Magnificent Seven, The (1960)

Wicked awesome remake of The Seven Samurai

Genre: Action Adventure Western

Starring: Yul Brynner (The King And I • Westworld), Steve McQueen (The Sand Pebbles • Bullitt)

Directed By: John Sturges (The Great Escape • Bad Day at Black Rock)

Overview: Seven gunslingers are hired to defend a poor Mexican village from roaming bandits.

Performance:

Besides Yul and Steve we've got Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and Eli Wallach - made famous by being Ugly - just to tip the iceberg of kick-ass talent. I've got this co-worker who's all about the Brenner, something I could never understand, no matter how hot he was as an evil robot. Well now I get it. Talk about a presence worthy of a legend. The deep voice, the righteousness and noble postures look so natural on him that you know those his character recruits don't do it for him, they do it for his cause.
Rating: 9

Cinematography:

Impressive as this film may be it's just a touch dated, which means it looks like a 60s Western. Of course, 60s Westerns are atypical awesome, so it plays in their favour. You can expect the black hat / white hat cliché to be gone, but you can still expect that whoever gets shot off a horse is considered dead, unless it's one of the Magnificent. Saloons, pueblos, dusty roads and costumes however, all gold.
Rating: 8

Script:

If God didn't want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep!

The greatest fear I had in seeing The Magnificent Seven was that the script would be ripped off the original Kurosawa to the degree that I'd be asking what swords they're referring to. If you've seen Yojimbo's molested A Fistful of Dollars, you understand what I mean. I found that this remake was done as I would do one, with honour, with great differences, and with unique originality. When you take a story outline and make it your own and credit your inspiration to another director, well that's tribute at it's finest. Witty, comic and deep, this script is not only full of quotable quotes, but lessons and insight as well.
Rating: 9

Plot:

Perfectly paced, this is more than a bunch of guys getting hired for a final showdown with the bad guys. We start off with a solid introduction of the big picture problem, discussed to the point of making it personal, then we have the first of a great many series of challenges: hiring good men with no money to speak of. From there we introduce each of the seven, before they set off for the job they're tasked. What I liked most about this film is that it's a story first and a Action Western second. They take their time in getting to their destination, to make sure that we all understand the sacrifices being made by each of our characters.
Rating: 9

Mood:

Girlfriend of Squish asked why these seven guys were working for peanuts in this setting of the rugged Wild West. It rolled off the tongue easily, but I realized after I said it that this film conveyed the message, early on and with great banners waving: There is virtue in the world. There are people who are righteous, and this is their story. Talk about fighting the good fight. What else do you need to make a Western worthy of remembrance?
Rating: 10

Yul Brynner, to look taller than Steve McQueen, made mounds of earth to stand on. McQueen, for his part, casually kicked at the mound every time he passed by it.

Overall Rating: 90% (Fantastic Too!)

Aftertaste:

Why this isn't in either AFI's Top 100 nor 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I just don't understand. Not only is this a solid told tale that spans its Genre and helps define it, but it's fun, exciting and ever-relevant. Seriously, what is wrong with people?!