A Fistful of Dynamite, Leone's last great western
Legendary director Sergio Leone’s final western, A Fistful of Dynamite (aka Duck, You Sucker!) makes its way to Blu-ray for the first time, marking the perfect opportunity to revisit this underrated western and less talked about work from one of my favourite filmmakers. Helmed by the same man behind the iconic Clint Eastwood-headlined Dollars trilogy, A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, plus Once Upon a Time in the West, and a few years before his gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America, 1971’s Dynamite is his last hurrah for the epic Techniscope western he established. This one stars Hollywood heavyweights Rod Steiger (On the Waterfront) and James Coburn (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid) in a sweeping story of political revolution and friendship.
First in development during 1968’s Once Upon a Time in the West, it was spearheaded by Leone and his co-writers Sergio Donati and Luciano Vincenzoni, each developing different characters and aspects of the story. Leone, in particular, used this one to deconstruct romanticised images of revolution, just as he had stripped down the “old west” in his earlier films, and was inspired for this in part by political riots in Paris. As Leone never planned on directing it himself, the film went through various filmmakers in its infancy, reportedly including Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show), Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch) and Leone’s own assistant director, Giancarlo Santi (who years later helmed Lee Van Cleef’s The Grand Duel). But, when Steiger came onboard hot from his In the Heat of the Night Oscar win, on the basis that Leone takes the job, the producers weighed in and ultimately Leone was directing.
Released under various titles, such as Duck, You Sucker! (a translation of the Italian title Giù la testa, coglione!) and even Once Upon a Time… the Revolution, the film was mis-marketed and most likely tainted by being branded a light successor to the famous Dollars trilogy, which Leone never intended. Many scenes were also cut for being too violent or political, such as a quote from Mao Zedong about revolutions and class struggle. The released version suffered through being impaired, both as a gritty action-packed western, and as a film with something profound to say. The editing history is complex with a butchered 121 minute original cut, a subsequent 138 minute re-release and eventually a “restored” version which still trimmed parts of the original cut. It’s quite confusing when you hear about the many versions of the film, and there are even more! However, the newer 2K restoration by Cineteca di Bologna is now the best one to see, especially as many early film prints were said to be of low quality, and this release gets the 2K treatment, now on Blu-ray.
In this particular story, Steiger plays Juan Miranda, a peasant-turned-outlaw, and Coburn plays John Mallory, a dynamite-wielding Irish revolutionary who has fled to Mexico after becoming a fugitive in his own country, with his own chequered past. Together, they're a volatile mix of anti-establishment philosophies and violent tendencies as they attempt to liberate political prisoners, defend their compatriots against a well-equipped militia, and risk their lives on a train filled with explosives.
Alongside Leone’s lavish, sweeping visuals and themes of brotherhood, loyalty and betrayal set against an unforgiving backdrop, we have yet another a haunting and rousing score by famed composer and Leone collaborator, Ennio Morricone. This music stands alongside his best known work and becomes it’s own character in the film, injecting a deep sadness and regret into the adventures and exploits of these idealistic anti-heroes.
Available on UK Blu-ray for the first time, this new collectible release includes:
Hardbound slipcase with limited edition 60-page collector’s book featuring new and archival writing on the film
Two versions of the film presented in 1080p across two Blu-ray discs, including the 2K restoration completed by Cineteca di Bologna in 2009
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, and original mono audio available on both versions
Audio Commentaries by filmmaker Alex Cox and film historian Sir. Christopher Frayling
A new interview with film critic and writer Kim Newman
A brand new and exclusive interview with Austin Fisher, author of Radical Frontiers in the Spaghetti Western: Politics, Violence and Popular Italian Cinema
The Myth of Revolution – Sir Christopher Frayling on Duck, You Sucker!
Sergio Donati Remembers Duck, You Sucker!
Sorting Out The Versions: An Analysis of Duck, You Sucker!
Once Upon A Time… in Italy – featurette
Restoration, Italian Style
Location Comparisons
Trailer and radio spots
Though Dynamite doesn’t hold the same fondness from me as the aforementioned Dollars trilogy, or even Once Upon a Time in the West and Once Upon a Time in America, A Fistful of Dynamite is a very impressive, ambitious and beautifully made western adventure, which also benefits (sadly so in hindsight) by being something of a curiosity from its difficult production and release history. Still, seeing it restored through modern technology, and as Leone intended, delivers an authentic vision of his grand, final western before he left and rode into the sunset. It’s further, definitive proof that he was one of the twentieth century’s greatest film directors.
A Fistful of Dynamite is out now on Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment