Sergio Leone may have pioneered the spaghetti western with his "Dollar Trilogy," but the Italian director's true masterpiece is the dark, star-studded Once Upon a Time in the West. The story of love and violence on the American frontier successfully balances an epic-poetic scope with the formulaic conventions of pulp subgenre. West is complemented by Ennio Morricone's haunting score and script assistance by latter-day scandal-maker Bernardo Bertolucci and would-be horror maestro Dario Argento (both were mere film critics when they worked on the project). Four decades on, the film is a testament to the genre's rugged durability and the enduring allure of its symbolism.