1968 Classic 'Once Upon a Time in the West' Ranked 'Best Western Movie of All Time'

The Western genre has been through countless evolutions over the decades, whether it's the classic American Westerns from filmmakers such as John Ford and Howard Hawks, modern twists on the Western like No Country for Old Men and Hell or High Water, or the critically acclaimed "Spaghetti Westerns" that dominated cinema throughout the '60s and '70s.

These Italian productions were often filmed in Europe and became massive hits in the United States, contrasting the overtly sentimental vision of the American West that had previously been depicted in Hollywood productions.

Among these Italian Westerns, there was one visionary filmmaker who quickly developed somewhat of a monopoly over the genre. Sergio Leone found international acclaim with his Dollars trilogy, which began with A Fistful of Dollars in 1964 and culminated with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly in 1966.

Leone quickly became the leading voice in the Spaghetti Western movement, developing a huge following across the globe and widely receiving credit for the complete transformation of the Western genre that took place in the '60s.

While the Dollars trilogy was enormously successful, it's a different movie in Leone's filmography that stands proud at the No. 1 spot on IMDb's list of the 100 Greatest Western Movies of All Time.

Following the success of the Dollars trilogy, Paramount Pictures came to Leone with an offer to provide him with an extensive budget (and lead star Henry Fonda) if he made another Western for the studio. Despite wanting to retire from the genre, Leone agreed-and the product became Once Upon a Time in the West.

The story follows a railroad tycoon who hires a dangerous outlaw to kill a man who owns land upon which he wants to build; when the man's widow inherits his property, another outlaw vows to protect her with his life.

Alongside Fonda, Once Upon a Time in the West also stars Claudia Cardinale, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, and Gabriele Ferzetti. Bronson's part was originally offered to Clint Eastwood, who had appeared in Leone's Dollars trilogy, but he ultimately passed on the role.

Despite the strong reviews and immense popularity that it gathered in the decades to come, Once Upon a Time was initially a huge box office disappointment in the United States. The version that had been released in Europe-which totalled 165 minutes in length-was a financial success, but the U.S. release was cut down severely by Paramount and failed to reach a large audience.

Thankfully, the original cut of Once Upon a Time in the West has endured throughout the decades and is now considered one of Leone's best films, and perhaps the most important Western movie ever made. It spawned two unofficial sequels: Duck, You Sucker! and Once Upon a Time in America, which switched genres entirely into a crime epic starring Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 7:27 AM.