10 Best Spaghetti Westerns You Must See Before You Die

1. Once Upon A Time In The West

Once Upon a Time In The West isn't just the greatest Spaghetti Western of all time, but the best Western well... pretty much ever, really.

Despite losing out on iconic status to Leone's previous directorial effort (the aforementioned Good, Bad, and Ugly), Once Upon a Time is undoubtedly the better movie, telling a tale that speaks more to the harsh realties of the Old West - of social injustice, corruption and violence - than it does its mythology.

The film itself is flawless, with Charles Bronson offering an immaculate performance as Harmonica, and Henry Fonda too - cast against type as the villain - offering an incredible portrayal of a sadistic accomplice to Frank Wolff's Rail Baron. It's just incredible, and the way in which Leone brings together personal struggle with broader, more historic themes of social injustice and exploitation - the track from which the West was made - is masterful. Beautiful, even, aided by an elegant Morricone score that again, stands out as being one of the best compositions to have ever been assembled in the medium.

Let that harmonica play.