Most critics respond enthusiastically to Leone’s Western, praising its patient construction of suspense, expressive close-ups and treatment of a frontier giving way to commerce. Praise clusters around the opening sequence, where everyday sounds make waiting tense, and Ennio Morricone’s score. Henry Fonda’s villainous performance draws particular attention, while the widescreen compositions and carefully controlled violence support readings of the film as a farewell to an older kind of Western hero.
The reservations concern length, narrative complexity and whether Leone’s stylisation sustains its force. The Guardian admires the film’s atmosphere but finds its sprawling story occasionally restless viewing; RogerEbert.com likewise enjoys the details and casting while judging the running time excessive. The sharper dissent comes from The New York Times, which finds absurdity alongside the homage, and Variety, which argues that the treatment of violence dilutes Leone’s distinctiveness. The spread is wider than the dominant enthusiasm suggests.