Movie Night: The Magnificent Seven (1960).

Review #427: The Magnificent Seven.

Cast
Yul Brynner (Chris Adams), Eli Wallach (Calvera), Steve McQueen (Vin), Horst Buchholz (Chico), Charles Bronson (Bernardo O'Reilly), Robert Vaughn (Lee), James Coburn (Britt), Brad Dexter (Harry Luck), Vladimir Sokoloff (The Old Man), Jorge Martínez de Hoyos (Hilario), and Rosenda Monteros (Petra) Directed by John Sturges.

Review
The Magnificent Seven is a western style remake of the 1954 film Seven Samurai, which was directed by Akira Kurosawa, a legendary director who had directed 30 films in over 50 years of work. As for this film, the rights were bought for Seven Samurai, and Sturges was brought in to direct, with filming occurring in Mexico, and Elmer Bernstein composing the music score. As for my opinion on the film, it's a well made production. Brynner is effective, doing a fine job in one of the main roles. Eli Wallach is an effective villain, and when he and his bandits meet the Seven about an hour in, the scene is tense, but effective. But Steve McQueen nearly steals the show and while he does have too many lines, he is memorable in his role. The rest of the actors do very well, such as Charles Bronson, but especially James Coburn, who may not say much, but keeps a stone cold image that works well. The scenery is effective, given the tone of the film. This film is entertaining, with good directing by Sturges, and the music score by Elmer Bernstein is one of the best music scores made for film. It's a bittersweet film, and it is an excellent western.

Overall, I give it 10 out of 10 stars.