The Final Western from the Auteur of Westerns.

Rating: Null/10 (7 April 2014)

From the auteur of westerns, Duck, You Sucker! is the final western from director Sergio Leone & is rightfully claimed as the most overlooked film of his illustrious career. Serving only as a producer when the film went into production & later talked into directing it, this film turns out to be a quite good standalone example of its genre but pales in comparison to what Leone accomplished with his last 4 films.
Set in Mexico at the time of revolution, it tells the story of Juan Miranda; a Mexican outlaw leading a bandit family, who meets an IRA explosives expert on the run named John & forces him into his scheme of robbing the Mesa Verde national bank, only to have tables turned around for him when he ends up freeing the rebel prisoners & is hailed by them as a glorious hero of the revolution, thus attracting unwanted attention from the army.
Leone's direction isn't as memorable as his previous works & although it features some of his signature styles, it is often too exaggerated (one example being the extreme close-ups of people's mouth while they are eating & talking). Yet, the story is steadily narrated & only gets better as the film progresses. Cinematography presents a raw, conflicted look. Editing could've could've worked with few more trims. And lastly, it features one of Ennio Morricone's most playful compositions.
The performances by Rod Steiger & James Coburn as Juah & John, respectively, is good & their chemistry together is even better. The revolution itself is brilliantly depicted whether it's by any means accurate or not, the effects look majestic in parts & the finale as well as the character's introductions are its finest moments. On an overall scale, Duck, You Sucker! may not score much when compared with Leone's earlier works but as a standalone feature, it is an impressive work of its genre that can really benefit from a wider audience.
P.S. Also known as A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time... the Revolution.