When one thinks of the Old West in cinema, it's not unusual to picture a sharp-eyed Clint Eastwood staring daggers through the screen. The spaghetti Western created icons and revitalized a beloved genre. But just like the Wild West itself, it didn't last as long as some may have wanted.

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Directors Sergio Leone and Sergio Corbucci, music man Ennio Morricone, and screen star Lee Van Cleef are all to thank for the finest Westerns ever made. The European depictions of the American West are now held as highly than the John-Wayne-starring cowboy flicks of the '50s, '60s, and beyond.

10 The Mercenary Assembles Some Of The Western's Greatest Talents

the mercenary

The Mercenary has a stacked cowboy cast featuring Franco Nero, Jack Palance, and Tony Musante. It's clear to see why many hold Sergio Corbucci's 1968 spaghetti Western so dearly. The Mercenary had one of the subgenre's greatest minds behind the camera. It also, perhaps unsurprisingly, boasted the iconic sounds of Ennio Morricone.

All the shocking violence and guns-blazing greatness that fans expect from the genre is present in The Mercenary. This effort from Corbucci includes more upbeat moments than many of its counterparts.

9 Companeros Is A Hard-Hitting Cowboy Comedy

companeros

In 1970, Sergio Corbucci followed up The Mercenary with the cowboy buddy action-comedy Companeros. Companeros shed some of the doom and gloom spaghetti Westerns were known for without sacrificing any of the style. Corbucci crafted a hugely entertaining addition to his cowboy catalog.

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The Italian director once again teamed up with Ennio Morricone, Franco Nero, and Jack Palance. This time, Corbucci added genre great Tomas Milian to his gang. The gold rush of the '60s may have been over when Companeros hit screens, but this film is proof that the subgenre was alive and kicking.

8 Death Rides A Horse Features The Best Of Genre Great Lee Van Cleef

death rides a horse lee van cleef

Giulio Petroni's Death Rides A Horse doesn't trot outside any boundaries set by the spaghetti Western genre. Death Rides A Horse perfectly encapsulates everything that makes the genre so great. This is largely thanks to the presence of Lee Van Cleef and Ennio Morricone's typically fantastic score.

Aside from those elements, Death Rides A Horse is a powerful story about revenge with some emotionally rich shootout scenes to boot. Death Rides A Horse is underrated - thanks to competition from the Eastwood-starring epics of the time. Death Rides A Horse is an awesome outlaw adventure worthy of standing alongside the famous Western pictures.

7 For A Few Dollars More Is The Middle Piece In The West's Greatest Trilogy

Clint Eastwood in For a Few Dollars.

Sergio Leone's terrific trilogy of spaghetti Westerns came to define the subgenre itself. The trilogy also launched the career of one of cinema's most legendary figures, Clint Eastwood. For A Few Dollars More is the second installment in the legendary gunslinging Dollars trilogy.

Subgenre stalwarts Lee Van Cleef and Klaus Kinski star alongside the Oscar-winning actor and director. Because of the exceptional quality of Leone's trilogy, For A Few Dollars More comes last in adoration and acclaim. This is still one of the very best spaghetti Westerns ever made.

6 Keoma Was One Last Ride For The Spaghetti Western

keoma

It appeared that the spaghetti Western was dying a slow death. With that in mind, director Enzo G. Castellari injected the fading subgenre with a jolt of adrenaline. This came in the form of his Franco Nero-starring Western, Keoma.

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Now regarded as one of the finest Westerns ever made, Keoma made use of newer film techniques available. Keoma stayed true to the grueling gunplay that fans knew and loved. Keoma was one of the last of its kind. Keoma's undeniable quality ensured that the Western rode off into the sunset with its legacy intact.

5 Django Is Iconic, Influential, And Insanely Good Fun

django 1966 franco nero

Long before Quentin Tarantino was wowing audiences with his ultra-violent revenge tale Django Unchained, Franco Nero was breaking out as a star in Sergio Corbucci's Django. The success and popularity of the 1966 original led to an incredible number of unofficial sequels. Django, of course, inspired Tarantino's 2012 movie.

In 1987, Nero reprised his role in the only official sequel, Django Strikes Again. Nothing quite compares to Corbucci's cowboy classic. Nero's performance in Django stands as one of the best the genre has ever been blessed withDjango is a rough-and-tumble ride through the West. Django is far more uplifting than one might expect from the genre.

4 A Fistful Of Dollars Kickstarted The Career Of A True Hollywood Legend

Clint Eastwood in A Fistful of Dollars

Even after nearly 70 years in Hollywood, Clint Eastwood's most iconic role remains his cigarillo-smoking shooter from Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy. The Man With No Name is one of cinema's greatest characters. A single viewing of his first outing in A Fistful Of Dollars is more than enough to answer any questions surrounding why.

A Fistful Of Dollars catapulted the cowboy to superstardom and ushered in the era of the spaghetti Western. Sergio Leone's first Dollars movie hugely significant in cinema. A Fistful is also a truly fantastic movie.

3 The Great Silence Is An Unforgettable Adventure

the great silence

The Great Silence, in Corbucci's Mud And Blood trilogy, is regarded by fans and critics to be the greatest spaghetti Western not directed by Sergio Leone. The Great Silence is both bleak and beautiful. The 1968 picture manages to subvert expectations associated with the gunslinging genre.

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The Great Silence did so to great effect - despite featuring many classic cowboy elements. The Great Silence includes score from the incomparable Ennio Morricone. A jaw-dropping ending ensures that The Great Silence is not easily forgotten. The Great Silence has only a few competitors when it comes to the greatest spaghetti Western.

2 Once Upon A Time In The West Is Another Sergio Leone Masterpiece

Once Upon A Time In The West image of cast

After finishing his Dollars Trilogy, Sergio Leone opted to retire from the Western genre. Paramount Pictures then made Leone an offer he couldn't refuse - the budget for another Wild West adventure, and the talents of Henry Fonda.

The result would become one of Leone's greatest pictures. Once Upon A Time In The West is now held as one of the all-time great cowboy classics. It helped turned Charles Bronson into the biggest movie star on the planet. After watching Once Upon A Time In The West, fans will likely never hear the sounds of a harmonica in the same way again.

1 The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Is The Greatest Gunslinger Ever Made

Clint Eastwood The Good, The Bad And The Ugly.

The final installment in the subgenre's greatest trilogy is regarded as one of the finest movies ever made. The spaghetti Western is largely defined by a single film, and that one movie is The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. Clint Eastwood stars as "the Good," Lee Van Cleef as "the Bad," and Eli Wallach as "the Ugly."

The three Western wonders combined their talents with Sergio Leone's unmistakable skill as a director. With this mix, they crafted a tense, stylish, and unforgettable gunslinging great. Ennio Morricone's instantly recognizable score is the icing on the cowboy cake. For many film fans, there is simply no better cinematic experience when it comes to the Wild West.

NEXT: 1883: 10 Ways It's The Best TV Western Since Deadwood