Rating of
2.5/4
"A Fistful Of Dynamite" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 03/18/12
One of Sergio Leone's lesser known films, A Fistful Of Dynamite stars Rod Steiger as a self centred Mexican bandit who forms an unlikely alliance with ex IRA bombmaker James Coburn and becomes caught up in the revolution. This film contains many of Leone's classic ingredients; tight close ups on weather-worn faces, splendid panoramas and some fantastic locations. Rather lighter in tone than a lot of his other work despite the rather heavy subject matter it is also unusual in that it features a hero who is neither American nor a gunfighter, and often resembles a war film more than anything else. Coburn lacks the steely intensity of The Man With No Name but is undeniably cool, although his mangling of the Irish accent is almost painful to listen to. Better is Steiger who is a characterful anti-hero very much in the style of Tuco from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. On the down side, the flashbacks to Coburn's old life are so corny the Jolly Green Giant would gag on them, and although Morricone's score contains some lovely melodies, it does not always sit well with what's happening on screen. Not up there with Leone's classics, but an enjoyable off-beat western that is worth seeing for Steiger's performance alone.
