A notch lower than Once Upon a time in the West.
Good but not great. Eli Wallach was supposed to have the Juan character would have been interesting to see him in that role.
shareI thought Rod Steiger was fantastic in this, although supposedly him and Leone didn't get along cause of Steiger been a method actor.
Not many films are on the same level as Once Upon A Time In The West, but Fistful of Dynamite deserves more praise then it get's really. I like James Coburn in this too, even with a dodgy Irish accent. He still brings a lot of charm and heart to it. It's definitely one of Leone's bleakest films that's for sure, the ending is a lot darker the more you watch it. It also has one of Ennio Morricones best scores imo. I think the film's biggest problem that it's stuck between two of Leone's greatest films. Following up WEST was going to be tough. He wasn't supposed to direct Dynamite either he offered it to Peter Bogdanovoich and Sam Peckinpah who both turned it down, then he gave it to Giancarlo Santi who worked a Leone's assistant director on his past films. But Coburn and Steiger wanted Leone, so he did it.
It's better then just good imo, it's great but it definitely has flaws with it's pacing but it's still a great piece of cinema.
Thanks for your comments. Overall I would still give it a 7/10.
shareNo problem, I'd give it 8.5/10. For me Leone's weakest film is a 8 and that's for A Fistful of Dollars. The Two Once Upon A time films, The Good The Bad and The Ugly are all a 10 for me. While For A Few Dollars More 9.5. Leone wasn't the master for nothing.
shareI have never seen Once Upon A Time in America. The length of the thing scares me away.
shareYou should watch it at least once. It's a masterpiece. If a film is great the running time usually flys by, it definitely takes it's time telling it's story but the performances and just artistry from Leone makes every minute worth it.
shareI'm a bit surprised you would say this. I don't know much about you but I have seen your name a lot, and I would hope a serious cinephile (maybe not a word) and fan of Leone would give it a try. And of course, you don't have to force yourself to watch it in one sitting. I get a kick when I see movies like My Fair Lady or The Ten Commandments and the "Intermission" is included.
shareI haven't seen Gone With The Wind in its entirety either. Long movies don't entice me anymore although I did sit through Once Upon A Time In Hollywood which was almost three hours long.
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