Once Upon a Time in the West
Dir: Sergio Leone
1968
*****
Sergio Leone's 1968 Once Upon a Time in the West was the turning point for a genre and the inspiration for every Western that has been made ever since, whether it's been serious or a parody. Once Upon a Time in the West is probably the greatest western ever made, I have a soft spot for Westerns, the older James Stewart films, High Noon and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly come close to being favorites but this one edges all of them somewhat. The first 20 minutes is better than most films are in their entirety, Western or not. The mood and tone, the dust and the sweat, the yellow of the sand and the red of the blood, it is nothing short of beautiful. The performances and scenes that linger just that little bit longer than most make for an intense, exhilarating and thoroughly rewarding ride. Rightfully regarded as the classic it is. Credit is due though to Bernardo Bertolucci and Dario Argento who are often forgotten co-authors and one does have to wonder whether the film would be as memorable without the awesome score by the great Ennio Morricone.

A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe (AKA Nobody's the Greatest)
Dir: Sergio Leone, Damiano Damiani
1975
**
A Genius, Two Partners and a Dupe is no where near as great as My Name is Nobody but then it's not quite a sequel either. Terence Hill is still brilliant as Nobody (or is it Joe Thanks?) and there are great supporting performances from Robert Charlebois, Patrick McGoohan and Klaus Kinski that certainly make this, 

Sergio Leone's last Western (sort of) well worth catching up with (that is if you can track it down, I took me a while). The Western/Spaghetti Western really was in decline at this point and even a light hearted spoof of sorts didn't have the desired impact or change in direction.

My Name Is Nobody
Dir: Sergio Leone, Tonino Valerii
1973
****
My Name is Nobody has been often referred, incorrectly, as a spoof of the western genre. This isn't really the case, it is funny and a little tongue in cheek with nods to more famous Westerns, Western directors and even composers but it's no spoof. The gags aren't slapstick, the script is not full of double entendre and it's not in the least bit surreal. Leslie Nelson isn't in it. It is however, a pretty good Western in its own right. The character of Nobody, played brilliantly by Terence Hill is far more interesting than 'The man with no name' or any other Western character. He is playful, dangerous, mysterious and a little quirky, no doubt this is Sergio Leone being influenced by more Eastern characters, Zatoichi springs to mind in regards to the humour. Hill definitely steals the show though, makes you feel bad for Henry Fonda. A great film, worth catching if you haven't already - the bar scene is worth watching it for alone!