Once Upon a Time in the West poster

Once Upon a Time in the West

IMDb8.5/10RT Critics96%Metacritic82/100

A mysterious stranger with a harmonica teams up with a notorious desperado to protect a beautiful widow and her land from a ruthless assassin in the employ of a railroad tycoon.

Directed by Sergio Leone · Drama · Western · 145 min · 1969

Trailer

Director

Sergio Leone

Studio

N/A

Release

04 Jul 1969

Runtime

145 min

Genres

Drama, Western

Full Plot

Story of a young woman, Mrs. McBain, who moves from New Orleans to frontier Utah, on the very edge of the American West. She arrives to find her new husband and family slaughtered, but by whom? The prime suspect, coffee-lover Cheyenne, befriends her and offers to go after the real killer, assassin gang leader Frank, in her honor. He is accompanied by Harmonica, a man already on a quest to get even.

Cast & Characters

Charles Bronson

"Harmonica"

Charles Bronson

Claudia Cardinale

Jill McBain

Claudia Cardinale

M"

Manuel "Cheyenne" Gutiérrez

Jason Robards

MM

Mr. Morton

Gabriele Ferzetti

St

Sam, the Coachman

Paolo Stoppa

tS

the Sheriff of Flagstone

Keenan Wynn

BM

Brett McBain

Frank Wolff

tb

the barman

Lionel Stander

Sf

Stony, first gunman

Woody Strode

Ss

Snaky, second gunman

Jack Elam

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Did You Know?

Made on an estimated budget of $5.0M, Once Upon a Time in the West has grossed $5.4M worldwide — about 1.1x its budget.

Source: TMDb API · verified 2026-08-02

Sergio Leone has directed 4 films in our catalog, including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in America.

Source: theIReview.com catalog · verified 2026-08-02

Once Upon a Time in the West

Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13

After making his American gunfighter epic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Leone had intended to make no more Westerns.

Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13

Leone was offered only Westerns by Hollywood studios, but he refused most of them.

Source: Wikipedia · verified 2026-08-13

Critical Assessment

IMDb
8.5/10
RT Critics
96%
Metacritic
82/100

Once Upon a Time in the West holds 8.5/10 on IMDb (383,734 votes), 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82/100 on Metacritic.

Not enough independent critic/audience score breakdown available.

Ratings as of July 30, 2026

Where to Watch

United States

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United Kingdom

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India

Rent
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Buy
Apple TV Store

Streaming data from JustWatch via TMDb. Availability changes often — confirm on the provider before watching.

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AI Verdict

AI-generated

Based on aggregated scores (8.5/10 on IMDb (383,734 votes), 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82/100 on Metacritic), this is a data-driven snapshot rather than an editorial take.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Once Upon a Time in the West's Rotten Tomatoes score?+

Once Upon a Time in the West holds a 96% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes.

What is Once Upon a Time in the West's IMDb rating?+

Once Upon a Time in the West has a 8.5/10 rating on IMDb from 383,734 votes.

What is Once Upon a Time in the West's Metacritic score?+

Once Upon a Time in the West has a Metascore of 82/100 on Metacritic.

Is Once Upon a Time in the West good? What are critics saying?+

Once Upon a Time in the West holds 8.5/10 on IMDb (383,734 votes), 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, 82/100 on Metacritic.

How long is Once Upon a Time in the West?+

Once Upon a Time in the West has a runtime of 145 min.

Who directed Once Upon a Time in the West?+

Once Upon a Time in the West was directed by Sergio Leone.

Where can I watch Once Upon a Time in the West?+

Once Upon a Time in the West is available to stream, rent, or buy on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Rakuten TV, Sky Store.

Fan & Critic Buzz

AI Summary — from fan reviews & trailer comments

The public reaction to "Once Upon a Time in the West" has been overwhelmingly positive, with reviewers praising its cinematography and performances. The film's blend of action and character development has been noted as unique and captivating, particularly in comparisons to Sergio Leone's previous westerns. Despite some criticism about its pacing, many have agreed that it is a classic western that stands out from others in the genre.

Viewer Reviews (TMDb)

  • All what you can expect from a western.

    Andres Gomez · 10/10
  • With apologies (not really) to fans who disagree, this is truly a classic western. I read a criticism that some scenes run long with agonizingly lengthy close-ups, but I found the cinematography intriguing. Those shots divulge nearly as much into the characters' personalities as…

    Peter McGinn · 10/10
  • I can't say that this script doesn't play on Clint Eastwood's "Man with No Name" (which Sergio Leone also directed), but it's not important. If you're a spaghetti western fan, this film is a step up. The idea of putting Fonda in a bad guy role, and casting Bronson as anti-hero wa…

    badelf · 9/10
  • The worst of the worst Leone Westerns. Leone destroyed the Westerns with his garbage, but the blame goes on to the critics who praised his lack of motivation, lack of inspiration, lack of credibility, lack of entertainment value, lack of strategy, just a total lack. This is the w…

    drystyx · 1/10
  • **One of the great western movies.** Western movies made in co-production by Italians and Americans (called "spaghetti-western") have been considered among the best that emerged within their genre, cleverly combining the tough action of Wild West gunslingers with the taste for ra…

  • Great western that I never watched despite owning the old DVD, but with Paramount releasing this on 4K UHD, decided to sit down through the 165-minute duration and it was a wonderful experience. Great performances all around, but most notably Jason Robards and Charles Bronson. Ju…

    JPV852 · 9/10
  • This is a masterpiece in story, sound and vision. The detailed long lingering beautiful shots and scenes building tension are a fabulous antidote to today's movies where stuff or extreme proportions must just happen every 3 minutes whatever! The opening scene is my favourite. Who…

    nrogoff · 10/10
  • Now we know all along just who is responsible for the wholesale slaughter that “Jill” (Claudia Cardinale) encounters when she arrives to join her family on their frontier ranch. She’s devastated, all alone and distinctly wary of “Harmonica” (Charles Bronson) who doesn’t speak muc…

    CinemaSerf · 7/10
  • 97/100 A new bride coming home to her husband's ranch for the first time finds her family has been slaughtered and the land is a chunk of desert ...and now, someone wants her dead. This masterpiece, created by Sergio Leone - the man who can squeeze every drop of drama possible ou…

    Dr Nostromo · 10/10

From the trailer's comments

  • When Sergio made this movie, I don't think he knows that will be one of the greatest movie of all time.

    @jcojjococ3771 · 47 likes
  • This movie blew me away. An amazing film

    @hunter_tao · 126 likes
  • One of the few movies where the protagonist is as menacing and scary as the villain. Charles Bronson's character isn't bound by anything but pure, unadulterated vengeance. When the harmonica starts playing you get shivers.

    @sirbletchley · 75 likes
  • Italian western movie, Sergio Leone, Claudia Cardinale and music by Ennio Morricone. Proud to be italian

    @hikariamendola193 · 48 likes
  • Not just the greatest western of all time, but one of my fav films. Even this original trailer (which I first remember seeing when this first came out on widescreen VHS in the mid 1990s), is brilliant!

    @Rachaelbpl · 184 likes
  • ONE OF SERGIO LEONE'S MASTERPIECE

    @aniketadhane8356 · 48 likes
  • It takes a certain kind of badass to play his own theme song.

    @ianfinrir8724 · 27 likes
  • i must have seen this movie 1000 times. that's 1000 plates of spaghetti!

    @kelleydavis1010 · 6 likes
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