The Magnificent Seven

Over the last ten years, 'remake' has become a bit of a buzzword for cashing in on a franchise for a quick blockbuster buck. Consider Rambo as an example: it widely missed the mark of what made the first film excellent; it misjudged what it was to revive an idea and a character. Not so with The Magnificent Seven.  In fact a film like this one is probably a contributing factor as to why remakes are even palatable at all: it essentially understands its subject matter and story (Kurosawa's 1954 Shichinin no samurai - Seven Samurai) but in transporting it to a new setting and reviving the characters it adds and develops plot, flavour and meaning in a vibrant and effective manner.


The plot is straightforward enough. A small village is plagued by bandits, led by the vicious yet charismatic Calvera (Wallach who went on to star in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly); in desperation the villagers set out to buy guns to defend themselves and instead stumble upon Chris and Vin (Brynner and McQueen respectively) who take on their case, despite the lack of money. Between the two of them they convince other acquaintances, either through pressing their honour or with the lure of some secret wealth, to join them. 


Upon arrival in the village, they are not given quite the heroes' reception they hoped for. After a series of skirmishes with Calvera's men they are ambushed and forced out of the village. But, with nothing more than honour at stake, the seven return to rescue the village in a final, last-ditch attempt. 


The performances are sensational. Each of the seven are well-drawn enough that even with brief screen appearances a sense of character emerges that engages instantly. Particularly likeable are O'Reilly (Bronson) and Britt (Coburn), both taciturn characters clearly admired for their abilities. O'Reilly's first scene is machismo incarnate, while Britt's cool reserve perfectly matches his counterpart from Seven Samurai, and similarly masks a deadly killing potential. Chico (Horst Buchholz), the young, impetuous seventh, also shines. He's headstrong and moody, but pulls it off and gives us just enough of a chance to see the fear behind his posturing that he's an eminently likeable, if childish, hero.  


Couple that with a lively score, a great sense of dramatic pacing (no lengthy meaningful pauses here) and enough plot elements to keep things sharp, and it's easy to see why The Magnificent Seven holds a position of such gravitas in the cannon not only of westerns, but of remakes. Justly so. It's the sort of film that makes one want to look up every other Bronson or Coburn film, just to marvel at their abilities.


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1960
Val Brynner, Steve McQueen, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn and introducing Horst Buchholz
dir. John Sturges