Critical praise from a famous admirer can keep a film alive for decades, but it cannot keep a streaming licence in place. The western that a prominent director once described as the finest-directed picture ever made has quietly left its free home, which means viewers now face rental fees or nothing. This happens constantly, and it says nothing about quality. Platforms rotate catalogues according to their own economics, and older titles are usually the first to go because they draw fewer hours than new releases. The frustrating part is the timing. A film that has just been recommended somewhere tends to lose its easiest access route shortly afterwards, and casual viewers conclude that it has vanished rather than moved. Watching it now requires a small amount of planning: check rental prices, look for a library copy, or wait for a seasonal promotion. None of that is ideal, but it is the reality of a market where access is a licence rather than a right.
WithTaylor Sheridanhaving contributed to the rebound of the Western genre, which was thought to have become obsolete over the last few decades, a new generation of audiences can experience the joy of watching classics for the first time. This month presents them with the opportunity of checking out perhaps the greatest movie that belongs to the genre's sub-category, known as spaghetti Westerns. This term was used exclusively for Westerns produced in Italy; as you'd imagine, they were soupier and saucier compared to the American Westerns of that era.Sergio Leone, who was widely regarded as thegreatest spaghetti Westerndirector of them all, made a groundbreaking trilogy starringClint Eastwood.
The most acclaimed installment of that trilogy is streaming on a variety of streaming sites, including Prime Video and MGM+ — however, the privilege of your viewership comes with a fee. That wasn't always the case. Up until recently, the film was available to stream for free on Tubi, but it has since been removed. It was also removed from YouTube's free movie catalog, leaving Western fans in a major lurch.
A great detective is really just a personality with a method attached, which is why we keep remaking the same four of them. Here is yours, what it says about you, and the case for them being the best in the business.
You let people think you are not a threat and then you simply never go away. Columbo is the only major detective show that tells you who did it in the first ten minutes, because the pleasure was never the puzzle, it was watching a rich man slowly realise he is in trouble.
You are the most interesting person in the room and you know exactly how to use it. Rian Johnson built Blanc as a gentleman detective who is also an outsider everywhere he goes, which lets him be charming at people who would never otherwise talk to him.
Everybody tells you everything, and you have never once asked them to. Jessica Fletcher is a crime novelist from a small town in Maine who is so warm and so obviously trustworthy that suspects confess to her essentially as a social courtesy.
You expect to be lied to and you are almost never disappointed. Chandler wrote Marlowe as a man with a rigid private code in a city that has none, which is why he takes the case, solves it, gets nothing out of it and takes the next one.
Released in 1966, the movie remains the benchmark for the genre even six decades later.Quentin Tarantinowas hugely inspired by it, calling it "the best-directed film of all time" and "the greatest achievement in the history of cinema." He paid homage to the movie in his own work, going back to his debut feature,Reservoir Dogs. The film also inspired numerous homages across the world, and inspiredStephen Kingto write his magnum opus, The Dark Tower series.
The Greatest Spaghetti Western Ever Is Still Just One Click Away
By now you've probably guessed that we're talking aboutThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Along withFor a Few Dollars MoreandA Fistful of Dollars, it was part ofLeone's landmark Dollars Trilogy. The movie now holds a "Certified Fresh" 97% score on the aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "Arguably the greatest of the spaghetti Westerns, this epic features a compelling story, memorable performances, breathtaking landscapes, and a haunting score."
The film also featuresEli WallachandLee Van Cleef, and has a memorable original score composed byEnnio Morricone. Tarantino, who has famously avoided scores throughout his career, broke the trend when he had Morricone compose the music for his own spaghetti Western-inspired feature,The Hateful Eight.
You can watchThe Good, the Bad and the Uglyon a variety of subscription-based streaming platforms for a few more dollars than you could when it was streaming for free on Tubi. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on must-see westerns.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
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