Once Upon a Time in the West

Sergio Leone, 1968 (suom. "Huuliharppukostaja")

This film, I think, is very underrated - maybe because albeit being a pure masterpiece it is very difficult for someone expecting something different. It is very different in direction from the rest of Leone's other spaghetti and in every sense better than "Once Upon a Time in America" that I find just disappointing. I think I actually understood the details of the plot - to the extent that there are no gaping holes in the patchwork - after my third time watching it. Charles Bronson, the tough guy, gets such a wonderful role in this film as a truly enigmatic hero. The opening scene is such that one can watch it time after another and just absorb the beauty of the directing and listen to the sounds of the windmill. The final climax of this film, that answered the problem of the hero, sent gushes of larger-than-life chills down my spine and left me sitting in pure awe. I think around 70% of the dialogue in the film consists in pure killer single-liners... the coolest thing anyone can say at that point.