My favorite film of all time. I have no idea how many times I have seen it, but it's many. Those three hours just flies by in seemingly no time at all. I just finished watching the restored "Mondo-version" and it's stellar. I imagine that this is what this film is supposed to look like. Sadly, I have never gotten the opportunity to watch it on a big screen...
Clint Eastwood is perfectly stoic and subtle, relying more on facial expressions than words. Eli Wallach is funny and uses his fantastic body language, along with some great one-liners. And Lee van Cleef with those eyes - I can see why Sergio wanted to work with him - since "his eyes pierce holes in the screen".
Sergios uses of long takes, wide shots and extreme close-ups are a thing of wonder. He is my favorite director ever and in my opinion never made a bad - or even mediocre film. Of course his films are so great much because of the work of Ennio Morricone. You only need to hum two notes from this movie and everybody knows which movie you are referring to. That is magic. Tragic that he never won an Oscar beacuse of that mix up after "Once Upon a Time in America". And it was a crime that Sergio Leone never even got a nomination in his lifetime.
