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A Fistful of Dynamite

PG 1971 2h 19m Western List
92% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 83% Audience Score 10,000+ Ratings
At the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1913, greedy bandit Juan Miranda (Rod Steiger) and idealist John H. Mallory (James Coburn), an Irish Republican Army explosives expert on the lam from the British, fall in with a band of revolutionaries plotting to strike a national bank. When it turns out that the government has been using the bank as a hiding place for illegally detained political prisoners -- who are freed by the blast -- Miranda becomes a revolutionary hero against his will. Read More Read Less
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A Fistful of Dynamite

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Critics Consensus

Duck, You Sucker is a saucy helping of spaghetti western, with James Coburn and Rod Steiger's chemistry igniting the screen and Sergio Leone's bravura style on full display.

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Critics Reviews

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Budd Wilkins Slant Magazine Sergio Leone’s acerbic revolutionary epic A Fistful of Dynamite posits the notion that, when the bullets start flying, rather than turn rashly heroic, it’s best to keep your head down. Mar 18, 2024 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times The idiosyncrasies are there, all right, but they have never seemed less interesting. Rated: 2.5/5 Sep 4, 2007 Full Review Time Out The most wry of the political spaghettis, and wholly wonderful. Jan 26, 2006 Full Review Sean Axmaker Stream on Demand Ultimately [Sergio] Leone’s epic of the Mexican revolution is a portrait in disillusion grounded in ambiguity and contradictions and the most eccentric and touching friendships in Leone’s cinema. May 4, 2024 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy As with most Leone works, A Fistful of Dynamite (which also made the rounds under the monikers Duck, You Sucker and Once Upon a Time ... the Revolution) is full of sly humor and startling camerawork. Rated: 3/4 Aug 31, 2021 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins The film is overlooked, missing big name stars, and released with numerous different titles since its premiere, but it's still a memorable entry in Leone's Western pantheon. Rated: 6/10 Aug 29, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Bill T Love James Coburn. A great action film and I highly recommend this film....Bill Treakle Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/09/24 Full Review Horror fan 4 Another timeless classic for Sergio Leone. Not quite as good as the first movie or 3rd but still a good watch. Tim Treakle Rated 4 out of 5 stars 07/06/24 Full Review Chief B Another Sergio Leone masterpiece. A bit unknown even I didn't know this movie but a must see for people who love the dollar trilogy and once upon a time in the west and of course once upon a time in america. This movie also goes by the title " once upon a time in the revolution" and some see this masterpiece as one of the once upon a time movies as a trilogy. This movie also goes by Leone's preferred title "duck you sucker". Perhaps the different titles make this movie less known. Go see it!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/29/24 Full Review Peter S In a few words, Serge Leone brilliant. His last directed and most politically overt film. No Clint Eastwood or Lee Van Cleef. I love those actors in Spagetti Westerns, but what Steiger and Colburn do in this movie is a modern marvel. All the emotions of war, revolution, civil unrest, criminal proclivities/motives, family bonds/family meanings, racial conflicts, are explored. These characters are malignant, yet made very human and demonstrating clear humanity. Self interest leading to heroism and back again. Back and forth, with seamless transitions. The interplay of opposing perspectives- marvelous, outstanding. What else can I say? Some may see this film as dated and lacking technical achievement. I have never since, in any movie, viewed the issues and subjects presented here done so well. No wonder Leone wanted to go out as a director with this film. It is not only overlooked; the movie is this superstar director's crowning achievement. Bravo!!!! Now I will see if in 2024, DUNE: PART 2 can come even close to this simple Spagetti Western's effectiveness given the latter's SCI-Fi context and modern technical effects. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/23/24 Full Review Dane W sergio leone at his best Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/29/23 Full Review TWMax65 This movie's directing and score by Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone respectively are stellar (as they always are with their other collaborative projects, just the perfect duo and may they RIP). This is up there and comparable to the Good the Bad and the Ugly imo (although I still like that one a bit more). While there are slow scenes, this movie is filled to the brim with action and even humor! The scene when they blow up the desert bridge, when they blow up two trains at once, and when they break into a prison thinking it's a bank are really well-done scenes. I had a great time watching this and it's not only a great action movie, but a beautiful movie! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/03/23 Full Review Read all reviews
A Fistful of Dynamite

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Movie Info

Synopsis At the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1913, greedy bandit Juan Miranda (Rod Steiger) and idealist John H. Mallory (James Coburn), an Irish Republican Army explosives expert on the lam from the British, fall in with a band of revolutionaries plotting to strike a national bank. When it turns out that the government has been using the bank as a hiding place for illegally detained political prisoners -- who are freed by the blast -- Miranda becomes a revolutionary hero against his will.
Director
Sergio Leone
Producer
Fulvio Morsella
Screenwriter
Luciano Vincenzoni, Sergio Donati, Sergio Leone
Production Co
Euro International Film (EIA) S.p.A.
Rating
PG
Genre
Western
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2016
Runtime
2h 19m
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