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Genres
Action, Adventure, Western
Director
John Sturges
Country
USA
Cast
Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, Horst Buchholtz, Eli Wallach, Vladimir Sokoloff, Jorge Martinez de Hoyos, Rosenda Monteros, Whit Bissell, Rico Alaniz, Natividad Vacio, Robert J. Wilke, Val Avery, Bing Russell
Storyline
When their small village is once again attacked by Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his banditos, three Mexican farmers hire seven gunfighters, each of whom comes for a different reason, to help defend their homes.
Opinion
Nowadays Americans, Hollywood actually, are famous for making awful remakes of great foreign language movies. But I guess things were different back in 1960s because Sturges's The Magnificent Seven is a fantastic remake - maybe even better than Kurosawa's Seven Samurai - as well as a magnificent western.
Having seen Kurosawa's film not long ago I was pretty familiar with the story and the fact that I'm not a huge western fan made me fear for the worse, a boring film and story. But what happened was quite the opposite. Despite its predictability, the film was engaging from beginning to end and kept me on the edge of my seat. Yes, I know this is not a thriller, but I was really invested in the story.
Just like its Japanese predecessor, The Magnificent Seven also has great characters. Although not all the characters are equally developed or well defined, they still are pretty memorable and the characterization throughout is strong. From the cowboys to the farmers to the banditos, each of them has their thing and they all get a fair amount of screen time. An
d the cast also does a good job, especially Yul Brynner as the enigmatic Cowboy leader.
And just like the original, this one as well beautifully portrayed two different cultures, the Mexican farmers and the cowboys, and highlighted that, in times of need, no matter how different people are, they can work together and learn from each other.
What's really different are the atmosphere and pacing. The Magnificent Seven has a better pacing and is way less dark and reflective. It's more of a just chill kind of movie. And it works beautifully as such. This film is indeed incredibly entertaining.
Just like its Japanese predecessor, The Magnificent Seven also has great characters. Although not all the characters are equally developed or well defined, they still are pretty memorable and the characterization throughout is strong. From the cowboys to the farmers to the banditos, each of them has their thing and they all get a fair amount of screen time. And the cast also does a good job, especially Yul Brynner as the enigmatic Cowboy leader.
And just like the original, this one as well beautifully portrayed two different cultures, the Mexican farmers and the cowboys, and highlighted that, in times of need, no matter how different people are, they can work together and learn from each other.
What's really different are the atmosphere and pacing. The Magnificent Seven has a better pacing and is way less dark and reflective. It's more of a just chill kind of movie. And it works beautifully as such. This film is indeed incredibly entertaining.
Altro grande classico che figura nella mia (vergognosamente lunga) lista di film da recuperare :(
ReplyDeleteFede.
La mia conta più di mille film, quindi non sei l'unica
DeleteI love this film! It is one I can watch over and over and I thought Eli Wallach as the villain was superb. I agree about ok the characters and love your review
ReplyDeleteHe made for such a great villain! And I liked him way more than his Japanese counterpart.
DeleteExactly! This movie moves quicker and not nearly as reflective, but still works. I hope you watch the latest version of this with Denzel Washington in the Yul Brenner role. I find it to also be fun.
ReplyDeleteI will! I was planning on seeing it because of Denzel.
Delete