While thinking about
which movie is the best western ever made, this movie popped right
into my mind and I started to think how easy it actually was to pick
the best western. I could never name the best drama ever made or
action movie or horror movie or comedy for that matter, I just
wouldn't be able to choose between the top 5 or 10 of them. But the
best western, there was no hesitation. Saying that this is the best
spaghetti western would already be a bold statement, I know quite a
few people who would argue in great length that The Good, the Bad and
the Ugly (1966) is the best and to a point I would agree with them. But the western
genre is a lot bigger than just the spaghetti westerns, so saying
this is the best western ever seems a bit crazy. Some might argue
that the classic American westerns are the best westerns, like TheSearchers (1956) or High Noon (1952). Some people say the best is Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid(1969) and some argue it's
Unforgiven (1992). Those are all brilliant westerns and true masterpieces in their own
right, but for me it's this movie above all others.
I'll try to explain why I
think so. I apologize for the spoilers, but really if you haven't
seen this movie, stop reading now and go watch it! First of all this
movie looks amazing, every shot is framed with perfect detail and I
could take any frame out of this movie and put it up on my wall as a
piece of artwork. Backing up the beautiful pictures is the music by
Ennio Morricone which is among the best he has ever made for any
movie. The cast is spot on perfect. Claudia Cardinale does probably
the best performance out of all the women in the history of westerns.
Charles Bronson is perfect as the man on a vendetta, a person who has
something inside... something to do with death. Jason Robards as
Cheyenne is probably the most intriguing character, while he's the
comic sidekick, he's also most of the time the voice of reason and a
force to be reckoned with. In complexity his character is a great
balance for the archetypes of the other characters. Henry Fonda as
Frank is the ultimate villain, bright blue eyes which hide evil
inside. Not only those main characters, but the supporting cast is
quite brilliant as well, like Gabriele Ferzetti as Morton the polio
ridden railroad tycoon or Lionel Stander as the barman teaching Jill
the ways of the wild west. Add to those a surprisingly intriguing
story and you have a brilliant movie. I mean sure the story is
somewhat thin, but so it is in most of the westerns, so in that
standard this is in a league above others.
Then again most of those
things above could be said from other westerns as well. Like The Good, the Bad and
the Ugly (1966), beautifully shot, brilliant and maybe even better music, great cast
and an intriguing story. But what for me puts this one above it is
driving motives behind the characters, in The Good, the Bad and
the Ugly (1966)
it's money, the whole movie is about money or well gold in this case.
This movie has way more complex motives, there's of course the money
for Frank and for Cheyenne at start but he has another motive as
well, cleansing his history and to do something good for a change.
Then there's Harmonica whose motive is revenge and Jill whose motives
are love, money and the hope of a better future. All of them thrive
to make a difference in their own way either for themselves or for
others. That for me is far more interesting than just one driving
force of a motive. And I'm still not saying that The Good, the Bad and
the Ugly (1966)
would be in any way a bad movie, it's absolutely brilliant, but when
you compare two masterpieces you must go into the tiniest of details.
Another thing which sets
this one apart from the rest is the ending which is just pure
cinematic perfection. And I'm not talking about the epic standoff
between Harmonica and Frank, I'm talking about what happens after
that. When Harmonica returns there's that moment when you hope for a
happy ending, but soon realize that would have never been a happy
ending. The ending is more than just about Jill, Harmonica or
Cheyenne, it's about how the industrialism ended the whole western
lifestyle. That shot at the end with the tracks of “civilization”
being stretched across the wild frontier, Cheyenne lying there dying
and Harmonica riding away from the future is by all standards a
perfect finale. The ultimate ending, not only to the story of the
film but also to the wild west and the whole western genre.
100%
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