Return of the Seven (1966)
Studio: MGM/20th Century Fox
Theatrical Release: October 19, 1966
Blu Ray Release: August 2, 2011
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
Although the blu ray states the film is called Return of the Magnificent Seven, the actual on screen title is Return of the Seven. My guess is that the film makers figured out that this sequel to the 1960 classic is just got magnificent enough. I guess Return of the Not Bad/Pretty Good Seven didn't sound quite right.
Yul Brynner returns as Chris who is now a loner and wondering around certain towns looking for work. He meets up with his old pal Vin (now played by Robert Fuller as Brynner himself said he would not do the film if Steve McQueen returned) who was hired to kill Chris but because of their friendship and loyalty to one another, is not out to kill him but to warn him about the bounty on his head. While at a cockfight, the two men run into the wife and son of their old pal Chico who tells the two that their town was attacked and that Chico and all of the other men in the town were taken hostage by a gang of bandits for ransom. Chris and Vin round up a new group of gunslingers to get back all of the men from the village.
While the story is simplistic (shockingly Larry Cohen, the director of It's Alive and writer of Maniac Cop wrote the screenplay) and almost plays like a remake of the first film, it is saved by the great cast and well written characters. We may not have James Coburn or Charles Bronson but we do get Warren Oates and Claude Atkins who join the seven. I especially enjoyed these characters as one is a womanizer who wants to go to this town just for the women while the other one has his own reasons which he refuses to share. And of course Brynner is as cool as ever as Chris, the tough but kind gunslinger. He still utters some great lines in this sequel like, "If you even move towards your gun, I'll kill you." or "How would you like to use that gun belt for something more than holding up your pants?"
The biggest problem I have with the film is that not only does it feel like a remake, it feels like a cheaper remake. The budget does seem like it went down on this sequel and while the action scenes are good (and bloodier) the film doesn't have that grand feeling, that epic look and tone that the first film had. Even the running time is a very short 95 minutes compared to the much longer first film.
The blu ray transfer is fine but does have some overly dark scenes (during night of course) that does bring out some grain. The opening credits looked awful but as the film went on the picture quality got much better. The sound was fine as well but even though it's presented in 5.1 I barely noticed any of the side channels really standing out. While the first film had numerous special features, we get just the trailer this time. I guess that makes sense given most of the cast and director Burt Kennedy are all deceased.
Return of the Seven is entertaining and does have a great cast with interesting characters. It's also nice to hear the great theme by Elmer Bernstein once again. It's worth a look for fans of the western genre or just for Yul Brynner himself. Just don't expect anything magnificent.
Theatrical Release: October 19, 1966
Blu Ray Release: August 2, 2011
Not Rated
Review by James Klein
Although the blu ray states the film is called Return of the Magnificent Seven, the actual on screen title is Return of the Seven. My guess is that the film makers figured out that this sequel to the 1960 classic is just got magnificent enough. I guess Return of the Not Bad/Pretty Good Seven didn't sound quite right.
Yul Brynner returns as Chris who is now a loner and wondering around certain towns looking for work. He meets up with his old pal Vin (now played by Robert Fuller as Brynner himself said he would not do the film if Steve McQueen returned) who was hired to kill Chris but because of their friendship and loyalty to one another, is not out to kill him but to warn him about the bounty on his head. While at a cockfight, the two men run into the wife and son of their old pal Chico who tells the two that their town was attacked and that Chico and all of the other men in the town were taken hostage by a gang of bandits for ransom. Chris and Vin round up a new group of gunslingers to get back all of the men from the village.
While the story is simplistic (shockingly Larry Cohen, the director of It's Alive and writer of Maniac Cop wrote the screenplay) and almost plays like a remake of the first film, it is saved by the great cast and well written characters. We may not have James Coburn or Charles Bronson but we do get Warren Oates and Claude Atkins who join the seven. I especially enjoyed these characters as one is a womanizer who wants to go to this town just for the women while the other one has his own reasons which he refuses to share. And of course Brynner is as cool as ever as Chris, the tough but kind gunslinger. He still utters some great lines in this sequel like, "If you even move towards your gun, I'll kill you." or "How would you like to use that gun belt for something more than holding up your pants?"
The biggest problem I have with the film is that not only does it feel like a remake, it feels like a cheaper remake. The budget does seem like it went down on this sequel and while the action scenes are good (and bloodier) the film doesn't have that grand feeling, that epic look and tone that the first film had. Even the running time is a very short 95 minutes compared to the much longer first film.
The blu ray transfer is fine but does have some overly dark scenes (during night of course) that does bring out some grain. The opening credits looked awful but as the film went on the picture quality got much better. The sound was fine as well but even though it's presented in 5.1 I barely noticed any of the side channels really standing out. While the first film had numerous special features, we get just the trailer this time. I guess that makes sense given most of the cast and director Burt Kennedy are all deceased.
Return of the Seven is entertaining and does have a great cast with interesting characters. It's also nice to hear the great theme by Elmer Bernstein once again. It's worth a look for fans of the western genre or just for Yul Brynner himself. Just don't expect anything magnificent.
Post a Comment