Which is the better showdown? Good, Bad & Ugly or Once Upon a Time in the West?

[Road Warrior]

These films are possibly the two greatest westerns of all-time. And, both end with an amazing showdown.

GBU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awskKWzjlhk

in the West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErtRKdpncyk

Which is better? I'll go with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Why? Well, even though, Once Upon a Time in the West, has a brilliant showdown I feel it was an easy approach for Leone. Everything builds up to that showdown. We want Harmonica and Frank to duel AND to finally discover the purpose of it all. In GBU, we have a simple showdown that has the potential to be garbage. The three men: Blonde, Tuco, and Angel Eyes are standing around for over 5 minutes. Yet the scene works because of the way it was shot and edited as well as the music and performance from the actors. That scene is more of a challenge and it takes a gifted filmmaker to pull it off.

 

[Hunter Rider]

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

 

[ShaneHelms]

What hunter said.

 

[Road Warrior]

Is there any reason why you prefer it or do you simply just agree with me?

 

[Catman]

Once Upon a Time in the West. Simply because of the flashback!

BTW, this is a bit off-topic, but look what I just found on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIXqSsd37uQ

The spanish credits for The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. I saw the film for the first time when I was a kid on spanish television with my parents. So, watching those spanish credits brought back some memories.

 

[ShaneHelms]

Love that opening. Classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awskKWzjlhk&mode=related&search=

Too answer your question of what makes the showdown better for me, Its probably the cinematic presence of Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. I just enjoy them more.

 

[Addendum]

Both are excellent.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is great because it's not your typical showdown. I can't think of another Western that had a 3 man showdown.

The showdown in Once Upon A Time in the West is also excellent beacuse of the buildup throughout the film. However, that buildup wasn't for Harmonica. He already knew what Frank did. The audience didn't know until the blurry figure walking toward the camera becomes clear and we see what Harmonica experienced those many years ago.

And the showdown between Frank and Harmonica can be viewed as the last of the Old West, with the railroad being built several yards away and then coming through at the end

 

[Catman]

And the showdown between Frank and Harmonica can be viewed as the last of the Old West, with the railroad being built several yards away and then coming through at the end

Another reason why I love it. The whole purpose of the movie was to be a swan song for the western genre.