a dying man named Mr. Morton (a railroad tycoon). Mr. Morton has his sights set on land owned by Brett McBain. Brett is hoping to turn his land into a watering station, but the land will become forfeit if the station is not built in time. Morton hires Frank to take out McBain and his family and Frank goes about pinning the murders on an outlaw named Cheyenne. Frank is also worming his way into trying to acquire the land himself. Unbeknownst to Morton and Frank, Brett’s new wife (a former prostitute named Jill) arrives in town to find her would be family murdered. Jill now inherits the land for herself. With the help of Cheyenne and Harmonica, Jill goes about trying to keep the land and build a station while Harmonica seems to have vengeance against Frank on his mind. The question is- why?
For some, “The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly” is the pinnacle of Sergio Leone’s career, but to many like myself, “Once Upon A Time In The West” is where it’s at. ‘West’ is a grand epic spaghetti western that is perfect in just about every aspect. Ennio Morricone’s score and character themes are unforgettable, the tension building is masterful, the cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli is breathtaking, the production values are first rate, Nino Baragil’s editing is among the finest in cinema history (no exaggeration), the use of sound is incredible, there’s not a single wasted moment, the dialogue is sharp, Sergio Leone is at the top of his game, the action is thrilling (particularly the shootout on board and on top of a moving train) and the cast (more on that in a bit) is as good as it gets. It’s no wonder Quentin Tarantino borrows heavily from this film in his work.
When it comes to casts for a western film, these are the folks you want- Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Woody Strode, and Jack Elam. The always underrated Robards scene steals as Cheyenne. Bronson gives one of the best performances of his entire career as the enigmatic Harmonica. Henry Fonda (no stranger to westerns) plays a great despicable villain. The divine Claudia Cardinale shines as Jill. Despite having small parts, Woody Strode and Jack Elam are perfect additions. They manage to get a lot out of their characters with barely any dialogue.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 2.35:1 2160p. How does it look? Despite the compression issues that undoubtedly impact the overall quality, this Technicolor film still stuns on 4K. The colors are rich and there are so many more noticeable little details from beads of sweat to dusty hats.
Audio Track: 5.1 DTS-HD MA. How does it sound? Morricone’s score never sounded so good as it does on this quality 5.1 track.
Extras (On The Blu-ray):
* Blu-ray copy and Digital copy
* Theatrical trailer
* 2 commentary tracks. One by filmmakers John Carpenter, Alex Cox, John Milius, film historians Sir Christopher Frayling and Dr. Sheldon Hall, Claudia Cardinale, Bernardo Bertolucci, and host Lancelot Narayan and a new commentary by the hosts of “The Spaghetti Western Podcast.”
* “A Look Back With Leonard Maltin” (the 2nd new extra).
* Production gallery
* “Locations Then And Now”
* “An Opera Of Violence”- Archival extra that mostly covers Sergio Leone and the film’s history and long lasting legacy.
* “Something To Do With Death” covers the editing, score, the use of sound, and Leone’s direction.
* “The Wages Of Sin” focuses on the location shooting, production and production design.
* “railroad: Revolutionizing The West”- A factual piece about the American railroad.
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