"Duck, You Sucker" (aka, "Fistful of Dynamite") is a film directed by Sergio Leone with music by Ennio Morricone--the same team that brought some amazing Italian westerns to the screen--such as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Once Upon a Time in the West"). However, here the film is very different--and it felt like I was watching a film by the other but less well known 'spaghetti western' director, Sergio Carbucci. That's because most of Carbucci's westerns have a strong revolutionary bent and usually are about Mexico during the time of their revolution against Diaz in the early 20th century. His heroes are revolutionaries--ones with a strong political agenda at the onset or ones who develop ideals through the course of the film. This is EXACTLY what happens in "Duck, You Sucker"--and it really seemed odd for Leone. Not bad necessarily--just quite odd with its socialist/Marxist tone.
The film stars James Coburn as an IRA terrorist who somehow has made it to Mexico--along with all his explosives. It also stars Rod Steiger in an odd role, though Steiger loved doing strange roles that tested his range. Here, he's sort of like a mob leader and family patriarch rolled into one. He is the character who evolves (like Carbucci's heroes) from a common thug to a revolutionary during the film.
So, did I like it? Well, not especially--though it's certainly better than the average western. The problem for me is that Leone set the bar so high with "Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Once Upon a Time in the West"! These are probably the four greatest Italian westerns--all by one director! But, because these films were so good, "Duck, You Sucker" can't help but disappoint. Good, but certainly not in the same category as these other films--mostly because the pacing was slow (even compared to the above movies), Steiger's accent (according to IMDb it was dubbed) and odd chemistry make this good but no more.
The film stars James Coburn as an IRA terrorist who somehow has made it to Mexico--along with all his explosives. It also stars Rod Steiger in an odd role, though Steiger loved doing strange roles that tested his range. Here, he's sort of like a mob leader and family patriarch rolled into one. He is the character who evolves (like Carbucci's heroes) from a common thug to a revolutionary during the film.
So, did I like it? Well, not especially--though it's certainly better than the average western. The problem for me is that Leone set the bar so high with "Fistful of Dollars", "For a Few Dollars More", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" and "Once Upon a Time in the West"! These are probably the four greatest Italian westerns--all by one director! But, because these films were so good, "Duck, You Sucker" can't help but disappoint. Good, but certainly not in the same category as these other films--mostly because the pacing was slow (even compared to the above movies), Steiger's accent (according to IMDb it was dubbed) and odd chemistry make this good but no more.