Is It Worth the Watch?

So how is it possible I hadn’t seen The Magnificent Seven before? This 1960 epic is widely considered to be one of the greatest westerns of all time (but then, I’m not a huge western fan, so maybe that’s why I’ve missed it). It’s a remake/adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s brilliant 1954 Japanese film The Seven Samurai, even more widely considered one of the just plain greatest films of all time (including by me). 

The Magnificent Seven is well acted, stunningly beautiful to look at, and Elmer Bernstein‘s unforgettable score is one of the most stirring in film history.

Seven gunfighters are hired to protect a small Mexican town from a group of bloodthirsty bandits, led by a ruthless and sadistic killer indelibly played by Eli Wallach. The film is well paced and often thrilling, but sags near the end and ultimately comes off as anti-climactic, lacking the punch it’s been building towards. But what a wild ride up until then.

Is It Worth The Watch? I’m awfully glad I finally saw it, and it’s a great western, it’s just not as magnificent as Kurosawa‘s original.

1960

128 minutes

Starring – Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Horst Buchholz, Brad Dexter

Director – John Sturges

Screenplay – William Roberts

Source – Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa