The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Director: John Sturges
Starring: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson

Synopsis:
Seven gunmen assemble to defend a Mexican village from bandits.

Impressions:
It's funny how the Western and the jidaigeki fill a similar role in our respective cultures. As such, it's not too hard to translate the story from one to the other. This is perhaps one of the most famous examples, being so highly regarded in its own right that it enjoys near equal standing with its inspiration, Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai. Unlike A Fistful of Dollars, which was an unauthorized remake of Yojimbo, this movie was made with Kurosawa's blessing and he was a big fan, so much that he gave John Sturges a ceremonial sword as a token of his esteem. This movie is one of the greats of the Western genre, featuring a number of the big name actors of the day. Not all the eponymous seven get a lot of characterization, but they're all fairly distinct. I particularly like Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen in this on the heroes' side and Eli Wallach is great as the bandit leader Calvera, presaging his performance as Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. If you're a fan of Westerns, you've no doubt seen it already. This is one for the collection.

Rating:
Own It