A restored classic Western has arrived on Prime Video, giving new audiences the chance to see a film Quentin Tarantino has praised as "the best-directed film of all time." The 1966 movie, directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood, is the most celebrated instalment of Leone's "Dollars Trilogy" and is regarded as the pinnacle of the "spaghetti Western" sub-genre, a term used for Westerns made in Italy that offered a grittier alternative to their American counterparts.

Nearly sixty years after its release, the film remains a benchmark for the genre and continues to influence film-makers, with Tarantino citing it as inspiration since his 1992 debut, Reservoir Dogs. Its impact has extended beyond cinema too, having reportedly inspired Stephen King's Dark Tower novel series. The article notes that the current Western revival, driven in part by Taylor Sheridan's television output, has renewed interest in classic entries in the genre.