“Once Upon a Time in the West."

“Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968, Amazon Prime) spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Leone, the dude who pretty much started and wallowed on the genre. My favorite when I was a boy, still is. Although this movie’s story is flimsy and stereotyped, the story was penned by Mr Leone with two other greats of Italian cinema, Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci. 

       Lead stars are Charles Bronson as the Harmonica dude, how cool is that? Henry Fonda, cast against type as the villain, Jason Robards as a bandit with a romantic heart (but still a macho), and Claudia Cardinale as a newly widowed homesteader, sexy eyes and all. And yes, of course, Ennio Morricone supplied the music. 

       As expected, this is all macho stuff. Lots of staring (at each other or at the camera) and slow walks by dudes on trench coats and jackets or 3-layer shirts amidst the scorching desert heat of Flagstone, Old West. I get the kick out of Mickey Knox’s dialogues, which reminds me of action movies in the Philippines in my youth, especially those by local machos Fernando Poe Jr. and Joseph Estrada. Everything is slow here, except when the cowboys are atop their horses. But they’re quick with the gun, oh yes. Ah, I nevertheless enjoyed this 2+ hours or 166 minutes (re)visit of the past. 🎥💻📽