Duck Soup

Duck, You Sucker (A Fistful of Dynamite) (1972) is perhaps Sergio Leone's wackiest movie - and that's saying something.

It starts with Rod Steiger in full Eli Wallach Tuco-the-Rat face, hitching a ride on an armored stage coach - full of rich bankers, priests, and a woman (Maria Monti) who can't stop talking about all the disgusting, lascivious sex the poor people are having. Predictably, the coach is hijacked by a gang of about a dozen boys, all Steiger's sons. He robs the rich, strips them naked, fulfills the woman's fantasy, and drives away in their coach.

While they are divvying up the spoils, they hear some explosions, and a motorcycle drives by. It's driven by James Coburn, an Irish revolutionary on the lam in Mexico. Steiger shoots out a tire to prevent him from driving on, so Coburn stops to inspect the coach. When he comes out he utters the film's title. "Duck. you suckers" and there's an explosion from inside. Here one of the kids says the line that the Film Sack podcast made memorable, "There's a hole in the roof!"

When Steiger realizes he has an explosives expert, he thinks of a bank in Mesa Verde he's been wanting to rob. Coburn refuses, there's a big pissing contest, and Coburn walks out. But sure enough, they both wind up in Mesa Verde, robbing the bank. But now it's heavily guarded by the Mexican Army. When they get into the vaults, Steiger discovers that they are filled with revolutionary prisoners. The money has been moved and Coburn is with the revolution. Steiger is not happy, but the now he is hailed as a hero, and is sort of stuck with it.

All this is done in Leone's famous style, but amped up to 11. instead of cutting to a face, he'll cut to a facc, then closer, then just the eyes, then one eye - and hold. Of course, Ennio Morricone did the score, with a lilting "Sean Sean Sean" theme for Coburn. He's named Sean but Steiger thinks he's John. Since Steiger is Juan, he wants them to be called "Johnny and Johnny" and go to America.

Although it's part of the Once Upon a Time series, it plays more like the Fistful movies, with a lot of comedy along with the tragic bloodshed. Coburn does all right in the Eastwood role, although his Irish accent isn't great (or stable). Steiger is great, but no Tuco, I'm afraid. Maybe needs to be more ugly.