The Magnificent Seven

Plot synopsis:
A poor village in Mexico is periodically raided for food and supplies by Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his bandits. After he and his forty men's latest raid, during which they kill a villager, the village leaders decide the situation cannot continue. They discuss it with the venerated elder (Vladimir Sokoloff) who lives just outside the village, and he recommends they fight back. Taking what meager objects of value the village has, a delegation rides to a town just inside the United States border hoping to barter for weapons to defend themselves with. Once there they approach Chris Adams (Yul Brynner), a veteran Cajun gunslinger. Chris suggests they hire gunfighters to defend the village, which would be cheaper than buying guns and ammunition. He cautions the village men that once they actively resist Calvera they will have to keep killing until all the bandits are dead. At first Chris agrees only to help the delegation find capable men, but later he decides to recruit and lead them. Despite the poor pay offered, he is able to find five willing gunmen.
The other men include the gunfighter Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen), who has gone broke after a round of gambling and jokes he may have to accept a position as a store clerk; Chris's friend Harry Luck (Brad Dexter), who believes Chris knows about hidden treasure near the village; the Irish-Mexican Bernardo O'Reilly (Charles Bronson), who has fallen on hard times; Britt (James Coburn), an expert in both knife and gun who joins purely for the challenge involved; and the dapper, on-the-run gunman Lee (Robert Vaughn), haunted by thoughts that he has lost his nerve and taste for battle. On their way to the village they are trailed by the hotheaded Chico (Horst Buchholz), an aspiring gunfighter whom Chris had previously humiliated by rejecting him. Now impressed by his persistence, Chris invites him to join the group.
Arriving at the village, they have the villagers build fortifications and begin to train them to defend themselves. Each finds himself befriending particular villagers. Chico is romantically pursued by Petra (Rosenda Monteros), one of the village's young women. (Village elders had hidden all the young women, fearing the gunfighters might rape them, but Chico had stumbled across their hiding place.) Bernardo bonds with some of the village's boys. Residents comfort Lee, who is struggling with nightmares and fearing the loss of his skills. Harry presses the villagers for information about any treasure. Later, when Bernardo points out that the seven are consuming almost all the food in the village, the gunmen share it with the village children.
Calvera and his bandits arrive, sustain heavy losses in a shootout with the seven and the villagers, and are run out of town. Hilario (Jorge Martínez de Hoyos) and Vin, guarding against another possible attack, briefly discuss nerves on the eve of battle. Vin admits he still feels such nerves, and says he envies Hilario for fighting for an honourable cause. Chico, who is Mexican, partly from recklessness and partly to impress the others, follows Calvera back to his camp and pretends to be one of the bandits. He learns that Calvera must raid the village soon because he and his men are desperate for food.
Upon hearing this information, some fearful villagers call for the gunfighters to leave. Even some of the seven waver: Vin is of two minds; and Harry argues they were hired merely to put up enough resistance that Calvera would move on to an easier village. But Chris insists that they stay, even threatening to kill anyone who suggests giving up the fight. They ride out to make a surprise raid on Calvera's camp, but find it abandoned. Returning to the village, they find that some villagers have allowed Calvera and his men to sneak in and take control. Calvera spares the seven's lives, believing they have learned that the simple farmers are not worth defending. He also fears reprisals from the gunfighters' friends north of the border. While gathering their things before departing, Chris and Vin talk of how they had become emotionally attached to the village, and might have been tempted to give up their careers as gunmen and settle in such a place. Bernardo gets angry with the boys he befriended when they call their parents cowards. Chico raves against the villagers and how much he hates them, and when Chris reminds him he is of just such peasant stock he angrily responds that it is men like Calvera and Chris who made the villagers what they are.
The seven gunmen are escorted some distance from the village, where their weapons are returned to them. They debate their next move and all but Harry, who believes the effort will be futile and suicidal, agree to return and fight. Harry rides off alone.
Returning to the village, the six gunmen are able to get well within it before being detected. A gunfight breaks out. Harry, who has had a change of heart, arrives in time to prevent a cornered Chris from being killed, but is himself fatally shot. Before his death Chris comforts him by saying there was indeed a fortune hidden in the village. Lee finds the nerve to burst into a house where several villagers are held captive, shooting the bandits guarding them. This enables the villagers, some of whom were among those who had comforted Lee, to join in the fight on the side of the seven. Lee emerges from the house to see this, but is gunned down. Bernardo is shot protecting the boys he befriended, with his last breath he tells them to look at how bravely their fathers are fighting. Britt dies after shooting at a considerable number of bandits but exposing himself from cover. Chris manages to shoot Calvera, who asks him, "You came back... to a place like this? Why? A man like you? Why?" He dies without receiving an answer. The remaining bandits take flight.
The three surviving gunmen help to bury the dead, then ride out of town. At the top of the hill overlooking the village they stop to look back. Chris says adios to Chico, both having realized his proper place is in the village, with Petra; she is overjoyed when she sees he has returned. Chris and Vin chat with the venerated elder. He bids them farewell and says that only the villagers have really won: "You're like the wind, blowing over the land and... passing on... ¡Vaya con Dios!" As they leave, they pass the graves of their fallen comrades. Chris says, "The Old Man was right. Only the farmers won. We lost. We'll always lose."

Tags: revenge, cult, murder, violence

Review:
I recently subjected "The Magnificent Seven" to just about the toughest test imaginable--I watched it just a few days after "Seven Samurai." And while I'm not going to pretend it's on par with Kurosawa's astounding masterpiece, I have to tip my hat to Hollywood on this one: it's good, DAMN good, among the best American Westerns.The focus of the screenplay is more on post-Bogart-pre-Eastwood cool banter than the gradual, taciturn character development of "Seven Samurai," but that doesn't mean that the film doesn't have a heart.
Considering it clocks in at barely over two hours (compared to the marathonic three and a half of "Samurai"), it actually does a fantastic and very economical job of fleshing out its memorable cast of characters.One particularly wonderful scene that stuck in my memory from the first time I saw the film ten years ago is the one where Lee (Robert Vaughn), drunk in the middle of the night, confesses his frailties and fear to two of the farmers.
As if a lineup of heroes that included Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn wasn't enough, Eli Wallach steals the show as the Mexican bandit chief, a worthy precursor to his classic role "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." If the screenplay has a major flaw, it's that his character isn't featured more.The score is, of course, one of the all-time classics.
How often are actors like Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn and Eli Wallach boring.....or all in the same movie?
Apparently, there were big egos behind the camera that caused these acts of showmanship, but unlike most films where the egos clash, here they just build the characters up without harming them.Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen are just wonderful, and James Coburn and Charles Bronson both put in equal performances.
The villagers, despite their matching white smocks, are not all lily-white and each of the Seven has at least one interesting weakness.A strong feature of the film is the music, penned by the ubiquitous Elmer Bernstein, and entirely appropriate, with a main theme which seems to be permanently welded into my brain.'The Magnificent Seven' was made at a time when the appetite for westerns was going into decline.
Bucholtz never really topped this role in his career.The movie has a lot going for it, not the least of which is Elmer Bernstein's scoring of every scene, some superb cinematography (the crossing of the stream by the seven, the ride of the bandits through the village - really beautiful stuff), and the adept staging of some key scenes - for example, the first face off between Chris and Calvera.
With a cast like Yul Brynner as Chris Adams, Eli Wallach as the bandito Calvera, Steve McQueen as Vin, and Charles Bronson as Bernardo O'Reilly, this movie is guaranteed to please the audience.
That's another example of this movie having just that little bit extra: It simultaneously tears down the cowboy ideal, while still providing the western with some of the best characters to ever ride out on it.When I want to listen to great dialogue, in softer speeches or sharper spitfire banter, I can watch Magnificent Seven.
Finally having enough, and not wanting to relocate, the villagers set about recruiting some hired guns to finally rid themselves of the dastardly Calvera.As most people now know, The Magnificent Seven is of course a remake of Akira Kurosawa's immense and hugely influential picture, Shichinin no samurai.
Here he is excellently served by a faultless cast, though Yul Brynner was the only major name of note, the likes of Steve McQueen (owning the movie), Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn and James Coburn would go on to become part of cinematic macho culture, with each actor vying for the right to own the movie proving to be a bonus trump card for this rousing and much loved picture.
"Fought Like Seven Hundred" - Fought On Set. This Film Is Great, What a Cast, the last of the great American westerns,Before Clint Eastwood Reprised them in the spaghetti Westerns.The Magnificent Seven, taken off the Japanese Film "The Seven Samurai" However There was a lot more fighting off Camera than On.Yul Brynner who arranged to Purchase the Japanese Film Rights to remake the film in partnership with Anthony Quinn, had a fall out with Quinn who sued in A Los Angeles Court over the producer credits, amongst scriptwriter Walter Newman,During the time of filming this motion Picture there was an Actors Strike threatening to close Hollywood, over blacklisting communist witch-hunters, However due to the Actors already Signing a deal before the strike deadline, the film was commissioned and filmed in Mexico away from USA Strikers.A Mexican Female Censor was brought in as not to denegrate the Mexican actors, one instance was The Mexican Cast were to have Clean Shirts and not to appear as peasants with grey torn pathetic costumes as portrayed in most westerns.Actor Steve McQueen also had numerous clashes with Producer and Lead Actor Yul Brynner over stealing the scenes, If one watches the film you can see Actor Steve McQueen Occasionally take his hat off and play with it while Yul Says His Lines, This was Mcqueens way of distracting the audience off Yul while the cameras Rolled, Apparently Yul Did Not Realize this was going on until half the film was shot, and warned Mcqueen not to ad-lib his movements again or he was Out of the Picture,This warning came directly after the last scenes were shot which appeared very early in the Picture where both Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen appear side by side in the Coral Apprehensive of the Funeral Wagon, you will see Steve Mqueen Play And Move With his Hat, Make Unscripted facial movements and stretch and fidget and so on Behind YUL.This was one of the Last Times Mqueen Did this, However you Will See Yul Brynner Turn To Steve Mcqueen as he catches McQueen from the corner of his eye, during the Funeral Wagon scenes, this was left in the Picture, amongst other scenes of McQueen Doing The same Thing.Steve McQueen also shot a live round towards a stagehand in the second floor window who was moving the Curtains, unbeknowns to anybody on set, this almost stopped the Picture, McQueen was also quoted by fellow actor Robert Vaughan " McQueen constantly raved and whined about Yul Brynner having a bigger Horse, and a Bigger Gun, and made many attempts to Take the action and lead role off Yul Brynner, saying that a Mongolian Born bald Brooklyn man trying to play cowboy would look silly and the Picture would be a flop" nonetheless too much film had already been shot and only Days remained to complete The Picture.Yul Brynner also Announced his Marriage on set and the Crew and Film Company threw a Mexican Fiesta for The Couple which was used and edited into the Film portraying The Arrival to The Magnificent Seven into The Mexican Town In The Picture.It Was Reported Actor Steve Mcqueen did not want anything to do with Yul's Wedding Party and Resented the attention Yul Brynner was getting over the Celebration and Hung Out In One Of The Saloon Sets On The Picture and was not seen again until casting call returned.Also Actor Eli Wallach Was Repeatedly asked to put his gun in his holster without looking at his gun by the director, after numerous tries failing to do so, it was left in the film that Eli Wallach as the Bandido Gang Leader would place his gun while looking for the holster on his hip..
And only later, I knew the theme was of "The Magnificent Seven"  one of the most emblematic westerns of Hollywood's Silver Age.I know the word "iconic" is hackneyed but there's no way it doesn't apply to Elmer Bernstein's score, voted #8 in the American Film Institute Top 25 scores, one that elevated the overall experience a few notches higher.
Eventually you close your eyes on some aspects when it's Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen leading the show.But let's start with the story and gives the original writer the credit he fully deserves, and it says a lot about Master Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" when its own remake is a classic.
The men were paid for that, and this is why, less romantic of course, the French title is still explicit: "The Seven Mercenaries" And speaking of the mercenaries' casting, the film is a showcase of all the alpha male actors whose careers were about to start with the decade.Brynner, the lead, was the most experienced, while McQueen was the more-or-less sidekick, Bronson was the woodcutter and goodhearted O'Reilly, Vaughn as the man with a past, Coburn as the fast, lean and lanky knife thrower, and Brad Dexter is Curly, who'd believe that there would be more at stakes than protecting a village, and Bucholz as Montgomery Clift lookalike, the rookie.
It was a man's film with men playing cowboys, but the script managed to go beyond its usual material and be more than a classic Western, quite an underrated script, minimalist but with no wasted line, like when Yul Brynner points his finger to the direction he takes, would talking change anything?
He provides the kind of grinning villain John Huston used for the chilling climax of TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.The film is only semi-successful in exploring these characters, but they are all vividly acted by STEVE McQUEEN, YUL BRYNNER, CHARLES BRONSON, LEE MARVIN, HORST BUCHOLTZ, BRAD DEXTER and ROBERT VAUGHN.
I got a kick watching the tug-of-war scene stealing going on between McQueen and Brynner, each attempting to outdo the other.Based on THE SEVEN SAMURAI, it has been turned very effectively into a western saga morality tale and benefits enormously from the location photography and a sometimes bombastic score by Elmer Bernstein that gives the whole story an edginess it might otherwise have lacked.Well worth watching but don't expect anything deep from the characterizations, vivid as they are..
Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Horst Bucholz, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, and Brad Dexter star as 7 gunfighters who are recruited by Mexican farmers whose village is being terrorized by bandits(led memorably by Eli Wallach) who raid their crops every year, and return nothing.
The Magnificent Seven stands as one of those rare flukes of casting, where a bunch of really great actors of various degrees of success are pulled together and launched to greater stardom, effectively putting Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Eli Wallach, and Robert Vaughn on the map and (as far as the stars of such films go) changing the face of action/adventure movies for the next twenty years.If there were an award for great foresight in film casting, then whoever cast this picture should get the gold!Likewise, composer Elmer Bernstein should have been given an Academy Award for his infinitely memorable film score.During a recent television interview, Robert Vaughn dropped an interesting anecdote about Steve McQueen on the set of the movie, describing him as "paranoid" and making a nervous remark about the size of Yul Brynner's gun!
Not the greatest Western I have seen, but still a fun film to watch.*If you get the Special Edition dvd be sure to watch the companion documentary "Guns For Hire : The Making of the Magnificent Seven", it is full of great stories about the film and its cast and history..
I'm sure that Asian Yul Brynner must have been intrigued at the prospect of doing an American western, maybe it was the oriental origin of the story of The Magnificent Seven that intrigued him.The title refers to seven gunfighters who hire out to a Mexican village which is being systematically looted by a bandit named Calverra, played by Eli Wallach in his career film role.
(1986), which sees Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short mercilessly lampooning John Sturges' classic 1960 western, I find it hard to take this westernised version of Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai seriously—not that it would have been easy before, the film's questionable plot, clichéd characters and an overload of schmaltz making it hard to sit through with a straight face.Brynner, the epitome of cool, makes for a suitably heroic lead, and he is ably supported by Steve McQueen, a young Charles Bronson, and the excellent as always James Coburn.
My overacting award for the whole film, however, goes to Horst Buchholz, who shows zero restraint in his portrayal of Chico, a cocksure youngster out to prove his worth; he's so irritating that one longs for him to take a bullet.Unsurprisingly, Horst features in most of the film's low points—Chico's drunken challenge to Yul, a silly romance with a Mexican peasant girl, and the really daft bit where he wanders unnoticed into the enemy's camp—although Brad Dexter as gold-hungry Harry made me laugh with his corny death scene, whilst the three admiring village kids who follow Bronson provide the most cringe-worthy moments.The final battle between the magnificent seven and Calvera's bandits is well handled, and Elmer Bernstein's rousing score is effective throughout, but I can't help but feel that the film would have benefited immensely from a singing bush and the occasional use of the word 'plethora'.5.5/10, rounded up to 6/10 for IMDb: not great considering it's legendary status and the talent involved, but entertaining enough to while away a rainy Sunday afternoon, I suppose..
'The Magnificent Seven' is good entertainment with several cool actors.Chris Adams is the perfect role for Yul Brunner even if it seems like John Sturges have problems to use his whole potential.
I have a copy in TV-format (Terrible).Elmer Bernsteins score is a piece of music that makes you smile and feel good!'The Magnificent Seven' is the Western that inspired Sergio Leone's dollar-movies the most.
Chris tells him because of gold, and Harry dies saying, "I knew it!" Four of the seven die in the climactic shootout, one decides to stay in the village and marry a local girl, two ride off and say the memorable exit line; I won't repeat it, watch the movie, it's a fitting finish to the film and a way of life (the traveling gunfighter).
A Hollywood rip from the excellent Japanese movie, The Seven Samurai, fails horribly as a copy or as a Western.The film has a number of actors I've always enjoyed watching.
Bandits who come for their crops every season are tormenting Mexican villagers, and since they are left with barely enough to live on, they decide to seek protection from these attacks.Three of the villagers go into the nearest town to try to purchase guns, but instead end up hiring a drifting gunslinger instead (Yul Brunner) who ends up recruiting six others to help defend the village.The cast is pretty much a who's who of badass male actors from the time; Yul Brunner, Steve McQueen and James Coburn lead the 'good guys' and the always great Eli Wallach plays (surprise) the villain.
Not so the "Seven." It is, so to say, bang, bang bang.Part of the enjoyment is the inclusion of so many of our favorite actors; Charles Bronson (Bernardo O'Reilly?), Yul Brynner (Chris, a typical 19th century caballero?), Steve McQueen (Vin, facing possible death without a care), James Coburn (Britt, whose voice alone was enough to intimidate the bad guys; and who was the fastest knife in the west), Robert Vaughn (Lee, whose performance convinced all of us so inclined not to become gunslingers for hire), and Eli Wallach (Calvera, the head bandido!) So, editing and cinematography and sound are outstanding.
I did feel that in the original film there was far too much time spent on finding the Samurai to defend against the village and there were moments where it did get a bit boring, but the faster pacing of the remake does make it a slightly more enjoyable experience on the whole.Next we come to the cast and I must say that Yul Brynner was exceptional as the leader of the Magnificent Seven.
Of course, one good actor can't make a film great on their own and Brynner gets lots of support from the likes of Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Robert Vaughan to name a few.
Astronomic egos aside the chemistry between notably McQueen and Brynner was superb, in fact there was almost no room on the screen for the other 5 guys, Bronson, Wallach, Coburn, Vaughn and Dexter.This film had me gripped for the full 2 hours, with all its early 60s shine and in your face "gonna beat you up and laugh" machismo.Of course it helps if you didn't watch the "three amigos" before hand because unfortunately I kept thinking dusty, Ned and lucky may also turn up for a fight, the music and the stereotyped Mexicans were pretty much the same, so for goodness sake stay away from "the three amigos" before watching this classic!In summary I recommend "the magnificent seven", I was skeptical because I loath most westerns, this however is one you will not take your self off the sofa for so put the kettle on load yourself up with snacks and enjoy this classic!.
"Magnificent Seven" - 1 is simply the best because of its stars that play excellent (and its music and directorship): - Yul Brynner, his quickest turnabout that kills Calvera; - Steve McQueen, get wounded but didn't get killed and also a womanizer; - Charles Bronson, big chopper who loved the kids but get killed; - James Coburn, master knife and gun artist but get killed.
The Magnificent Seven (1960) *** (out of 4) American remake of Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI features Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Brad Dexter, Horst Bucholtz and Robert Vaughn playing seven gunfighters who are hired by a small Mexican village to protect them from a group of thieves (led by Eli Wallach) who are constantly robbing them.