Duck, You Sucker! (1971)
I have mixed feelings when it comes to the work of Sergio Leone. His films are full of big-ideas, (often with payoff and hit out of the park), other times his ideas get “too big” and he seems to lose focus of what would have made a potentially better picture. I guess in some frame; this is an ode to his genius—because it is better to have too many ideas than too few.
Let’s not mince words here, from outset this film declares in bold print it will be about the Mexican Revolution… but also too, it seems to “show” and “unfold” something entirely different. That of a potential bank heist and Mesa Verde. Which in my opinion the latter plot would have made for a better film—much to my, and I’m sure others, dismay. But let’s not dwell in the “what-ifs” of what the film could have potentially been. Let’s focus instead on what it actually was.
Duck, You Sucker! is about two men, a bandit (Juan) and a revolutionary demolitions man (John). Together they form an unlikely team. Fate seems to bring them together and keep them together until their final explosive separation. This “Fate” concept seems to be what the film is about—particularly for the character of Juan. “Fate”/John rides in on wheels towards Juan and his bandit family, bringing a storm of explosions with him. Initially Juan sees John as an opportunity to “get rich” at the National Bank of Mesa Verde. But again, if you think this film is going to take that turn, you’d be wrong. What the film is about is “Fate” and it’s unpredictable, often chaotic, consequences. The audience is in the same ride as Juan. We seem to get pulled into a revolution we don’t care to go into or want much a part of… but alas we are.
Sergio Leone films often share these sentiments of “Fate.” Perhaps so much so that his films often seem to “drag on” from this event to that event to the next… but in reality this is entirely intentional and it does communicate the point he’s trying to make.
Sergio Leone is perhaps the most “Hollywood” of the Italian directors—certainly the most accessible to outside audiences, but he works with a very distinct style that is totally his. That of his framing of the camera and that of the music. As a matter of fact, his film scores seem to “predict” the work itself. Who and what you’ll see, (like locations or plot devices), are often given their own “themes.” So who shows up and when can often be “predicted” in the soundtrack. All done by marvelous composer Ennio Morricone. Meanwhile he frames his shots very close to the actors faces, extreme close-ups for example, or even in “insert shots” for detail. His characters are often very loud or very quiet. Such as Juan, (in this film being the loud one), and John, (being the quiet one). In these ways he seems to be one of the most “recognizable” directors out there. Most certainly.
With all this said, did I enjoy Duck, You Sucker!? Absolutely, because I knew what I was getting into. Truth be told, I longed for a bank heist film, honestly I did… but too, I know that’s not the point of this film. In fact, the point of the film is in opposition of that actually. So when my expectations are in line with that of Fatalism, I enjoyed my experience much more. My rating:
My Rating:
9/10
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