The Magnificent Seven

Release Year: 1960

Director: John Struges

Review: Directed by John Struges, 'The Magnificent Seven' is a resetting of Akira Kurosawa's 'Seven Samurai'.   A small Mexican village is being raided by bandits, and they seek the help of some gunslingers to defend their village.  What they end up with is a group of seven eclectic cowboys who make it their mission to help defend the villagers.  I'm not a fan of westerns in general, so a film from this genre has to bring something extra for me to enjoy it.  Since this is a western adaptation of 'Seven Samurai' there is definitely a lot more to this story than just your run-of-the-mill cowboy flick.

I think what I enjoyed most about this was what was taken from Kurosawa's film, and the fact that it was set in the West had little to do with it.  Its strongly character driven, and each of the gang of seven are compelling, with their own motives and personality.  Yul Brynner and Steve Mcqueen are the definition of cool cowboys, and if I were to form my posse of cowboys I'd definitely want them at the lead.  The story got slightly bogged down as the story progressed, trying to stuff the familiar western troupes into the story.  The beginning is strong however, and the forming of the crew is the most fun I've ever had watching a western.  If nothing else, this only strengthens my resolve to watch Seven Samurai(something I should have done long ago).  It does, however,  stand up on its own as an enjoyable character driven western that mostly stays away from the familiar, stereotypical, aspects of traditional westerns.

Rating: 3/5