Duck, You Sucker (1971)

In 1913, Juan Miranda (Rod Steiger) is a bandit in Mexico, a country torn by revolution.  He is indifferent to the Revolution but is eager to acquire wealth out of the chaos.  His bandit clan consists of his father, several sons from different mothers, and a few others.  Things are looking up for his happy clan until they mess with John Mallory (James Coburn), an explosives expert.  Initially, Juan tries to extort John into helping him rob the bank of Mesa Verde, but John is recalcitrant.  The contentious relationship continues as the pair clash but finally find themselves in Mesa Verde and dragooned into the Revolution.  Despite having no interest in the Revolution, Juan's actions repeatedly bring him to the fore where he is viewed as a hero of the Revolution!

Alternately titled "Once Upon a Time... The Revolution" or "A Fistful of Dynamite," the movie does not flow well.  A lot of material was left on the cutting room floor, some of it key to the continuity.  The pacing is inconsistent.  Only one of Juan's son's gets any development while the rest are nameless extras.  There were a couple of times where one of his sons is gunned down and he walks on as if he meant nothing.  Oh, I suppose that guy wasn't one of his sons, just one of the nameless bandits.  Perhaps character development of the sons was also cut, but that diminishes the impact of later events.

Sergio Leone had wanted Eli Wallach to play Juan Miranda and, while watching the movie, it was easy to see why.  Wallach brings natural humor and levity that Steiger does not.  The character of Juan is not a likable person, much like Tuco from The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, but Wallach made Tuco a likable character while Steiger didn't do that for Juan.  Juan had that same haplessness that was key to Tuco.  This would have been a much better film had that casting change been made.

John Mallory had to flee Ireland because he killed some British soldiers.  There are more dark aspects to his past that are explored in slow-motion flashbacks that are accompanied by a melancholy and annoying soundtrack.  Coburn plays Mallory with insouciance and a surprisingly good Irish lilt.  According to IMDb, he vacationed in Ireland for 6 weeks to work on his accent.  Where Juan is out for wealth, Mallory's goals are inscrutable.  Once roped into the Revolution, he seems happy to stay the course, often taking high risk assignments.  Is he out to get himself killed?  Do the flashbacks explain his motivations?

Considering that this was the final Western that Leone directed, it is very disappointing.  It proves to be the darkest of his Westerns as it has hundreds upon hundreds killed through the movie, many of them by firing squad.  What a bloodbath!  Mostly one long tragedy, which is what the Mexican Revolution was.  Skip this one.