A lesser known Leone Western but very entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (2 December 2010)

The cover of this DVD gives the incorrect impression that "A Fistful of Dynamite" is a comedy. There are comic elements in the movie but the overall it is a fine multi-layered story.
Rod Steiger plays a Mexican bandit who dreams of robbing a large bank. When he meets an Irish explosives expert (James Coburn) working in Mexico he sees his chance to bring his dreams to reality. However the country is in the throes of a revolution and both their plans are changed forever by the intrusion of this conflict.
The film features some typical Leone touches such as a long opening scene with a surprise twist and an Ennio Morricone score. The film is over two and a half hours long but apart from one sequence it doesn't feel too long as the plot twists and turns with plenty of action sequences as well. There some interesting themes explored such as friendship, loyalty, treachery and sacrifice.
There were some parts of the movie I didn't enjoy as much. The score is a bit annoying at times (the "Sean Sean Sean" song in particular!), Steigers Mexican (Russian?) accent is more distracting than Coburn's passable Irish one and the series of scenes where Steiger tries to persuade Coburn to help him rob the bank drags on for too long.
There are some great action set pieces of battles, prison breaks and train crashes. It differs from Leone's Westerns with Clint Eastwood by painting on a broader canvas, using the revolution as a background.
If you are a fan of Leone's better-known Westerns "A Fistful of Dynamite" is definitely worth seeing.