Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,139
Likes: 6,680
Location:
Last Online Oct 5, 2024 0:33:20 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Sept 28, 2024 18:59:07 GMT -5
It is indeed a good movie, almost as good as Duck You Sucker. Right PhantomKnight? Right?
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,417
Likes: 3,076
Location:
Last Online Oct 5, 2024 0:27:09 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Sept 29, 2024 10:43:27 GMT -5
It is indeed a good movie, almost as good as Duck You Sucker. Right PhantomKnight ? Right?Flip that.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,417
Likes: 3,076
Location:
Last Online Oct 5, 2024 0:27:09 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Sept 29, 2024 19:30:29 GMT -5
Duck, You Sucker (1971)
When looking at a body of work of a director's such as that of Sergio Leone, it really can just be a matter of picking which ones you like the most. Because even the ones that may not be quite as great as some of the more defining ones are still well worth their weight, which brings us to 1971's Duck, You Sucker. What's immediately obvious here is that this differentiates itself in a few key areas from The Dollars Trilogy and Once Upon A Time In The West. For one, Leone trades in quite a few of his trademarks in those for what feels like a grittier, more down-to-Earth approach. Was it intentional or out of necessity because he wanted to try something different? In either case, it often works, though I'd be lying if I said Duck, You Sucker completely packed the same punch as something like Once Upon a Time in the West. I want to be careful how I phrase it, however, because I don't want to make it sound like this is a miss in any way, because it's not -- just that I, personally, may prefer the more stylized approach of his other works. Although, what's up with those overly sappy flashbacks for James Coburn's character? I get wanting to communicate such a stark difference between his past and current lives, but those almost bordered on parody. But on its own merits, Duck, You Sucker still offers up more than enough. This feels more violent than Leone's previous films, which gives it a certain visceral quality that adds to the overall tone and makes for some pretty intense action. The plot itself is quite compelling, and Rod Steiger and James Coburn both give strong performances, even if the characters themselves may not necessarily have the memorability as Eastwood's Man With No Name. But in a way, that's also not a bad thing because it helps ground the characters a bit more and make them feel more real. Also, in terms of Ennio Morricone's score here...it really is very good, but at the same time, maybe not with as many earwormy tunes as his work in other Leone films, yet that may also speak to the more grounded nature here and how Leone wanted to let the story and characters speak for themselves. Overall, it amounts to a very interesting and unique cocktail with Duck, You Sucker. One that shows that Leone was definitely capable of delivering a strong Western yarn without his usual trademarks, and even though I may not love it as much as Once Upon a Time in the West or The Good, The Bad and The Ugly...this is absolutely a strong piece of work all the same.
***1/2 /****
|
|
Doomsday
Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2001
Posts: 23,139
Likes: 6,680
Location:
Last Online Oct 5, 2024 0:33:20 GMT -5
|
Post by Doomsday on Sept 30, 2024 10:02:22 GMT -5
Awesome, glad you were able to scratch that one off your list.
The film club is going into October hibernation, I'll start taking participant names at the end of the month.
|
|
Neverending
CS! Platinum
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 65,242
Likes: 8,550
Location:
Last Online Oct 4, 2024 16:02:23 GMT -5
|
Post by Neverending on Sept 30, 2024 10:48:29 GMT -5
Awesome, glad you were able to scratch that one off your list. The film club is going into October hibernation, I'll start taking participant names at the end of the month.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,417
Likes: 3,076
Location:
Last Online Oct 5, 2024 0:27:09 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Oct 1, 2024 8:23:35 GMT -5
Awesome, glad you were able to scratch that one off your list. The film club is going into October hibernation, I'll start taking participant names at the end of the month. You're welcome to do your own one-person round.
|
|
PG Cooper
CS! Silver
Join Date: Feb 2009
And those who tasted the bite of his sword named him...The DOOM Slayer
Posts: 16,544
Likes: 4,007
Location:
Last Online Oct 4, 2024 23:08:10 GMT -5
|
Post by PG Cooper on Oct 1, 2024 9:27:44 GMT -5
Awesome, glad you were able to scratch that one off your list. The film club is going into October hibernation, I'll start taking participant names at the end of the month. In.
|
|
PhantomKnight
CS! Gold
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 20,417
Likes: 3,076
Location:
Last Online Oct 5, 2024 0:27:09 GMT -5
|
Post by PhantomKnight on Oct 1, 2024 10:04:02 GMT -5
Awesome, glad you were able to scratch that one off your list. The film club is going into October hibernation, I'll start taking participant names at the end of the month. Go ahead and count me in, too.
|
|