The Western Quentin Tarantino Called “The Best-Directed Movie of All Time” Is Officially a Global Streaming Hit
Sergio Leone's 1966 spaghetti Western "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", starring Clint Eastwood, has become a global streaming hit, now available on platforms including Prime Video, MGM and Tubi. The film's renewed popularity comes amid a broader revival of the Western genre driven by creators such as Taylor Sheridan, giving a new generation the chance to discover a classic long regarded as the pinnacle of its sub-genre for the first time.
The film remains the benchmark of the spaghetti Western style—Italian-made productions distinct from their American counterparts—six decades after its release. It was famously praised by Quentin Tarantino, who called it "the best-directed film of all time" and "the greatest achievement in the history of cinema," and its influence can be traced through his own work, from "Reservoir Dogs" onward. The film's legacy extends beyond cinema too, having inspired numerous homages worldwide and reportedly influencing Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series.
In short
- "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" now streaming widely, 60 years on
- Tarantino called it the best-directed film ever made
- Western revival helps new audiences discover the spaghetti Western classic
Explained simply
Western films often follow a lone gunfighter or small group through the American frontier. In the 1960s, Italian directors made their own versions, later called spaghetti Westerns; they often used stark landscapes, stylised violence and distinctive music. Sergio Leone’s films helped define the style, with Clint Eastwood playing a taciturn gunfighter.
Leone’s The Good, the Bad and the Ugly follows three men searching for buried gold during the American Civil War. Its visual style and Ennio Morricone’s score have influenced filmmakers and other storytellers, including Quentin Tarantino and, reportedly, Stephen King. The renewed interest in Westerns has brought the film to streaming services, where new audiences can encounter a major work of the genre.
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