A Fistful of Dynamite

Revolution means confusion. And it raises the question of whether it's appropriate to fault the incoherence of a film about a conflict as incoherent as the Mexican Revolution. Leone tries to use all the directorial attributes he has acquired to benefit an ambitious historical fresco, and then crams in some stylization as well (the character of James Coburn, the lanky demon with the droopy wrists and explosive-laden cape!) with a drastic and moving account of a conflict escalating into genocide. At certain points I felt like I was on Schindler's List here. The huge scene with the execution pits will freeze even the most hardened, if only because it is purely illustrative and foreshadowing. Giant panoramas of arid Mexican landscapes are then interspersed with extreme close-ups of the greasy postures of the uppity bourgeoisie. The fluctuating pacing is a problem; the film feels as if each episode is completely disconnected from the others, and the intimate sequences are quite theoretically and a bit driven unnecessarily into blood. However, the more grandiose and less genre-muddled sequences (especially in the first half of the film) are still breathtaking spectacle. Maybe because of the fact of how many films do you know that deal with the Mexican Revolution? (15/07/2021)

Only a tiny bit worse than Leone's best works and an unjustly neglected (by distributors and audiences) gem. Besides dynamite, these pockets are filled with especially memorable scenes (the stagecoach opening, the bank in Mesa Verde, the bridge, the cave, the breathtaking flashbacks), suspense and typical humor, and the precise direction of one master, along with the music of another and the interplay of Steiger and Coburn, turn it into a perfect spectacle. Some of the monumental shots and crowd scenes make you wonder how great Leone's Leningrad might have looked had it been made. (18/09/2007)

Sergio Leone knows how to play with the viewer... it starts off as a typical spaghetti western with distinctive main characters and a bank to be robbed, but over time it grows into something quite close to a drama with elements of an adventure film. Originally there is a very simply arranged relationship between John and Juan, then it gets a third dimension, and then a revolution, reflections on betrayal, cruelty, throwing Bakunin into the mud, and retrospectives all make their way into the western plot; in short, it all gets complicated and we are definitely not watching a simple film. Leone's designations are more than clear, there is perfect work with the eyes of the actors, plenty of details, a great camera, and perfect music by Master Morricone. All this gives the film a special lightness with which it balances on the border of comedy, cheapness, tragedy and seriousness. (23/07/2006)

"A revolution? Seems to me the revolutions are all over the world. You know, they're like the crops." A picture with two extremely different halves. While the first half rides on an adventurous wave in The Good, The Bad and The Ugly style, the second half becomes rather serious all of a sudden. Almost as if Sergio was getting ready for Once Upon a Time in America. But both halves are just perfect, no doubt about that. But I can’t help myself feeling that they don’t go very well together. Otherwise, the classic elements of Leone’s pictures are here and again in masterful quality. From Morricone’s perfect music to the not so clear-cut characters of the protagonists. Coburn’s character’s flashbacks worked particularly well. The one with cuts to the scene by the wall, gradually increasing the tension, is absolute genius and significantly stands out against the rest of the movie (which you don’t often find in Leone’s movies). In comparison with Leone’s other movies, I would give this 4*, but in comparison with other movies, I can’t possibly give this any less than the full five stars. I’m not going to underrate this movie just because, in comparison to Leone, all other directors are nobodies. (23/07/2006)

At first, I frowned a bit at the unknown Leone, but after a surprisingly tired traditional opening episode, I started to smile happily. It could be said that instead of the usual unforgettable dark hero in the foreground (Eastwood in the dollars trilogy, De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America, everyone in Once Upon a Time in the West), this time it relies on a buddy duo of likable guys, but in the second half Coburn shines brilliantly and thanks to ingeniously shot flashbacks, he presents another great Western character with a psychological trace in the soul. There is no need to overly idealize Dynamite just because it belongs to the divine Sergio, similarly to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, the pace is surprisingly unbalanced. Nevertheless, I was once again convinced that Leone will remain an immortal giant. Even though the undeniable Ennio does a considerable amount of work for him, as usual. (22/07/2006)