Ok since I chose this movie to be the July movie, I thought hell we need a topic! I just recently pondered about this film:
Sergio Leone was not able to make more movies in his lifetime than he could have. His impressive career marks milestones in Western and Gangster films, his movies have drawn actors that were either stars at the time or are almost gods, today. His visual style is famous, his collaboration with the maestro Ennio Morricone is legendary and his epics are so in the truest sense of the word. Duck, You Sucker marks a weaker directorial effort on Leone’s part, but although I think the script lacks vitality and the music is a bit off, it is still a remarkably crafted picture, technically seen, it boasts the best acting effort by Rod Steiger that I am aware of, and the film is chock full of meaning. A great revolution epic, with lots of explosions, massacres, political allusions, flashbacks and comradery. An underrated classic? Maybe in another 30 years. B+
One critic wrote that this looks more like a Peckinpah-movie than a Leone-western, and maybe there is some truth in that.
I like this film though, it’s an epic political spaghetti with a twist, message is not as single-minded as in some earlier ones.
Music by Morricone is absolutely gorgeous
This is an Italian-American co-production, and the film features two big Hollywood stars, this sets the film apart a little from most other spaghettis.
On the whole this is a very fine film, a worthy last western from Sergio Leone!
Apparently Coburn and Steiger signed up under the impresion that it was a Leone film. When they discovered differently, they refused to work until Leone was brought in!
I dunno but for some reason this film has never struck a chord for me, I really like James Coburn in most films but the combo of Rod Steiger and him just doesn’t work for me.
I hate to say it but it only rates 3 stars for me
I’ve just re-watched this movie and it doesn’t disappoint, it ranks with the best SW but lags slightly against Leone’s best. Still its tempting to imagine what it would have been like had the missing scenes not been lost! Get hold of the French SE DVD if you can, it has lots of interesting extras and is uncut unlike the UK release which is short by 7 seconds!
Your right it was only 6 seconds. This is what the BBFC site has to say:-
When submitted to the BBFC the work had a running time of 150m 27s.
To obtain this category cuts of 0m 6s were required. The cuts were Compulsory.
Cuts required to remove two shots of a dangerous horse fall in accordance with BBFC policy on animal cruelty.
The BBFC seem to have a huge problem with horse falls. They cut Conan the Barbarian for the same reason. It bodes ill for the future release of a lot of SW’s uncut. I really don’t see the point. Cutting a 30-40 year old film isn’t going to save the long dead horse. Much better to ensure modern film makers aren’t being cruel.
And head butts and nunchuckas too. The “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movies and “xXx” were censored in the UK because of that reason. Why they are afraid of either is beyond me…
Not forgetting the head butts missing from the Matrix…or am I in the real world now!
It does rile me when the BBFC tell me what I can and can’t see! But that’s what they get paid for; it just means we have to source our DVD’s from abroad!
sorry but i don t like it. the music is great, but the movie is weak… it s leones worst movie. when i first watched it i can t believe: where is the leone style. it s terrible. all leone movies are masterpieces, but duck you sucker sucks… maybe it s because of my german version, i don t know…
