aramis-112-804880 Sergio Leone had come off four more or less brilliant westerns (the "Dollars Trilogy" and "Once Upon a Time in the West") and this looks like another, but it isn't. Set in 1913 we have motorcycles and automobiles alongside horse-drawn vehicles. In fact, if you take "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" as chronologically (though not actually) his first western, one has a progression into the modern world. But while Leone's first four westerns were thoroughly groundbreaking; lyrical and both humorous and surpassingly brilliant in spots . . . this movie is a letdown. The stars, Rod Steiger an James Coburn, are nearly always watchable. Unfortunately, Coburn, while a fine actor, has problems with accents. Here he tries an Irish brogue (which is relatively more passable than his Australian accent in "The Great Escape"--barely on the good side of Dick van Dyke's cockney in "Mary Poppins"). Steiger's method acting conflicted with the director's requirements, but he got stuck with him (he wanted Eli Wallach but the studio thought Steiger more of a draw).What to make of this mess, which starts with a man urinating on ants (where is the SPCA--Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ants?) and it's a roller-coaster ride of quality. Leone is still capable of great shots, such as when rifles burst in through a window on either side of Steiger's head. However, as with all Leone's flicks, unpleasant images abound. Not just urination, but rape, presented almost as a human need, and unnecessary nudity. I can't give a spoiler about the ending because, frankly, I didn't make it all the way through. I slept through lots of it and I doubt I'll revisit it.Leone could be a great director, but he often confused bloat with impressiveness. His smoothest movie was undoubtedly the equally unpleasant but also imminently watchable "Once Upon a Time in America"--more than ten years after this curious bit of confusion.I haven't seen "The Colossus of Rhodes"; but apart from that, of the movies where Leone is listed as sole director, "A Fistful of Dollars", "For Few Dollars More", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", "Once Upon a Time in the West" and "Once Upon a Time in America" are all pretty good films. And, as I said before, the "Dollars" movies were groundbreaking, forever changing our expectations from westerns."Duck, You Sucker" (aka "A Fistful of Dynamite"), the director's sometimes wacky, sometimes serious tour of the Mexican Revolution, is Leone's notable failure. Well, everyone is entitled to one. It has some great Leone signature images, but the characters are thoroughly despicable, the acting even from the headline stars is variable at best, and the story (such as it is) is not compelling. It's only for people who have to see all Leone's movies . . . or, like me, thought we did.

Regina Banali This brilliant movie is haunting and beautiful. The directing by Sergeo Leone, the music by Ennio Morricone are genius, but the performances by Rod Steiger and James Coburn are rich and moving and unforgettable. This movie is a must see. It's in my top ten favorite films of all time.

Leofwine_draca Sergio Leone's unfairly maligned fifth western is at least equal to his earlier films, if not scaling the epic heights of his masterpieces. We're in familiar territory with the story of two men, the opposites of each other, who team up as unlikely partners and end up getting involved in something far beyond their reaches. Unlike his earlier Eastwood westerns, Leone's film is far more reaching and personal than before, and with a darker edge. It's also his most political film, as it charts the struggle between the army and the revolutionaries. Once again it's perfectly made, with a great evocative Morricone soundtrack, and uses extreme close-ups and the like for style. Don't go expecting any stand-offs, however, as this is more of a war film, and has great scenes like Steiger and Coburn taking on the brunt of the German army alone in the mountains.Rod Steiger takes the lead role of the Mexican bandit, playing much the same part as Eli Wallach would have done. He really seems to be putting his all into the role and having a good time, and his spirit rubs off. All this and he has an accent similar to the one Pacino uses in SCARFACE. James Coburn is his complete opposite, an Irish (!) IRA member who is an expert in all things explosive. The two make a real fiery partnership and a supported by a strong Italian cast, once again. Cult favourite David Warbeck pops up in a small but key role in flashbacks as a friend of Coburn's.The action scenes are violent without being excessive (like in a Peckinpah film), taking things one step further from Leone's previous work. Times have changed so the film has a harder, rougher edge, almost nihilistic in feel. There are some impressive explosions to note as well, and exploitation fans will be surprised to see Antonio Margheriti (one of my favourite Italian directors) listed in the crew as the special effects man. A miniature train crash is unmistakably his work. While being a technically-proficient piece of work, A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE also has important questions to ask the audience which elevates it above similar B-movie fare, and flies by at a mere two-and-a-half hour running time.

grantss Sergio Leone's best film, in my opinion. That doesn't say much, though to some it might. In my opinion the four movies he is most famous for - Once Upon a Time in the West, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More - are okay but are vastly over-rated. Slow, badly produced, with holey plots, ridiculous dialogue and hammy acting, especially by the supporting cast. The only things preventing those from being total failures was the action scenes and, in three of them, the acting of Clint Eastwood.A Fistful of Dynamite is better in all those respects, without compromising on the action. Decent plot, though not entirely watertight. There's even a few nice themes running through it. Themes of patriotism, family, loyalty and camaraderie.Dialogue is OK. Has some silly moments but mostly fine.Performances are fine. Rod Steiger and James Coburn put in solid performances in the lead roles and the supporting cast don't embarrass themselves.Production is still reasonably cheap though. You get the usual effect of it appearing as if the actors voices have been dubbed in, rather than being recorded live.This is also shorter than those four, which is a blessing. There are still some pointless and/or drawn out scenes but these are more limited in number than the other four. Helps the pacing of the movie too.The main issue with this one is the fact that the soundtrack consists of one song and that seems to be on an infinite loop...Ultimately a very engaging and entertaining western.