The Magnificent Seven

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN is an adventurous western and a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film Seven Samurai. Unfortunately, this is a pale reflection of the Japanese original, which has become very popular representative of the genre.

A poor village in Mexico is periodically raided for food and supplies by local bandits. An old man, who lives outside the village, has recommended that peasants have to fight for their village and food against the bandits. Taking what meager objects of value the village has, a delegation rides to a town just inside the United States border hoping to barter for weapons to defend themselves with. However, they have returned to the village in the company of six gunfighters and an "outlaw"....

Mexican landscape is very impressive. The suspense and human drama are flaws in this story. Mr. Sturges has made an entertaining film. Some serious life situations are not presented in the right way. Rhythm and direction are quite slow for a fun western in combination with a trashy comedy. This is not a big problem, but the story is filled with a certain philosophical reviews, that in such situations lose all meaning.

The main protagonists are not typical gunfighters.

Yul Brynner as Chris Adams is mysterious and perhaps too intelligent for a cowboy. His past and reasons are unknown, but he becomes the leader of seven. Steve McQueen (Vin Tanner) as a drifter and James Coburn (Britt) as a knife expert did not get a lot of space. Charles Bronson as Bernardo O'Reilly is a "mercenary" who loves children. Horst Buchholz as Chico is a hothead and peasant, who wants to become a gunfighter. I hope that Mr. Toshiro Mifune did not see this performance.

Seven Samurai is a very serious movie. This western is a good commercial entertainment, which should not be taken too seriously.