The Magnificent Seven (1960)
Studio: MGM/20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release: October 23, 1960
Blu Ray Release: August 2, 2011
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
Remember when ensemble films such as The Great Escape and The Dirty Dozen were filled with not just great actors but also contained a good script? It's now been 50 years since the remake of The Seven Samurai was released. Maybe The Magnificent Seven could arguably be the greatest remake ever made. Here is a film about men dealing with honor, courage, standing by one's beliefs and helping your fellow man against uncertain odds. Yeah they don't make them like this anymore. The Magnificent Seven is a guy's flick and should be shown to every young man out there who has never or refuses to see a western. The Magnificent Seven is the definition of the word "cool."
Before El Wallach played "the Ugly" in The Good, the Bad & the Ugly he was the evil Calvera, the leader of a group of bandits who rob villages and take what they want. After robbing a village and stealing their crops, food, and money Calvera leaves the village and vows to return soon for more. The villagers go to the nearby town to hire a gunman or gunmen to protect them from Calvera and to teach them on how to fight back. That's when they run into Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen.
Maybe my favorite introduction to any two characters ever is the intro to Chris (Brynner) and Vin (McQueen). When an Indian is about to be buried in a graveyard that is meant for whites only, many townspeople put a stop to it and threaten to kill any many who decides to bury the Indian. Brynner volunteers to take the dead Indian to the hill to be buried. He knows he may be killed and McQueen jumps in to help out his fellow man in doing what is right. Nothing is more cooler than Brynner smoking a cigar and McQueen with a shotgun at his side as they take the Indian to the hill. Of course they jump at the chance to help the village out in fighting Calvera.
Before taking on the task of fighting Calvera, Chris and Vin recruit some more tough ambre's to fight by their side: Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Bucholz. They form together to be the seven saviors, the men who are only paid $20 to protect a town of people they don't even know.
The Magnificent Seven not only has one of the best casts in film history but it was also directed by legendary John Sturges (Never So Few, The Great Escape, The Eagle Has Landed) who is no stranger to epic action/westerns. The man not only has an eye for talent but also for shooting some gorgeous backdrops and directing numerous action scenes. The screenplay by William Roberts is also great and has some of my favorite lines: When Chris asks Robert Vaughn, "I heard you were looking for the Johnson Brothers...what happened?" he replies with simply, "I found them." Or when Vin says quietly, "We deal in lead friend." Or when Bronson yells at some village kids who call their own fathers cowards, he says, "You think I am brave because I carry a gun? Well your fathers are much braver because they carry responsibility, for you, your brothers, your sisters and your mothers."
MGM's blu ray is also very beautiful. The picture suffers just a tad due to some grain, especially during transitions when the film is about to fade out or dissolve but aside from that, it looks great. I found no problems with the audio although rumor has it that the film does drift out of sync after 90 minutes into the film. I must admit, I did not catch this. The blu ray carries over all of the great special features as the older DVD such as an audio commentary, a making of, and a small documentary on Elmer Bernstein's now classic score.
The Magnificent Seven is simply a bad ass movie. It should be in every man's blu ray collection. The film has action, drama, and humor. It has a great director at the helm. It has an unforgettable score. It's cast is made up of all of Hollywood's coolest cats. The Magnificent Seven earns the title of "magnificent."
Theatrical Release: October 23, 1960
Blu Ray Release: August 2, 2011
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
Remember when ensemble films such as The Great Escape and The Dirty Dozen were filled with not just great actors but also contained a good script? It's now been 50 years since the remake of The Seven Samurai was released. Maybe The Magnificent Seven could arguably be the greatest remake ever made. Here is a film about men dealing with honor, courage, standing by one's beliefs and helping your fellow man against uncertain odds. Yeah they don't make them like this anymore. The Magnificent Seven is a guy's flick and should be shown to every young man out there who has never or refuses to see a western. The Magnificent Seven is the definition of the word "cool."
Before El Wallach played "the Ugly" in The Good, the Bad & the Ugly he was the evil Calvera, the leader of a group of bandits who rob villages and take what they want. After robbing a village and stealing their crops, food, and money Calvera leaves the village and vows to return soon for more. The villagers go to the nearby town to hire a gunman or gunmen to protect them from Calvera and to teach them on how to fight back. That's when they run into Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen.
Maybe my favorite introduction to any two characters ever is the intro to Chris (Brynner) and Vin (McQueen). When an Indian is about to be buried in a graveyard that is meant for whites only, many townspeople put a stop to it and threaten to kill any many who decides to bury the Indian. Brynner volunteers to take the dead Indian to the hill to be buried. He knows he may be killed and McQueen jumps in to help out his fellow man in doing what is right. Nothing is more cooler than Brynner smoking a cigar and McQueen with a shotgun at his side as they take the Indian to the hill. Of course they jump at the chance to help the village out in fighting Calvera.
Before taking on the task of fighting Calvera, Chris and Vin recruit some more tough ambre's to fight by their side: Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter and Horst Bucholz. They form together to be the seven saviors, the men who are only paid $20 to protect a town of people they don't even know.
The Magnificent Seven not only has one of the best casts in film history but it was also directed by legendary John Sturges (Never So Few, The Great Escape, The Eagle Has Landed) who is no stranger to epic action/westerns. The man not only has an eye for talent but also for shooting some gorgeous backdrops and directing numerous action scenes. The screenplay by William Roberts is also great and has some of my favorite lines: When Chris asks Robert Vaughn, "I heard you were looking for the Johnson Brothers...what happened?" he replies with simply, "I found them." Or when Vin says quietly, "We deal in lead friend." Or when Bronson yells at some village kids who call their own fathers cowards, he says, "You think I am brave because I carry a gun? Well your fathers are much braver because they carry responsibility, for you, your brothers, your sisters and your mothers."
MGM's blu ray is also very beautiful. The picture suffers just a tad due to some grain, especially during transitions when the film is about to fade out or dissolve but aside from that, it looks great. I found no problems with the audio although rumor has it that the film does drift out of sync after 90 minutes into the film. I must admit, I did not catch this. The blu ray carries over all of the great special features as the older DVD such as an audio commentary, a making of, and a small documentary on Elmer Bernstein's now classic score.
The Magnificent Seven is simply a bad ass movie. It should be in every man's blu ray collection. The film has action, drama, and humor. It has a great director at the helm. It has an unforgettable score. It's cast is made up of all of Hollywood's coolest cats. The Magnificent Seven earns the title of "magnificent."
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