A Potpourri of Vestiges Review: Sergio Leone's thought-provoking masterpiece featuring an unforgettable Rod Steiger performance

Rating: 10/10 (2 February 2013)

Duck, You Sucker (1971) aka A Fistful of Dynamite is an underrated gem that undoubtedly features amongst the best works of the Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. Anyone who has seen the "Dollars Trilogy" can easily mistake Leone for a mere showman, but those who have had the privilege of watching his more personal works like Once Upon a Time in America would know better. Leone was indeed a master showman but he knew well how to blend style with substance.
In the "Dollars Trilogy" style clearly is the real driver but deep down there is strong sense of realism that a keen eyed viewer wouldn't find hard to discern. The conspicuous levity only serves the purpose of a translucent film used to hide the naked reality so as to protect an average viewer from getting jumpy at its very sight. In Duck, You Sucker this translucent film only happens to be a fraction more transparent than usual. In other words, Leone chooses to be a bit more direct in his presentation of realism: most evident in the firing squad sequences. Duck, You Sucker thus serves to be a perfect amalgamation of style and substance.
In many ways, Duck, You Sucker happens to be Leone's darkest work. And how could it not have been? For the movie revolves around a highly unlikely union of a Mexican bandit and an Irish dynamite expert caught in the turmoil of the Mexican revolution. The only thing that unites these two completely different personalities is the fact that one is called Juan and the other, John. Juan sees this coincidence as a divine signal. That their union is meant to serve a much greater purpose: to rob the great bank of Mesa Verde. The loquacious Juan desperately tries to convince the taciturn John, but the later remains uninterested. Thus ensues a tantalizing game of cat and mouse between Juan and John as the two try their best to outwit each other only to be united by an eternal bond of friendship.
There are scenes in Duck, You Sucker that will stay with the viewer for ever. There are dialogues/monologues (spoken as well as unspoken) that will leave a lasting impact on the viewer. Juan's commentary on his own understanding of the word "revolution" is one. There's is another when a caged bird defecates on Juan's head and the bandit looks up and says: "For the rich, you sing!" Ennio Morricone's mystical music will continue to haunt the viewer much beyond the length of the movie. The movie's use of non-verbal language is probably as strong as the use of verbal one: best explained by Rod Steiger's expressions of elation, shock, disgust and self-pity. Duck, You Sucker is Sergio Leone's second best work (after Once Upon a Time in America) and features an unforgettable performance from the great Rod Steiger who is well complemented by James Coburn--in arguably his best role ever. Duck, You Sucker will serve as an elixir for any intelligent viewer and offers enough food for thought to keep him occupied until long after the film the over.
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