What's the best Classic Western?

Alright folks, let's settle this once and for all—which Classic Western reigns supreme? Let's kick off this "conflict" just like the standoff in this picture 😁:



First, a quick disclaimer here: I've set it up so you can pick multiple options, but I’m asking you to limit yourselves to two votes—maybe three IF YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST.

For me, there isn't even a debate—even though I genuinely love every single film I included in this voting list—my top pick for the best Classic Western is:

1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

And coming in at number two:

2. Once Upon a Time in the West

So, those are my two picks. We can, of course, get into the weeds and discuss our choices—why they matter, how they stack up, etc. Cast your votes and let's find out WHO HAS THE FASTEST HAND IN THE WEST. 🙂

Additionally, I’m leaving you with the one thing you simply cannot ignore when discussing these films: the legendary Ennio Morricone. His entire body of work—something I could personally listen to for as long as I live 🙂:

Ennio Morricone - The Very Best of Ennio Morricone (2000)



P.S.: Please, look—these are truly elite titles. These twenty films actually deserve to be part of this poll. If you think there's a title here that you absolutely would NOT vote for, but you feel the need to mention it anyway just because it crossed your mind, don't bother. If we go down that road, I'll have to close the thread, and then what was the point? I believe these represent the absolute pinnacle of the genre, so please, just vote and try to see where I'm coming from. Cheers.

Just tell me where you found that movie list? I'm asking for a reason. If you claim to love Classic Westerns and have actually seen them, how could you possibly overlook Keoma http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074740/

After Leone's films, these are the best. Cult status, Nero. It's strange to me—it isn't just some random Classic Western, it’s legitimately ranked right alongside Leone's work, whether people liked it or not.

bluenomad2 said:Just tell me—where on earth did you find this film list? I’m asking for a specific reason. If you claim to be such a massive fan of the Classic Western genre and have actually watched them, how could you possibly overlook http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074740/
?
Following the works of Leone, those are the absolute best Classic Westerns. It has cult status—Nero. Honestly, it feels a bit strange to me; it isn't just some random flick, it's widely considered one of the top tier entries right alongside Leone's own work, regardless of whether people personally enjoy it or not.

The list comes from one of my favorite directors, Quentin Tarantino—after looking closely at which films he included, I wasn't even remotely surprised that I ABSOLUTELY agree with him (though I do disagree with his specific ranking, we both agree that The Good, the Bad and the Ugly takes the top spot).

Now, Tarantino claims these are the best Classic Westerns. Obviously, he isn't Zeus sitting on Olympus deciding what's good, but look—be honest: if you were voting, would you cast your two votes for any other movie besides the ones on this list?

You might try to argue, "but that's not the point"; why wouldn't it be? The idea is that we should be looking at movies that we know wouldn't get a single vote and have zero chance of cracking the top five of these twenty. ☕ Why not just play fair and vote accordingly? 🙂

I’d go with Keoma and Once Upon a Time in the West.

The point is, Keoma is the most acclaimed Classic Western after the Leone films. That's the reality. Whether people actually like it or not doesn't matter; by status, it sits right there, so it had to be on the list. By your logic, you might as well just list Leone’s movies. It’s like starting a thread about the greatest films ever and only picking the ones Quentin Tarantino mentioned. Just look at my top picks 🤣

And a jebote Tarantino 😁 at least there are plenty of niche forums dedicated to Classic Westerns where people debate them because they’re cult classics. In other words, you don't really know the genre. If you did, you'd definitely know Keoma, I'm sure of it. 😛

bluenomad2 said:I’d go with Keoma and Once Upon a Time in America.

But the point stands—Keoma is arguably the most critically acclaimed film in the genre following the Leone era. That’s the crux of it. It doesn't matter if you personally enjoyed it or not; by sheer status, Keoma sits right there at the top tier, which makes its inclusion on any serious list mandatory. By your logic, you might as well have just listed nothing but Leone films.

And for God's sake, 😁Tarantino—look, there are countless specialized forums dedicated to these classics where people debate them because they are cult hits and people actually care. In other words, you don't really know the genre, because if you did, I am certain you would know about Keoma. 😛

As for "not knowing" Keoma—give me a break. Of course I know it; I was watching it as a kid, especially with Charles Bronson headlining.

I’ve been browsing lists of other classic Westerns lately because, frankly, you start to lose track of all the titles as the years pass. But after weighing everything up, I decided to stick with this Tarantino list. I've seen every movie on it (including Keoma), plus several others that didn't make the cut. To be honest, I feel a bit bad that you can't vote for Keoma, though even if you could, it probably wouldn't get very far anyway. And I know your pick for the best is Once Upon a Time in America. 🙂

Besides, my gut feeling is that if this thread actually gains some traction, the real battle is going to be fought between Once Upon a Time in America and Once Upon a Time in the West and good, bad, ugly (maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt it). 🙂

P.S. As for my obsession with Tarantino—that's my business. 😁 I simply stumbled upon his list, which sparked the idea for this whole thread, and boom... I thought, well, I agree with everything he put down except for the ranking. Look, if it’s really that terrible, then @Deckard can just shut the thread down; what else can I say?

Give me a break, why would you get worked up over Keoma? I just noticed it wasn't there, so I mentioned it and gave you a little grief. 😛

Voted ☕

bluenomad2 said:Come on, it’s not like you’re going to get arrested over Keoma. I just noticed it was missing, so I called you out on it—just a little friendly ribbing.😛

Voted ☕

Look, my bad regarding Keoma. Seriously, man, I watch that movie—of course I do. I grew up on Classic Westerns and I absolutely love them. I just thought this list hit my specific taste, which is why I wanted us to kick off the voting for the best Classic Western on the forum.

Cheers, 🙂

P.S. So, I see now that I voted for everyone on the list except A Fistful of Dollars and Django? Haha, fair enough.

It’s not such a massive film that it hits me personally, even if I brought it up—you're just the one who started this whole Spaghetti Western thread.

What’s your favorite showdown? Other than the final one from Once Upon a Time in the West and good, bad, ugly.

P.S. Just to spice things up 🤣 everyone gets a vote now 😁

bluenomad2 said:It’s not really a film that hits me that hard—even though I brought it up—it was just because you opened this thread about Classic Westerns.

What’s your favorite showdown? Aside from the finale of Once Upon a Time in the West and good, bad, ugly.

Besides the ending of Once Upon a Time in the West and good, bad, ugly, I absolutely love the confrontation in Once Upon a Time in the West—everything about that scene is just flawless. You have Bronson standing there alone, three men waiting for him, and then comes one of the best pieces of dialogue in cinematic history:

"Did you bring a horse for me?"

"Looks like we're one horse short."

"Then you brought two too many."

HOLY SH*T... 🙂 And then there's that entire atmosphere—you know everything that's coming, there's no need for more talk... That would definitely be my top pick alongside the climax of Once Upon a Time in the West and good, bad, ugly, even if it's technically more of an opening than a final showdown that resolves the plot.

I love that scene (and the movie itself) so much that I actually put together a video tribute; I added this music myself after the dialogue I mentioned—maybe I hit the mark, maybe not, but I don't think Sergio Leone would hold it against me 😁, so check it out and see if it works: HD ] Once Upon a Time in the West - Tribute

Excellent 👍

The soundtrack is great—really high energy. I think even Leone would be proud that this is being labeled the "worst" video, because if he saw people celebrating him and making video tributes like this today, he’d be speechless. Unless, of course, he hates being idealized, but then you're on your own for becoming such a famous director. He should have known this would happen.

bluenomad2 said:Excellent 👍

The musical score is fantastic—really high energy. I honestly think Leone would be proud, even if this happens to be the worst video ever made; seeing people celebrate his work today by putting together video tributes like this would probably leave him speechless. Unless, of course, he’s against being idealized—but then again, you can't really complain when you become a legendary director. He had to have known this would happen eventually.

Thanks 👍

It's great that there's no music following the dialogue (keeping it true to the original), but I just couldn't resist adding that track in myself. 🙂

Once Upon a Time in America features so many iconic scenes without needing a single line of dialogue. 🙏
From that shootout on the train and the legendary opening with the fly—plus that "you brought two too many" line—to the stunning cinematography. And don't even get me started on Morricone; he’s in a league of his own. Then you've got the legendary Henry Fonda playing the villain, who happens to be one of my favorite actors. It's absolute perfection. Anyway, here is what Fonda says.



😁

Once Upon a Time in America was an easy ☕ pick for me. I only cast a single vote because while most of the films on this list are absolute classics, this one just has everything it needs to be special. That's why I'm going with it.

That heavy silence—the whole movie just reeks of raw nihilism and the scent of blood on snow🍿
Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America is definitely the one!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN3-uOjK4TY🙏
Man to man, it's got that same kind of weight.
Faccia a faccia didn't make the cut though🤔

To sounds like I actually know more about the soundtracks for these movies than I do about the films themselves 🙂
At this point, I’d bet that Morricone composed the music for at least 12 out of these 20 films.
Personally, if I had to pick my absolute favorites, it would have to be Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in the West and good, bad, ugly

If I had realized this list was curated by Tarantino, I wouldn't have bothered casting my vote...
What was actually so difficult about typing out the titles of the movies you've watched (you, not Tarantino)?

Personally, I’d toss Leone off the list entirely. It’s a total given he’ll pull the most votes—mostly because people who only ever watched his stuff think everyone else is "trash."

Morgan Brown4 said:Personally, I’d probably drop Leone from the list entirely. It’s almost a given he’ll pull the most votes, mostly because of his massive fanbase—plus, you always have those folks who’ve only ever seen his stuff and don't know anything else, or people who just dismiss the rest of the genre as total garbage.

Well, if you’re calling it trash, then it’s probably trash, so I think I'll skip it altogether.

Quentin Tarantino really nailed the direction on these films, and he even put together an alternative watchlist... do a little digging online, it’s actually pretty fascinating...

The posters for those Classic Westerns and the cover art from the later DVD and VHS reissues are genuine works of art.

Leone was a true master and belongs in the absolute upper echelon of cinema overall, but those smaller Classic Westerns give the genre so much character and serve as such great entry points for more ambitious cinephiles.