--- title: "Once Upon a Time in the West: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west" critics_score: 89 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Once Upon a Time in the West (1968): what the critics said Critics' score 89 from 9 reviews: 9 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 5/5. The critic describes it as a breathtaking operatic masterpiece and fresco on the birth of a nation, influenced by John Ford. Praise is singled out for the tale of progress, greed and revenge with its impressive screenplay credentials and Morricone score. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ydz4ds/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west/) ## Empire — Kim Newman Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic hails the film as the greatest Western ever made for its monumental scale and operatic set pieces. The opening sequence is singled out for its suspenseful build using everyday sounds and Morricone's score. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/upon-time-west-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 30 November 2003. The critic hails the film as Leone's finest, an ode to the fading American frontier and the death of the western genre itself, mythologizing the shift from rugged individualism to corporate greed through masterful mise-en-scène and sound design. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west/) ## The AV Club — Scott Tobias Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 November 2003. The critic calls it a masterpiece and Leone's best film, praising its epic story of progress in the Wild West, iconic performances especially Fonda's villainous turn, and dreamlike intensity in visuals and sound. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-dvd-1798199123) ## Time Out — Joshua Rothkopf Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 September 2005. The critic calls it the final Western and a mythic summation that packs a wallop as a tombstone for a certain kind of hero. Praise is singled out for the lurid Italian-infused style, Ennio Morricone's beautiful score, and the craggy faces filling the widescreen frame. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west) ## Little White Lies — Dan Einav Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 2018. The critic views the film as a product of 1968 social upheaval, a eulogy for the western genre about the shift from old violent ways to modernity. Praise is singled out for Leone's masterful direction in the opening scene and career-best performances, especially Henry Fonda's. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-sergio-leone-1968) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2009. The critic calls it a landmark Western with one of the greatest opening sequences and the best use of a harmonica in cinema. Leone's grasp of the West's romance and use of actors' faces as landscapes is singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-r-i-1758706.html) ## The Guardian — Philip French Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 24 July 2009. The critic finds the restored re-release of Leone's 1968 western still mysterious and mesmeric in its grandiloquent style and operatic close-ups, yet admits to some restlessness with its opaque and sprawling narrative. The opening wind-wheel sequence is singled out as still great. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jul/24/once-upon-time-west-review) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert 6 June 1969. The film is a distillation of Leone's signature style with eerie music, sweaty faces, and deliberate pacing of violence, but it overstays its welcome at nearly three hours with an overly complex plot. It offers good fun in its details and against-type casting, particularly Henry Fonda as the villain. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-1969) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby 29 May 1969. The biggest, longest, and most expensive Leone Western to date is in many ways the most absurd, yet it remains interesting as an eclectic mix of lampoon and homage to classic Western styles. It is best suited for undiscriminating patrons or buffs, with moments of impact amid its elaborate excuses for confrontations. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1969/05/29/archives/once-upon-the-time-in-west.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff 31 December 1968. The story focuses on four characters' reactions to wealth and a key railroad route, with strong performances from Henry Fonda, Jason Robards, and Claudia Cardinale. Leone's stylized violence seeks a new moral light here, but this dilutes his special talent for film ideas into something merely imitative. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1968/film/reviews/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-1200421869/) ## Eye for Film — Jeff Robson Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 July 2009. Leone's finest work is a stately, sombre masterpiece that celebrates and subverts the Western genre while centering a strong female protagonist amid themes of destiny, revenge and progress. The critic singles out the peerless direction, majestic cinematography, Morricone score and performances (especially Fonda and Bronson) for praise. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-film-review-by-jeff-robson) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west.md