Sergio Leone & The Mexican Revolution

Rating: 9/10 (11 September 2013)

Sergio Leone wanted his protégé Giancarlo Santi to direct the Rod Steiger & James Coburn epic "Duck You Sucker" while he served in a supervisory role as an executive producer. Things changed when the two stars insisted that Leone take over the helm. Santi wound up handling the second unit work, while Leone handled Steiger and Coburn. "Duck You Sucker" pales by comparison with Sergio Leone's earlier masterpiece "Once Upon a Time in the West." Indeed, the picture lacks the charisma of Leone's period "Dollar" westerns with Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. This tale about the Mexican revolution appeared at a time when Spaghetti westerns were declining in numbers. Some directors already were exploring political themes within the framework of the Mexican revolution. Simultaneously, American westerns were forging on to the turn of the century so the hardware that the heroes and villains used seemed modern by comparison. Automatic pistols replaced revolvers. After he helmed "A Fistful of Dollars," "For A Few Dollars More," "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," and "Once Upon a Time in the West," Leone had done everything he had wanted to do with the western. Early foreign westerns imitated American westerns until Leone revolutionized the genre with his bounty hunter trilogy. Everybody imitated Leone. Later, he would return briefly to the western genre with two Terence Hill comedies. Essentially, the Leone who had created the Spaghetti western as we know it, faded into the background with "Duck You Sucker." In many ways, this spectacular looking adventure movie shows a Leone of greater maturity. Nevertheless, he didn't personalize the mise-en-scene of the Zapata movies as he had done with period Spaghetti westerns. Directors Sergio Corbucci and Sergio Sollima emerged as the foremost practitioners of the Zapata westerns respectively with "The Mercenary" and "The Big Gundown." Furthermore, Leone was moving away from his carefree but violent movies. The protagonists in "Duck You Sucker" are a disillusioned IRA gunman on the lam and a Mexican bandit who cares nothing for the revolution until he winds up being a part of it. The friendship between these two men that dominates the sprawling action is deeper than that between Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef in "For a Few Dollars More." The themes of death, betrayal, revenge, and commitment recur throughout this lengthy adventure movie. The initial showdown between Juan (Rode Steiger) and Sean (James Coburn) when they meet in the desert is pure Leone. Indeed, while it isn't as much fun as his previous westerns, "Duck You Sucker" contains scenes that recurred throughout his earlier films. Flashbacks play an important role here as it did in "For A Few Dollars More." Railroads are featured prominently in the action. Everything is big. Sean blows up a building and literally brings the entire structure down. The end gambit when two trains collide head on in the desert is the heart of spectacle itself. Juan is a bandit with a large family of armed and deadly sons. Juan dreams of robbing a legendary bank in Mesa Verde. When he finally gets around to it, Juan is fooled by Sean and the revolutionaries. All the loot has been moved and all Juan can find is political prisoners that he liberates and winds up being a champion of the revolution. However, Juan hates revolutions. Gradually, the disillusioned Sean comes around to Juan's point of view while he is struggling to work out a predicament that occurred in Ireland. Sean's friend (David Warbeck) betrays him to the authorities. When police come looking for Sean, Sean is prepared. Not only does he shoot both cops, but he also kills his father. Mind you, "Duck You Sucker" is a brilliant movie, filled with insight, but it shuns being a flippant shoot'em up with no philosophy. Ennio Morricone contributes another memorable scene. The showdown at the bridge in the desert is awesome.