Genre Films: Spaghetti Westerns Ranked and Reviewed
Submitted by grandpa_chum on Fri, 09/02/2005 - 05:34
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23. Above The Law
- Giorgio Stegani, 1968: Honestly, and surprisingly, after seeing 22 spaghetti westerns, this is the first and only one I would not watch at least a couple more times. I will at least skim through it once more to make sure. I am so in love with the genre they all have a way of creeping onto my good side eventually, but we'll see. For now, not so good. My first impression is a bunch of Italians trying to do an American style western with Lee Van Cleef as the anti-hero, which sort of misses the point.
22. Four Of The Apocalypse
- Lucio Fulci, 1975:
21. Texas, Adios
- Ferdinando Baldi, 1966:
20. ?Quien Sabe?
- Damiano Damiani, 1967:
19. A Reason To Live, A Reason To Die
- Tonino Valerii, 1972:
18. Run Man Run
- Sergio Sollima, 1968:
17. My Name Is Nobody
- Tonino Valerii(w/ Sergio Leone), 1973:
16. The Grand Duel
- Giancarlo Santi, 1972:... superb final shootout, amazing theme music, charismatic villains, perfect stunning flashbacks(another example of kennedy assassination themed murders in spaghetti's, yeah i know it's an unexpected source), the rest unfortunately is a little bland and hokey(even for a spaghetti)... but the good stuff more than makes up for the rest of it.
15. Day Of Anger
- Tonino Valerii, 1968:
14. The Big Gundown
- Sergio Sollima, 1966:
13. Django
- Sergio Corbucci, 1966: Great spaghetti western masterpiece from the 'other sergio', who is a true master of the genre. In fact, he's probably the only other consistently masterful spaghetti western director other than Leone(and I'm sure, the 'other other sergio', Sollima will make it 3 once I see more of his westerns). The idea spawned from when Corbucci saw a comic book where the main character lugged a coffin around. A year later Corbucci was shooting a comic-book style western about a character who carries a coffin around with a large machine gun in it(not really a spoiler since the 'unleashing the fury' scene happens like 20 minutes into the film). The mis-en-scene in the cemetary for the final shootout is spectacular, and a sort of trademark for Corbucci but for some reason the first time I saw it I didn't realize it. The man shot a graveyard like no one else can. The theme song is very catchy, and the music overall I would say is superb if it weren't for the annoying 'mexican revolution theme' song, which is very very annoying, but that might only be because I've heard it in at least 3 other spaghetti's by this time. But other than that this is a very well made spaghetti western, and with my preference over the genre that puts it pretty high up there. Like I said before, if you get the chance, the DVD is fairly cheap and worth it simply for the 10 minute short film made in 2002, L'ultimo pistolero, so I can reccomend it no risk, because otherwise it would be a hard sell, because as universally well-thought of the real sergio(leone) is, Corbucci and Django specifically is a lot like an acquired taste. But I still maintain that Corbucci is the best action sequence director of all time. Oh yeah, no matter what if you ever watch this film, make sure it's the Italian dub with english subtitles, the english dub has sucky dialogue, so much so it causes plot problems, and some weirdo's voice substitutes for Nero's.
12. Death Rides A Horse
- Giulio Petroni, 1968: Coming Soon
11. Mannaja: A Man Called Blade
- Sergio Martino, 1977: This film is as well directed as Keoma, and has basically the same style. The film is just as surreal and the flashbacks are fantastic, the only thing this film doesn't have that Keoma does, is Franco Nero and Woody Strode, if it weren't for the downgrade in acting and the slightly less interesting, less focused plot, this would be right up there with Keoma. The biggest gripe I have with this wonderful film is that the plot is pretty touch and go, you never really know whats going on and the characters seem to just be reacting in the moment, no one has any real goals that follow from beginning to end, they just interact. Which normally wouldn't be a problem, but in a spaghetti western where a stranger with a past comes into town, you expect some sort of end to justify the means, and you get it, just not as focused and straight forward as you would expect. On the other hand this film perfectly illustrates the sadistic nihilism the genre has come to be famous for. Main characters die without notice or second thought, in fact a few times you have to think 'oh my god, was that the main baddy that other bad guy just shot in the head?'. In these films, and especially this one, even the important characters die without much notice and in the most un-hollywood way possibly, there are no speeches, no crying, it just happens and you barely notice it, and when you do notice it, it's only because they injected the death with style and slow motion and maybe a gimmick, which in my mind, is the best way to do important deaths... there are no death beds or parades here.
10. Companeros
- Sergio Corbucci, 1970: It's incredibly hard to say anything bad about this film. It's also hard to say anything good about this film and still sound slightly intelligent. Basically what makes this film great is Corbucci, with direction that is so sporadic and brilliant at the same time it is hard to articulate. He has filmed 3 of the best action sequences ever shot ,or scored for that matter, and he has put them all in the same movie. The long river chase being the least of the three is absolutely brilliantly cut and scored by morricone, it quickly goes back and forth from men keeling over almost in synchronicity to Nero and his reoccuring early 1900's machine gun rampage. From their the chase scene goes into chase mode and is some of the best horse chasing, score pounding integration I've ever seen. The second, and best of the great action sequences(maybe the best of all time) is when the duo saves professor xantos from the firing squad. Again we get fast gunfire, intercut sporadically with men keeling over, this time it's almost balletic. Men go down in sequence, at the same time, thrown over their toppling horses, all perfectly set to music that accentuates such rhythmic action. Each man goes down differently, and each man going down sets up and at the same time compliments the next. It really is magnificent, and anyone who can appreciate a good action sequence will undoubtedly be in awe for several minutes, I find myself watching it over and over again each time I sit down to view the movie. The third is your standard 'trio taking down 30 men to get to the head honcho', but again it's done with such style and grace, and this time much more chaotically, that you almost forget these men are dying and not dancing, yet at the same time it feels like you are in the middle of something as chaotic as a war. To be able to capture both of those feelings into an action sequence is pure brilliance, and Corbucci, in that regard is ridiculously underappreciated.
9. For A Few Dollars More
- Sergio Leone, 1965:
8. The Great Silence
- Sergio Corbucci, 1968: This film has one of the best spaghetti western stories out there. Essentially it puts bad guy up against bad guy. The trick is that throughout the movie you get the idea that one is the hero and the other the villain, but by the end you begin to realize they are both equally as bad. The only real difference between the characters is that one of them sidesteps the law using his amazing talent, and the other does so by manipulating men with prices on their heads. It's a story of a man, who's vocal cords were cut as a kid. He's a mute who kills people for a price, but he is so fast on the draw he never shoots until his opponent draws first, therefore he is never arrested claiming self-defense. This is the man we are to believe is the hero of the story. The other man is his arch enemy, a ruthless bounty killer who lures his victims out with promises of being brought in alive, and then gunning them down upon surrender. This is the villain, and the only real discretion between who we percieve as the hero and who we see as the villain is that one falls in love and works for a widow as a hired killer, and the other is a nihilistic killer who works for the local land baron. Throw in a band of mormon folk living run out of town and one of the best and most tragic endings of all time, although when you think about it it's not that tragic. However, no matter who you percieve as right or wrong, it still stands as probably the least 'happy' ending I've ever seen anyway.
7. Fistful Of Dollars
- Sergio Leone, 1964: The grandaddy of all spaghetti westerns, and one of the best, Leone took the average yojimbo and made a masterpiece. Not exactly one of Clint's best performances, but he's not bad, he just gets a whole lot better as the dollar trilogy moves on. The thing is he doesn't have to be all that great for this movie, it all just works and he still plays the man with no name better than anyone(besides himself 3-5 years down the road). This movie has to be best example of how a movie can be ALL direction and nothing else, everything else is pretty standard, but leone really makes it all work on the highest of scales. And it's gotta be the best looking 200,000 dollar movie ever made... and has to share the title of best low-budget film with duel.
6. L'Ultimo Pistolero
- Alessandro Dominici, 2002: I watched this spaghetti western short film(10 minutes) starring Franco Nero about 6 or 7 times the other day, it's just as entertaining back to back a bunch of times as most feature lenght spaghetti westerns. Just about every shot in this film is mesmerizing, specially for a spaghetti western fan, and the idea is perfect for a short film. The film came on a mini-disc accompanying blue undergrounds Django dvd and I have to say, although personally I do love Django, if it were the worst movie of all time the purchase would be worth it for this short film alone. If this Dominici guy, who has done nothing else that registers on IMDB, never directs anything again I will be very dissapointed, and if he made a full length spaghetti western I'd be first in line to see it, even if I had to travel all the way to Italy.
5. Once Upon A Time... The Revolution
- Sergio Leone, 1971: The least known of Leone's masterpieces. Probably because Leone was only supposed to produce it and Peter Bogdanovich was supposed to direct it, that came to a halt when Bogdanovich realized that when leone produced a film he was all but credited as director. Eventually when Peter quit, the two stars insisted that Leone Direct it. Speaking of stars, this is by far James Coburns best and most involved performance, not to mention he is one of my favorite actors, although underused. Stieger is okay but nothing special, even annoying at times, but that doesn't ruin this wonderful movie. A very underrated, always great, Morricone score, at top form blaring during the best flashback sequences in movie history... the flashback is perfected as only Leone can do, if you get lucky enough to see a full version of this movie that is(should have a special edition dvd soon, it's in the works). A very fun, somewhat political, and moving film about a poor bandit stuck in the middle of the mexican revolution and an IRA fugitive there to help out, they meet, realize they need each other and the rest is history. Quite a grand glorious ending, for two grand glorious heros of the revolution... you wanna see top notch war battle scenes and some great morricone scoring... here it is at it's best... Probably the most underrated film of all time... but then again it is the only leone movie not to get a respectable US release, and it's the only leone movie not to be realized as a masterpiece... you do the math.
4. Keoma
- Enzo Castellari, 1976: This movie is the perfect place for Franco Nero, possibly my favorite actor and definitly my favorite action star, which is saying a lot. He plays a bastard indian with three brothers who not-so-lovingly refer to him as 'half breed'. This sounds somewhat conventional for an obscure spaghetti western, but in this case, the term obscure spaghetti western is an understatement. This film is to 60's spaghetti westerns what the 60's spaghetti western was to the 50's american western, yes it's that odd, obscure, daring, and fantastic. Keoma even makes Django look like The Searchers. Keoma, the film, is what happens when you put old school spaghetti style to the hilt and mix it with stylized slow-motion deaths that make those of the Peckinpah variety look conventional. The stylized slow motion deaths are a mixture of the Peckinpah intercutting style and the Leone/spaghetti style, defying gravity, fly ten feet backwards after being gunned down deaths, and let me tell you with all honesty that it makes me smile everytime I see it, which in the case of Keoma is a few dozen times and they get better every time it occurs. Beyond the slow motion deaths, this is possibly the most elaborately shot film of all time, there are about 10 shots that pan more than 180 degrees and every third shot in the movie is has at least 3 layers to it, all of which are addressed in new and unique ways, although still uniform enough to be easily associated with the spaghetti western genre, like I said before this is an old school spaghetti western taken to the next level and beyond. For Example, possibly my favorite shot in the whole film is when Keoma shoots two men behind his back without looking, turns around and wills another man to throw down his pistol just by looking at him, simultaneously putting his pistol back in the holster, as Keoma turns back around towards the bar another man picks up a rifle, but Keoma simply tells him to unload it, and scared shit-less that he'll be gunned down without Keoma even turning around, he unloads the rifle. Keoma then walks towards two of his other challengers, takes one man down with a series of punches to the head and torso, the second he goes down another man comes at him from the right, but Keoma simply turns and points his finger at the man as a mother would at a son with a hand in the cookie jar, stopping him dead in his tracks with his stare, as if to say 'don't even think about it, friend'. The only legitimate complaint about this film in my eyes is most absolutely despise the music, which I happen to love, and I feel like a traitor for saying this because it's one of those lyrics narrate the action sort of deals, with singers belting out 'I wanna die' and 'standing with pa' and 'he was a friend', but for some reason, for me anyway, it works.
3. Navajo Joe
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- Sergio Corbucci, 1966: I made a big mistake for a long time. I believed all the horribly negative reviews of this film(even from some spaghetti western lovers) and took it as educated analysis of a horrible film. I even lent no discredit to Burt Reynolds for thinking this film was a joke of a movie. After having seen it, I can safely say to anyone who loves spaghetti westerns, this is all anti-spaghetti bullshit. This is a great spaghetti, one of the best. Definitely(although it's a very tough and close choice) Corbucci's finest and as it stands now my favorite non-leone spaghetti western. All the things people complain about when reviewing this film are things that ALL spaghetti westerns exagerate, but they make it sound like this one is especially illogical; well, it isn't. They say 'why would the villain only send three men out after people with very important information?' Well, because the very important information is being carried by an old man and 3 dancers. 'Why would the villain only assign one man to guard Navajo Joe?' Well, because the town is weaponless, all communication to the outside world is cut off, and no one outside of the town even knows there is a problem. 'Why does the villain get Joe to buckle under the pressure of killing a young indian woman but then decide to try and beat information out of him?' Well, because threatning someone's life for a surrender and having to actually kill an important persuasive tool to get information are two very different things. Plus, I doubt if they didn't at least try that first anyway. Basically every complaint that is made about this film by spaghetti-haters is something that lingers among nearly all great spaghetti westerns. The point is it's belivable enough and it makes for one hell of a movie. You think Corbucci is a mad man in his other films, he really goes off the deep end with this one and I love it. Numerous scalpings, skulls on sticks, bloody scalps blowing in the wind, a town that only cares about saving the money, an indian out for revenge helps them anyway and they still only care about the money, and last but not least . The music is maybe the best film score I've ever heard and put to great use, near perfection. The last thing I will comment on is a criticism I've read in a few reviews about how this film is horribly inaccurate for another reason. More than three times reviewers basically said that this movie should be thrown into the chasm of hell because Navajo's weren't a war-like or violent people and for that reason the whole movie is a sham. I would have to ask these people if they even watched the film(my educated guess is that they didn't) because it's very clear that the villain started out killing nuisance war-like tribes and that his more recent massacres were of peaceful native americans. Just because Joe can handle a gun and kill like nobody's business doesn't mean the movie is implying the Navajo's were war-like, in fact it makes damn sure that isn't the case. In the first thirty seconds of the movie Joe's woman smiles invitingly at the gang of white men that approach her, just before they scalp her. How can this be taken as a John Ford-like depiction of wild ferocious Indian killers? It makes no sense.Spoiler: Highlight to viewNavajo Joe's Horse rides off into the sunset with Joe dead back in the mountains while the townfolk rejoice because 'the money is all that matters'. If that isn't a sadder, more anti-hollywood ending than the end of The Great Silence I don't know what is
2. The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
- Sergio Leone, 1966: The best of the dollars trilogy, and i know this doesn't mean much because I think they are all great, but up there with leone's best, just not quite the masterpieces that West and America are. Obviously the best known of his movies, it's simply amazing the feel he gave to this movie, atmosphere is probably the thing Leone does best and it's amazing the different atmospheres he can put out with each movie, they are all so different. Basically it's a three-way cutthroat race for the gold, Eastwood is amazing, the gunfights are top notch and often, some of my favorite war sequences... the civil war that is. And again, of course a bridge gets blown up, that would make 3 of leone's 6 movies where this happens. The last half hour will amaze you, whether you like the movie or not, whether you like westerns or not, whether you like showdowns or not, it truly is a triumph of filmmaking. The music in the last half hour is also quite amazing and fits perfectly... probably because they made the music before they shot the showdown. Another Morricone Gem that far exceeds the popular theme song, which isn't all that good compared to the rest of the score.
1. Once Upon A Time In The West
- Sergio Leone, 1968: Leone's final sendup to his favorite genre... The western... filled with references to his favorites, such as High Noon, Shane, The Searchers, 3:10 To Yuma, The Iron Horse, and The Magnificent Seven. Outside of bit parts in How The West Was Won, OUATIW has probably the best cast a western has ever seen. Bronson and Fonda at their best, Robards as the romantic bandit, the beautiful, but dubbed over, Claudia Cardinale, the amazing but little known outside of Europe Gabriele Ferzetti, and small parts from some of the best in the biz including Keenan Wynn, Jack Elam, Woody Strode, and Lionel Stander. The title really is fitting, it may be a western but it doesn't have your run-of-the-mill bad guys vs. good guys plot. This movie has one of the greatest, fullest, widespreading stories in all of western history. The train baron, the man who does the dirty work, the stranger with unfinished business, the woman left all alone, the framed bandit who smells money, the dream, the railroad, it's all here and you'll have to see the movie to really appreciate it. On top of all this it has one of the greatest scores one of the greatest film composers, Ennio Morricone, ever composed. Each character has their own theme and as they interact their themes meld together untill the climax, when all we have is the finale. If you want a lesson on film to film score interaction, this is it as far as i'm concerned, perfection. Not to mention they had the score done before they shot the movie... Among all this is one of the most beautifully shot films, full of wide landscapes and big rugged faces, all choreographed perfectly together shot after shot. Many say this movie is too long and too slow and at one time I may have agreed with them, but since I've grown more and more in love with the deliberate pace and the slow delicate dance of death everytime I watch, and by now, I wouldn't want it one second shorter. The first two hours is like a very very slow drawn out version of the final showdown, and then the greatest shootout in history caps it all off with a slow 'death rattle'(as one of the theme songs is called).
Author Comments:
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16. THE GRAND DUEL
Thanks for this list! So far I've picked up the Dollars Trilogy and the Once Upon a Time in Italy box set.
so how do you like 'em? I'm guessing by the thanks that you're at least enjoying them.
I've watched all three of the dollars movies - great! The 'Once Upon a Time in Italy' box just arrived this week, so of those I've only watched Keoma. It definitely lives up to your review.
Yep. This is going to be an expensive list.
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, Fistful of $, and For a Few $ More are my favorites. I must have watched them over 30 times. I have watched some other Spaghetti Westerns but wasn't impressed until the other day I watched Death Rides a Horse and I loved it, so I went on the internet and found your list. So I ordered your #1 choice: Once Upon a time in the west. I can't see how it could beat out GBU, one of my all time favorite movies.
Thanks for the list.
BillyBob
There are great Spaghetti Westerns without Clint Eastwood.
You know I thought the exact same thing before I discovered Once Upon A Time In The West... GBU was the holy grail and I thought that was it, then I realized leone topped himself... it really is that good. as much as i love eastwood an van cleef, bronson and fonda really are amazing.