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"They were seven - And they fought like
seven hundred!"
The basic story involves seven gunmen being
hired by a poor Mexican village to protect it from 40 nasty
bandits, led by Bandit leader, Calver (Eli Wallach), the poster
boy for self-centeredness, heartlessness, and cruelty. His rationalization
for his gang's evil deeds was "If God did not want them
sheared, he wouldn't have made them sheep." Every year
before winter, Calvera and his motley thugs raid this village
for food stuffs for the winter, taking more and more each year,
leaving the farmers each time in the position of being closer
to starvation. In desperation, they turn to Chris Adams, a drifter
who is good with a gun, for help.
So, Chris Adams (Yule Brynner) rounds up the other gunfighters,
who he thinks can defeat these Mexican bullies, and bring peace
and life to this poor peasant village, willing to give them
everything they have of value, which wasn't much. This impressed
Chris, because he had never been paid with everything someone
had before.
The film takes a while to get going, for a good
reason though. Some regard this film as a character study of
individuals, hardened by life and their own choices, who come
together for a common purpose, and believe in variations of
the same philosophy of self-autonomy, self-direction and personal
honor. Taking some time for this character development helps
explain to the audience why these men would agree to go up against
the odds, for the principle of protecting the innocent from
evil forces. Each of the seven characters are developed for
the audience for a purpose in these scenes, which adds to the
enjoyment of the action scenes later on, which are gripping
and hold your attention.
My favorite scene involves the 7 talking to
the newcomer, Chico (Buchholz.) As they tersely talk about the
pros and cons of being a hired gun, we gain insight into the
harsh and loveless world they occupy. Part of the conversation
went like this:
Lee (Robert Vaughn), says,"Yes. The final
supreme idiocy. Coming here to hide. The deserter hiding out
in the middle
of a battlefield."
Vin (Steve McQueen) says, "We deal in lead,
my friend."
Chico (Horst Buchholz): "But who made us
the way we are, huh? Men with guns. Men like Calvera, and men
like you... and now me."
Britt (James Coburn): "Nobody throws me
my own guns and says run. Nobody."
There is humor sprinkled throughout the screenplay.
After Britt shoots a bandit off his horse, Chico is really impressed,
proclaiming enthusiastically, "That's the greatest shot
that I ever saw!" Honest Britt sets him straight. "The
worst! I was aiming at the horse."
During several attacks by the bandits, the 7 are tested to the
max, as they must give their all to accomplish their goal."The
Magnificent Seven" features great action scenes, pitting
the 7 against the Mexican bandits. The scenes involving the
bandits several invasions of the village, and shoot outs between
the bandits and the 7, are examples of hell to leather action
at its best.
The film is a classic because of its exciting
story, great cast, (Vaughn, Dexter, Bronson, Coburn, McQueen,
Brynner, and Wallach), and stirring musical score, composed by
Elmer Bernstein. The screenplay was written by Horst Buchholz,
and is an American remake of Akira Kurosawa's Japanese film, "The
Seven Samurai," which is still very highly regarded.
If you want to win a bet in a bar, ask a patron who's seen the
movie if he can name the "Seven". Chances are they'll
fail to name Buchholz or Dexter.
If you enjoyed THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN , you may
like TRUE GRIT, THE PROFESSIONALS, IT'S
A BUG'S LIFE, THE GREAT ESCAPE, SILVERADO,
YOJIMBO, THE ROAD WARRIOR, and
the original inspiration SEVEN
SAMURAI.
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