Written by During the height of the sub-genre, there were a ton of great spaghetti westerns cranked out in Italy and Spain. While you’re likely to have heard of the classics made by men like Sergio Leone, there remain many films that are relatively unknown to American viewers. If you’re interested in learning more about the films that inspired men such as Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, give a few of these a try.
Lesser Known Spaghetti Western to Watch
- The Fighting Fists of Shanghai Joe (1972) – Chen Lee is a Chinese immigrant who arrives in the Old West and puts his martial arts skills to good use against murderous outlaws.
- China 9, Liberty 37 (1978) – A gunfighter awaiting hanging is released on the condition that he kill a local rancher (Warren Oates). Jenny Agutter stars as the rancher’s beautiful wife.
- Grand Duel (1974) – Lee Van Cleef and Horst Frank butt heads in this spaghetti western about an ex-lawman (Van Cleef) who helps a man accused of murder to clear his name. Also known as Storm Rider, look for some of the soundtrack in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill.
- Man from Nowhere (1966) – Giuliano Gemma flashes his distinctive smile as a cheerful gunman who joins forces with a bandit leader and then slowly unravels his plans.
- Django (1966) – Considered one of the most memorable cult classic movies, Django stars Franco Nero as a mysterious gunfighter who pulls a coffin behind him. When he arrives in a small town seeking vengeance against a rogue military man, you can bet that we’ll get to see what’s inside the wooden casket (with violent results). A sequel would follow in 1987.
- White Comanche (1968) – William Shatner plays half-breed twin bothers who engage in a life and death struggle with one another. Fans of T.J. Hooker should love this one.
- God’s Gun (1975) – Lee Van Cleef plays a gentle priest who’s gunned down by a ruthless outlaw. Turns out he has a twin brother (also Lee Van Cleef), and he comes looking for payback.
- Death Rides a Horse (1968) – John Phillip Law stars as a young man out to avenge the death of his family at the hands of a gang of outlaws. Lee Van Cleef, meanwhile, plays a gunman who’s been released from prison after 15 years and is seeking some revenge of his own.
Now that you’re aware of these lesser-known spaghetti westerns, all that remains is for you to go out and rent them. Your local video store may not carry them, so your best bet is to either get them from Netflix or buy them from Amazon.
