A local bandit crosses paths with an IRA demolitions expert and is unwittingly caught up in the Mexican Revolution.
Despite only making seven films in his entire career, Sergio Leone is a major figure in post-World War II cinema, influencing many contemporary filmmakers. Leone made his name with "Spaghetti Westerns", films made in the 1960's by Italian directors in the Spanish countryside, utilizing mostly local crews and casts, occasionally with American actors. Clint Eastwood's appearance in Leone's "Man With No Name" trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars; For A Few Dollars More; The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly) propelled both men to success and international popularity.
After his genre-deconstructing epic Once Upon A Time In The West, Leone turned his eye south of the border to explore class struggle and conflicting ideologies against the backdrop of revolution. Originally intending only to write and produce (with American director Peter Bogdanovich directing), demands by the studio and cast eventually forced Leone back into the director's chair himself.
For the two lead roles, Leone had considered previous collaborators Jason Robards and Clint Eastwood, but wound up with recent Oscar-winner Rod Steiger and James Coburn. Composer Ennio Morricone returned to work with Leone again, contributing another memorable score.
Filming took place on location in Andalusia, Spain (substituting for Mexico), with additional scenes shot in Dublin, Ireland. International distribution proved a problem, as much of the story's political content and violence were edited out American release, losing roughly 30 minutes from the original cut. Ironically, the film did not make as much money as previous Leone efforts.
Long overlooked in the director's career, Duck, You Sucker! is now highly regarded by critics and fans, with the full version now available for viewing.
Running time is approx 2.5 hrs.
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