I felt I was watching a film by the other Sergio.

Rating: 7/10 (23 March 2013)

"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.