The Best Spaghetti Western Movies Ever Made

Ranker Film
Updated June 23, 2023 4.9K votes 574 voters 38.4K views
Over 500 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Spaghetti Western Movies Ever Made
Voting Rules
Vote for your personal favorite Spaghetti western films, regardless of how popular or successful they were at the box office.

With over 500 movie fans casting votes, this list of the best spaghetti western movies is a great place to start for those looking to explore this classic genre. Spaghetti westerns are some of the most beloved films in cinema history and have been thrilling viewers since their inception. The genre's blend of sweeping landscapes, dramatic gunfights, and larger-than-life characters has captivated audiences across generations.

Highly acclaimed titles like Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and For A Few Dollars More are all essential viewing for any cinephile. These movies feature stunning cinematography that captures both grandiose battle scenes as well as intimate moments between their iconic characters.

From Leone's operatic epics to Corbucci's bleak portrayal of human nature, these movies offer something for everyone. So why not vote up your favorites on this list or check out some new ones you haven't seen before? With so many great options available, there really is something here for everyone - no matter if you're a seasoned fan or just starting out.

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  • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
    1

    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

    Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef
    225 votes
    • Released: 1967
    • Directed by: Sergio Leone
    The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a classic spaghetti western that transcends time. Set amidst the chaos of the American Civil War, it stars Clint Eastwood as 'Blondie' (The Good), Lee Van Cleef as 'Angel Eyes' (The Bad), and Eli Wallach as 'Tuco' (The Ugly). The trio embarks on a thrilling quest for buried Confederate gold, each driven by their own unique motives. Directed by Sergio Leone, this film combines intense gunfights with strategic mind games. Boasting a memorable score by Ennio Morricone, it won the 1967 BAFTA Award for Best Original Score. This film is a must-see for fans of the genre and cinema history alike.

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  • For a Few Dollars More
    2

    For a Few Dollars More

    Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Sergio Leone
    188 votes
    • Released: 1965
    • Directed by: Sergio Leone
    In the classic western For a Few Dollars More, bounty hunters Manco (Clint Eastwood) and Colonel Mortimer (Lee Van Cleef) cross paths in their relentless pursuit of the ruthless bandit El Indio (Gian Maria Volonté). Set amidst the rugged landscapes of the American frontier, this movie blends elements of action, drama, and suspense. Despite their contrasting methods and motivations, the two protagonists form an uneasy alliance, navigating an intricate web of deceit, betrayal, and violence. As tensions escalate and loyalties are tested, they find themselves locked in a deadly game with high stakes. The film stands as a testament to Director Sergio Leone's masterful storytelling and compelling character development.

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  • A Fistful of Dollars
    3

    A Fistful of Dollars

    Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonté, Aldo Sambrell
    180 votes
    • Released: 1964
    • Directed by: Sergio Leone
    A Fistful of Dollars, titled on-screen as Fistful of Dollars, is a 1964 spaghetti western film directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, alongside Gian Maria Volonté, Marianne Koch, Wolfgang Lukschy, Sieghardt Rupp, José Calvo, Antonio Prieto, and Joseph Egger. A Fistful of Dollars was filmed on a low budget, and Eastwood was paid $15,000 for his role. Released in Italy in 1964 and then in the United States in 1967, it initiated the popularity of the spaghetti western film genre. It was followed by For a Few Dollars More and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, also starring Eastwood. Collectively, the films are known as the "Dollars Trilogy", or "The Man With No Name Trilogy". The film has been identified as an unofficial remake of the Akira Kurosawa film Yojimbo, which resulted in a successful lawsuit by Toho. In the United States, the United Artists publicity campaign referred to Eastwood's character in all three films as the "Man with No Name". As few spaghetti westerns had yet been released in the United States, many of the European cast and crew took on American-sounding stage names. These included Leone himself, Gian Maria Volonté, and composer Ennio Morricone.

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  • Once Upon a Time in the West
    4

    Once Upon a Time in the West

    Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson
    191 votes
    • Released: 1969
    • Directed by: Sergio Leone
    In the sprawling epic Once Upon a Time in the West, Harmonica (Charles Bronson), a mysterious harmonica-playing gunman, faces off against cruel assassin Frank (Henry Fonda) amidst the dust and danger of the American frontier. As these two forces clash, Jill McBain (Claudia Cardinale), a newly widowed woman, finds herself caught in their deadly game. Directed by Sergio Leone, this iconic western won the David di Donatello for Best Director and is renowned for its stirring Ennio Morricone score and stunning cinematography that paints a vivid picture of life on the untamed frontier.
  • Django
    5

    Django

    Franco Nero, José Bódalo, José Canalejas
    113 votes
    • Released: 1966
    • Directed by: Sergio Corbucci
    Django is a 1966 Italian Spaghetti Western film directed by Sergio Corbucci and starring Franco Nero in the eponymous role. The film earned a reputation as being one of the most violent films ever made up to that point and was subsequently refused a certificate in the UK until 1993, when it was eventually issued an 18 certificate. The film was downgraded to a 15 certificate in 2004. Although the name is referenced in over thirty "sequels" from the time of the film's release until the early 1970s in an effort to capitalize on the success of the original, most of these films were unofficial, featuring neither Corbucci nor Nero. Nero did reprise his role as Django in 1987's Django 2: Il Grande Ritorno, in the only official sequel to be written by Corbucci. Nero also has a cameo role in Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film Django Unchained, a homage to the original classic.
  • My Name Is Nobody
    6

    My Name Is Nobody

    Henry Fonda, Terence Hill, Jean Martin
    107 votes
    • Released: 1973
    • Directed by: Tonino Valerii
    An anonymous gunfighter (Terence Hill) follows a retired outlaw (Henry Fonda) from Santa Fe to New Orleans for one last shootout.

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