What is the best Ennio Morricone film score?

The maestro of cinema, Ennio Morricone crafted scores that transcended their films — from spaghetti western classics to Oscar-winning masterpieces. Which of his legendary soundtracks stands as his finest work?

1

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

The iconic 1966 spaghetti western score featuring one of the most recognizable themes in cinema.

1000pts

2

The Untouchables

The 1987 Prohibition-era gangster score alternating heroic brass with tragic strings.

969pts

3

Once Upon a Time in the West

The 1968 operatic western score where each character has a distinctive musical motif.

727pts

4

Once Upon a Time in America

The 1984 elegiac crime epic score blending Cockney pipe music with sweeping romance.

727pts

5

For a Few Dollars More

The 1965 spaghetti western score renowned for its pocket watch motif and dramatic climax.

727pts

6

The Hateful Eight

The 2015 Oscar-winning score, the first Western Morricone wrote in decades.

666pts

7

The Thing

The 1982 John Carpenter film scored by Morricone with minimalist dread and icy textures.

666pts

8

Cinema Paradiso

The 1988 romantic score full of nostalgic longing, beloved for its love theme.

592pts

9

1900 (Novecento)

The 1976 Bertolucci epic with an ambitious score mirroring twentieth-century Italian history.

592pts

10

The Mission

The 1986 Oscar-winning score fusing Baroque counterpoint with indigenous South American music.

499pts

11

Days of Heaven

The 1978 visually poetic score drawing heavily from Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals.

380pts

12

Malèna

The 2000 Sicilian wartime drama with a lush romantic score of great tenderness.

380pts

13

A Fistful of Dollars

The 1964 groundbreaking spaghetti western score that redefined action film music.

222pts