Another Leone Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (17 May 2005)

At first, I was going to rate this a 9 because I felt like my praise for this film was influenced by the fact that it was made Sergio Leone, one of my absolute favourite directors, and that it would seem odd to give so many of his films a 10. However, the truth is, his films usually are that great (with the exception of his pre-Fistfull of Dollars movies) and upon further reflection, I realized that I really do think this film deserves a 10.
This film certainly has a much more profound, and very moving, exploration of the main characters' lives and relationships than Leone's prior films. This is one of the key elements here as the story really gets deep into the psyches and emotions of Juan and Sean, revolves heavily around the development of their relationship, and truly explores their places, roles, and goals in life, as well as how Juan must figure out and cope with his future.
The film is profound in other ways, going deeper than the surface of politics and revolution. As is usual with Leone, nothing is clear cut, and even though the film makes the revolution appear justified in theory, with the rich and powerful being pretty darn bad, the "good guys" and the revolutionaries are themselves complex and not entirely noble (although I should point out that this is not entirely original since the earlier A Bullet for the General showed similar complexities in the same subject, even if it seemed more political and pro-revolution). Juan and his family are essentially bandits, interested in enriching themselves rather than improving society, yet they are protagonists and they become accidental revolutionaries, showing that revolutionaries weren't always fighting for just reasons or ideals. Moreover, revolutionary leaders are shown as flawed and in some ways weak and hypocritical while the revolutionaries are not above spilling a little extra blood.
The film is also the first of Leone's films to have an ending that is in some ways truly sad. The ending in Once Upon a Time in the West had some sadness to it, but it was greatly mitigated and had a different emphasis and focus. Here, one really feels Juan's loss after his life has been turned upside down; his family (who were the entire base of his existence) wiped out, the new friend, whose relationship with him, the film portrays, dead; and with him stuck in a role that he does not want or really understand. The film thus greatly touches upon the nature of, and meaning in, human existence in a way that really is not obvious, at least until the very end.
Rod Steiger and James Coburn really help bring out this strong character exploration and emotion. Both are at their very best in this film, imbuing their characters with great life and making them utterly compelling.
Duck, You Sucker also has Leone's trademark artistic directing and cinematography. It is not chock full of the incredible scenes and images the way the two immediately prior films are, but one only need see a few scenes to know who made it. The opening is typical Leone in that it shows something strange and in a way that does not immediately tell the viewer what is actually going on, drawing the viewer in to find out what he or she is watching. The scene in the coach, with the emphasis on the people eating, is also very effective.
The music is, as usual for a Leone/Morricone collaboration, great and highly effective. It's even more unusual than the music in the Dollars films, and I think some find it odd or unsettling, but it is highly effective.