Western Wednesdays: Duck You Sucker! (1971)

     Duck You Sucker! was released in the U.S. on Jul 7, 1972. It is directed by Sergio Leone and written by Leone, Luciano Vincenzoni (The Mercenary), and Sergio Donati (Once Upon a Time in the West). It tells of two men, one a Mexican bandit played by Rod Steiger and the other an explosive expert and former member of the Irish Republican Brotherhood played by James Coburn, who reluctantly join forces during the Mexican Revolution.

     Duck You Sucker! is the only Sergio Leone directed western I had yet to see. Being, in general, a really big fan of his work (and also of Spaghetti westerns dealing with the Mexican Revolution) I was really anticipating it. Though I could see myself changing my mind after repeat viewings (it took a while for Once Upon a Time in the West to grow on me), I found this film somewhat disappointing. There are many reasons for this. The film-making is less tight then any of his earlier works and Leone doesn't display the same masterful control of tone. There's also a rape scene early on that felt a bit tasteless and unnecessary to me. But where the movie really falls short for me is the story.

     My main issue is that it just seems unfocused and meandering. The two main characters, Rod Stieger's Juan and James Coburn's John H. Mallory, become friends and join the revolution over the course of the film. But they have completely different motivations. Juan is really just interested in his own self-gain, where as John seems genuinely interested on the political cause of the revolution. Throughout the film each manipulated the other in furthering their respective causes, with Juan getting John to help him rob the bank in Mesa Verde, which turns out to be a prison for members of the revolution who Juan winds up freeing.

     What's supposed to happen, I think, is that the two men rub off on each other, with Juan becoming more revolutionary and John more cynical. The problem is this seems to happen to the two men independently of each other. At one point it's revealed that John killed his best friend back in Ireland after he betrayed members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood to the British. He tells Dr. Villaga, who also betrayed the revolutionaries after being caught and tortured, that he doesn't judge him, "I did that only once in my life." He says he used to believe in many things but now he believes "only in dynamite." So it seems like he's already lost faith in the cause when the film begins. Juan, on the other hand, never really stops being self-serving, he simply wants vengeance for his family after they are killed by the federales.

     In addition to this I think some of Leone's editing choices are a little questionable. When Juan first gets the idea to rob the bank in Mesa Verde with Mallory's help, Leone superimposes the bank's logo over Mallory's head. At the end of the film, after John dies, we hear Juan saying "what about me?" dubbed over his reaction shot. While quirky editing is a Leone trademark, I found these choices distracting and a little pretentious.

     Despite this I don''t think Duck You Sucker! is a bad film. There are a lot of really great scenes. All of the action is quite well done and, once again, the director makes effective use of flashbacks. I was particularly impressed with one sequence where we see Juan go out and face the federales single handed despite John's protests. It's only after he leaves that we find out why: his father and sons have been massacred along with most of the other revolutionaries. Ennio Morricone's score certainly doesn't disappoint. It perfectly matches the offbeat, darkly comedic tone of the film while still being affective.

     Though it may be Leone's weakest western, Duck You Sucker! is still well made, and at times, thought provoking film, despite its flaws.


Score: 7/10