Top 10 Best Spaghetti Westerns

If you only watch one spaghetti western, make it The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo). Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach play three rival gunslingers hunting a hidden treasure during the American Civil War. With an iconic Morricone score, epic shots and a climax that made film history, it's the definitive spaghetti western.

Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in the West is slower, grander and more emotionally epic than his earlier films. With a chillingly calm Charles Bronson, a sadistic Henry Fonda and a tragic Claudia Cardinale, it's visually breathtaking and perfectly structured. Its opening scene may be the best in film history.

The second film in Leone's Dollars Trilogy brings Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef together as bounty hunters with their own methods of tracking a violent outlaw. With one of Morricone's best scores, intense shootouts and great chemistry between the leads, it's top-tier spaghetti western.

Franco Nero's Django is the grimy little brother of Leone's westerns, with a dark, violent atmosphere and an iconic hero dragging a coffin containing a machine gun. It inspired countless knock-offs and a modern tribute from Quentin Tarantino. The opening scene of Django trudging through the mud with his mysterious coffin is pure cult cinema.

The film that started it all. A Fistful of Dollars (Per un pugno di dollari) is an unofficial remake of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, but Leone gave it a rougher, harder edge. Clint Eastwood plays the Man With No Name, who plays two rival gangs against each other in a small town. With dry cynicism, epic gunfights and that iconic Morricone score, it put the genre on the map.

Lee Van Cleef shines as a ruthless bounty hunter chasing a Mexican outlaw, only to discover the truth is more complex than he thought. With a fantastic Morricone soundtrack, great cinematography and a strong social undercurrent, it's an absolute must-see.

Director Sergio Corbucci (the man behind Django) made a lighter but spectacular western with Compañeros. Franco Nero and Tomas Milian play two rival gunslingers forced to work together during the Mexican Revolution. With fast action, humor and a brilliant Jack Palance as the deranged villain, it's one of the most entertaining spaghetti westerns ever.

John Phillip Law plays a young man seeking revenge on the gang that murdered his family, getting unexpected help from a seasoned gunslinger (Lee Van Cleef). Packed with intense duels, great visual compositions and a fantastic Morricone score, it's a genre highlight for fans of revenge stories.

Lee Van Cleef is Sabata, a mysterious gunslinger with deadly precision who takes on a corrupt town with unique weapons and clever tricks. With eccentric villains, odd gadgets and an almost comic-book style, it's a wonderfully pulpy spaghetti western that earned cult status thanks to Van Cleef's charisma.

When the genre was almost dead, Keoma delivered one last brilliant blow. Franco Nero plays a half-Native American outlaw who returns to his hometown to find it ruled by corrupt mercenaries. With experimental camerawork, raw acting and a unique soundtrack, it's a poetic, melancholic western that symbolizes the end of the genre.