The film was Giu la testa, literally, “keep your head down,” a story about a poor Mexican peasant just trying to earn a crooked buck during the Mexican Revolution who is duped into becoming a major player in the revolution. The finale, an explosion to end all explosions, is almost nihilistic in its tone, and echoes back to Sean's eternal line, "When I started using dynamite, I used to believe in a lot of things. Along with Leone’s typical trademarks like extreme close-ups of faces and eyes, the blowing up of bridges, and long, languid scenes that are alternately praised for their craftsmanship and criticized for their length, Leone fills the film with comments about war and revolution. One of the things I enjoy most about films is the stories of how they came to be made. Savant's review here. Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2018. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for A Fistful Of Dynamite (Special Edition) [DVD] at Amazon.com. Note, 3.24.07: The long, restored original cut of this film will be released on DVD on June 5, 2007 as a two-disc Special Edition, along with similar restorations of Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More. While some critics still argue style over substance in the Dollars trilogy, A Fistful of Dynamite—no matter what title it goes under—has much of both. Leone was not known for making short films and this one runs 157 minutes. The Hunting Party (1971) - Oliver Reed, Candice Bergen, Gene Hackman - Feature ( Drama, Western, Action) Film Gorillas. He said its by far one of the best things he has gotten this year! Many times this story is nearly as good as the film itself. One of the sticking points for Bogdonavich was Leone’s insistence in titling the film Duck, You Sucker for America. was the final western epic from the master filmmaker, now available on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK from Eureka Entertainment, under their prestigious ‘The Masters of Cinema’ collection. It’s interesting to hear both perspectives. He shows his gifts for light comedy as in learning to fire a machine gun, for portraying genuine anger, as in his lecture to John Mallory about what revolution really means for the poor, and of genuine sadness as he discovers the mass murder of innocents in the grotto. Your email address will not be published. It’s being released on Blu-ray as A Fistful of Dynamite, but you may know Sergio Leone’s seventh film as a director as Once Upon a Time… the Revolution or even under his own favoured title, Duck, You Sucker!.. And though Leone proudly stated in press releases and interviews that he was pleased he made cinema for the masses instead of for just a few hundred people around the globe, it was also a sore spot for him that the critics mostly ignored his cinematic offerings, even if moviegoers came in droves to see his pop art. Actor(s): Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Romolo Valli It seems that by being tugged at one end by the director's political standpoint and from the other by the commercial demands of MGM, the movie finds itself pulled in both directions. Director: Sergio Leone Cast: Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Romolo Valli Certificate: 15. by Sarah Morgan. His chosen successor was Peter Bogdanovich. And Duck, You Sucker…oops, I mean Once Upon a Time…the Revolution…oops, you’ll have to forgive me; I mean A Fistful of Dynamite has just such a story. This is a really nice Blu-Ray package that features the fully uncut version of the film in terrific quality and a plethora of extras to put the film in perspective. There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. What’s interesting however is that Leone never actually intended to direct (what I’ll refer to as) A Fistful of Dynamite.His original preference was to find an American director to helm the movie, one who could replicate the style he had now established and made popular whilst he set about mounting his beloved The Hoods project. Review this Movie. Coburn also performs well, as the other half of this unlikely pair of bank robbers. Movie title: A Fistful of Dynamite (Duck, You Sucker!) Best Buy has honest and unbiased customer reviews for A Fistful of Dynamite [DVD] [1972]. [Total: 2 Average: 2 /5] Nevertheless, the film didn’t do as well as had been hoped, though nowadays, along with Leone’s other films, it has undergone a reevaluation and is considered a classic of the western genre. The fact that the British version was even called A Fistful Of Dynamite, when it is closer to Leone's Once Upon A Time series, shows how confused the whole affair was. So the film is definitely a darker tone than any of Leone’s Dollars films, but it is not without humor. If you are a fan of westerns then you simply can’t miss this one. Indeed, given recent events, A Fistful of Dynamite is a thoroughly pertinent film, asking how we might achieve social change when the only human resource to hand is venal and self-serving. This contributed to the film’s poor box office as no one wanted to see a film with such a title. A Fistful of Dynamite Critic Reviews + Ratings Favorite Movie Button ... Movie Reviews; PG, 2 hr 19 min Drama Action/Adventure; Tell us where you are Looking for movie tickets? During a re-release it was renamed A Fistful of Dynamite for commercial reasons, to make it the fourth film in The Dollars Trilogy. By the time he came to make this, Leone was no longer interested in celebratory western films, which glorified violence, and he certainly hated revolutions, or at least the rose-tinted depiction of them by other directors of the time. His only allegiance is with his family; that is until he meets Sean (James Coburn), an ex-IRA explosives expert, who is on the run from the British. Blu-ray Review: A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) Kevin Bechaz January 13, 2020 January 13, 2020 Blu-ray & DVD , Film Review Sergio Le one’s A Fistful of Dynamite (aka Duck You Sucker!) It seems that by being tugged at one end by the director's political standpoint and from the other by the commercial demands of MGM, the movie finds itself pulled in both directions. Despite the great action sequences, some good comic moments and competent acting, A Fistful Of Dynamite does feel messy as a whole. All rights reserved. Revised, 3/5/00, with NEW information about the longer cut of Fistful of Dynamite. As far as I can tell, the only difference is the title of the film in the end credits. Enter big-name action star James Coburn. Leone proved he was the greatest western director in less than four years with only four major films. Many of these commentaries are easy to pick out even today. A Fistful of Dynamite and Once Upon a Time in America are Sergio Leone’s films with the most explicit political underpinning. James Coburn as John Mallory, explaining to Juan Miranda why there were political prisoners, not money, in the bank they attacked in A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) Rate this movie on film's main page. Teaser Trailer. A Mexican bandit and an ex-IRA explosives expert are drawn into the Mexican revolution. Many times this story is nearly as good as the film itself. He says the movie is one of those were you just gotta sit down and get ready for a good time. Ennio Morricone - A Fistful Of Dynamite (Western - O Bom Velho Oeste) Lamenoboy3. And after four westerns in a row, Leone was ready for a break and turned to producing. This was Once Upon a Time in the West, which did create positive critical praise in Europe, especially in France where Leone was very popular. Not previously known for his ability to flesh out characters, Leone does an admirable job, making the film a more rewarding experience as a result. Leone wanted Jason Robards to co-star as the Irishman John Mallory but that, too, didn’t work out. Main theme from the Western movie A Fistful Of Dynamite with James Coburn and Rod Steiger Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for A Fistful of Dynamite at Amazon.com. Particularly poignant are the flashback sequences. His appearance suits the role of Sean very well; he acts cool as he walks around blowing everything up, but there is a sadness in his eyes and an underlying sense of humanity in his face, which gives him a more vulnerable side than Eastwood ever had. For the purposes of this review, I watched the film on disc 2 in its entirety, sampling the film on disc 1. Movie description: A low-life bandit and an IRA explosives expert rebel against the existing government and become heroes of the Mexican Revolution. Date published: September 14, 1972. Read movie and film review for A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) - Sergio Leone on AllMovie - In its uncut version, Sergio Leone's final foray… If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. 4:33. This led to contemporary critics charging Leone with an overblown ego as well as an overblown movie and many severe cuts for both content and length which contributed to the film’s poor performance in many international markets. His best moments are when he is observing his surroundings. Made just a quarter century after WWII, contemporary Italian critics and movie goers would have had no trouble understanding exactly what Leone was after. The film even begins with a quote from Chairman Mao regarding the violence of revolution. Coburn is almost as equally gifted as the revolutionary-minded Irishman who begins the adventure thinking he is so much smarter than the peasant (and indeed, he does get one or two over on Juan Miranda in the beginning) but who begins to see the error of his thinking when his choices directly result in the loss of Juan’s entire family. A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS is set in a grim Mexican border town called San Miguel. I got this movie for my dad for his birthday as he has always wanted it. His facial expressions—helped along by Leone’s vast talents as a director and cinematographer—run the gamut of simple Mexican peasant who knows his place around rich foreigners to no-BS, let me tell you like it is. It was quickly pulled from theaters and retitled A Fistful of Dynamite to more closely parallel Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars. There are two audio commentaries, one by Alex Cox, author of 10,000 Ways to Die, an exhaustive study of the spaghetti western, and one by Sir Christopher Frayling, Sergio Leone biographer. Great sets, state-of-the-art pyrotechnics and explosion effects; amazing sets, very panoramic; long movie but the story keeps moving; very authentic historical depictions, great insight and gripping accounts into early 20th century Mexico in revolution. Theaters July 25th and July 30th, Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT Screens at Webster University Saturday September 15th, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His face alone is enough to convince you, managing to balance the comic element of his simple peasant image with a credible villainous streak. The DVD is very impressive, despite the usual soundtrack disappointment and six seconds of BBFC cuts. But if the Dollars films were seen as violent yet ultimately silly adventure films and Once Upon a Time in the West was seen as at least a step in the right direction with regard to serious filmmaking, A Fistful of Dynamite was a much more mature and darker film. The revolution is going on around him, but he sees through it; he will not be a pawn in someone else's war. A Fistful of Dynamite was director Sergio Leone’s last Western and is seen by many as one of his lesser known movies but has grown in statue over the years.. So if the film itself isn’t long enough for you, there are plenty of special features to keep you busy. Certainly, it is better when his mouth is closed as his Irish accent oscillates between very bad and appalling - did people in 1913 really have teeth as white as this? At the beginning of the 1913 Mexican Revolution, greedy bandit Juan Miranda and idealist John H. Mallory, an Irish Republican Army explosives expert on the lam from the British, fall in with a band of revolutionaries plotting to strike a national bank. After Sergio Leone exploded onto the scene with A Fistful Of Dollars and its two sequels, which spawned the term "Spaghetti Western", his career developed into a more pensive, cynical mood with Once Upon A Time In The West and this, his "Zapata Western". Their relationship survives this minor setback, however, and, seeing potential in each other for their own gain, they set off to Mesa Verde together, where they are drawn in to the Mexican revolution. Yet, he was hardly appreciated during his short life and only a few films after his magnificent achievement. One of the things I enjoy most about films is the stories of how they came to be made. The movie also feels somewhat heavy-handed at times, largely because the dialogue gets clumsy and overly expository at moments. Steiger is perfect as a roguish thief. Please do not use ALL CAPS. The film can be purchased directly through Kino Lorber at kinolorber.com or through Amazon. It was a part written for him and, even though Steiger owns the part and makes it his own, Wallach would have been excellent as Miranda. The movie has been released under many titles; Duck, You Sucker! ©2006-2021 Eye For Film. There are several other featurettes that help to put Leoni and the film in perspective, including “The Myth of the Revolution;” an interview with co-writer Sergio Donati; a discussion of a Leone retrospective from 2005 with Frayling; a featurette on sorting out all the titles, re-titles, and different versions of the film; a short feature on restoring the film to its original version; a location comparison; trailers; radio spots; and two image galleries. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Since then, however, it has received a more favorable reception: on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 92% rating from 24 reviews; the critical consensus reads "Duck, You Sucker is a saucy helping of spaghetti western, with James Coburn and Rod Steiger's chemistry igniting the screen and Sergio Leone's bravura style on full display". While Sergio Leone was busy making good money as well as a name for himself in pop culture, his contemporaries, like Visconti, Pasolini, and Rossi, were busy winning major awards from international film festivals and critical praise for their high-minded art films. But on the first day of production, Steiger and Coburn suggested they would send stand-ins who were “just like them” since they had signed onto a Leone picture, not a picture directed by someone “just like Leone.”   And, just like that, Leone was directing his fifth western in a row. A Fistful of Dynamite finds Sergio Leone working on a massive canvas of intricately choreographed scenes that telegraph the chaos and the brutality of the Mexican Revolution. I think "A Fistfull of Dynamite" largely reflects Leone's fate as well. / Giù la testa, A Fistful of Dynamite, Il était une fois … la révolution / Street Date March 6, 2018 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring: James Coburn, Rod Steiger, Maria Monti, Rik Battaglia, Romolo Valli, Antoine St-John, Vivienne Chandler, David Warbeck. Director(s): Sergio Leone. ... Also known as "A Fistful of Dynamite." Mike Sutton takes a look at the upcoming MGM release of Sergio Leone's "A Fistful of Dynamite", a fascinating and very personal film which has been grossly underrated. Review by Roger Carpenter. Duration: 2h 36mins. Writer: Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone, Starring: Rod Steiger, James Coburn, Maria Monti, Romolo Valli, Rik Battaglia, Franco Graziosi. And Duck, You Sucker…oops, I mean Once Upon a Time…the Revolution…oops, you’ll have to forgive me; I mean A Fistful of Dynamite has just such a story. Bogdonavich insisted this was not a popular American phrase but Leone, who was never fluent in English, was absolutely convinced the phrase was well-known. Peter Bogdonavich, fresh from his success with 1968’s Targets, was originally slated to direct, but he and Leone got along like oil and water. was derived from the film's Italian name, Giu La Testa (literally meaning "Duck Your Head"). When it turns out that the government has been using the bank as a hiding place for illegally detained political prisoners -- who are freed … Nevertheless, I was fascinated with both from start to finish, especially since Cox and Frayling disagree on several points. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for A Fistful Of Dynamite [DVD] at Amazon.com. However you’ve heard about this movie, Sergio Leone’s forgotten political western goes … Personally, I love all of Leone’s films, right up through Once Upon a Time in America, another film that suffered from terrible cuts and, according to some, contributed to Leone’s premature death. The beauty and homeliness of Ireland contrasts with the barren, earthy landscapes of Mexico, where danger is everywhere, accentuating the sense of disillusionment. Leone always likes scenes to take their time and Sean's memories are in such slow motion, they almost stop. Unlike Juan, who never shuts up, he spends much of the film thinking, and you wonder what is tormenting his soul. His acting is simply marvelous. So it was that, after his Dollars trilogy he set in motion not just another western, but one of epic proportions that would also address the critics. I can see Eli Wallach playing the character of Juan Miranda. Review. He meets Juan Miranda, a peasant who could care less about the revolution and is more concerned with turning a buck any way he can. Thankfully the film itself is not suffering from an … ... 5.0 out of 5 stars A Fistful of Dynamite Is The Name of This Movie. Finally, I only believe in dynamite". Synopsis. Into its dusty streets rides an American who would become known as The Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood).After getting bullied by some gunmen (who also harass a little boy by shooting at him), TMWNN learns from a friendly saloon-keeper that San Miguel makes its money buying … Read Nick Jones's DVD Coburn stars as John Mallory, an IRA man who escaped the homeland after being ratted out. The fact that the British version was even called A Fistful Of Dynamite, when it is closer to Leone's Once Upon A Time series, shows how confused the whole affair was. With its problematic production, it has never been a film known for its coherence. While the movie has its slow parts, and the plot doesn't evolve very smoothly; it gets messy and muddled halfway through, A Fistful of Dollars's story never loses its track. Country: UK. The scene in which Juan rapes Adelita is deeply unpleasant and it is down to Steiger's believable performance and Leone's strong characterisation that we pity Juan later in the story, when tragedy befalls him. Read helpful reviews from our customers. At the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1913, greedy bandit Juan Miranda (Rod Steiger) and idealist John H. Mallory (James Coburn), an Irish Republican Army explosives expert on the lam from the British, fall in with a band of revolutionaries plotting to strike a national bank. Incidentally, when you press play on disc 1, you get the choice between A Fistful of Dynamite and Duck You Sucker! The dreaminess of the flashbacks, Sean's yearning for a more innocent time, make the frequent violent scenes even more repugnant and regrettable. Juan (Rod Steiger) is an amoral and opportunist Mexican bandit, who rapes and pillages with no remorse. Released in 1971 as Duck You Sucker the film stars Rod Steiger as Juan Miranda, a peasant-turned-outlaw who befriends an on the run Irish revolutionary and explosives expert John Mallory played by James Coburn. While Leone went through a succession of possible directors, he also went through a succession of stars. "A Fistfull of Dynamite" is also Leone's saddest movie. While an earlier Blu-Ray release came with many excellent special features, Kino Lorber has ported all of those onto this disc and included many more, making this the absolute best version of the film to own. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing A Fistful of Dynamite near you. Synched with long-term collaborator Ennio Morricone's haunting score, these scenes become strangely mystical. That said, Steiger gives an exceptional performance as the Mexican peasant, showing why he was Oscar-caliber. “The dead remain dead.” You might recognize the title A Fistful of Dynamite or you may have heard the title Duck You Sucker when looking through those “movies you haven’t seen” lists. Both commentaries are filled with information and insight but may be a bit too academic for the casual viewer. A Fistful of Dynamite movie (1971) - James Coburn. 1:24:14. He wanted Eli Wallach to play the Mexican peasant, Juan Miranda, but since American money was being used for the film, the American’s wanted a bigger name, opting instead for Oscar-winner Rod Steiger, who was money in the bank at the time. The film is about the friendship these two men cultivate as much as it is about revolution. At its newly extended length of 132 minutes, the stretch marks seem clearer than ever. A Fistful of Dynamite ***½ (M, 156 minutes) Opening today at the Astor. On the other hand, the conclusion offered by James … Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. As an aside, Leone did go with Duck, You Sucker as the title for the initial American release. And it does, in spades. So, with everything set, Leone finally chose his longtime assistant director to helm the picture. The two get off on the wrong foot. Over the years, Hollywood has generally shied away from the subject of … He’s angry and disenfranchised but wants to take part in a revolution somewhere, so he’s come to Mexico in a motorbike full of dynamite, hoping to wreak havoc on the Mexican government. Neither did Malcolm McDowell, who was gaining in popularity but considered still too green by the studio execs. HENRI-GORGES CLOUZOT’S INFERNO – The Blu Review, Bruce Willis in HUDSON HAWK Available on Blu-ray From Mill Creek Entertainment, Relive the Magic and Celebrate THE MUPPET MOVIE When it Returns to U.S. One of Juan's relatives plays with Sean's dynamite and blows himself up. Duck You Sucker (A Fistful of Dynamite) Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1971 / 157 154, 138, 120 min. Summary: Sergio Leone's 1972 … Here is where the story becomes interesting. Thus, we have a German soldier in a WWI-era tank looking very much like a Nazi, the murder of Mexican peasants in the trenches of a sugar factory similar to the murder of Jews in Dachau, and the murder of a group of peasants in a grotto, which references a very famous event that occurred in Nazi-occupied Italy in 1944.

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