ViewGuide

Created Dec 03, 2011 10:20PM PST • Edited Feb 03, 2018 05:36PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Very Good 3.5

   Samurai cowboys save a poor village in ye old Mexico, riding in to one of the greatest themes of all time. Fifty years on, the all-star cast impresses less than the bravura music — the Marlboro jingle still arouses.

   The Magnificent Seven famously remakes Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, following its seminal Samurai movie tropes to the letter – seven warriors assemble, fighting for honor more than money, winning by engineering traps that ensnare their numerically superior enemy. Excellent, but the Japanese do this much better than we Americans. Plus, each star gets only a fraction of the screen-time, making The Magnificent Seven less than magnificent overall.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   Yul Brynner leads the pack, appropriately so.

   Steve McQueen – soon the Most Popular Movie Star in the World – rides next to him.

   Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn & James Coburn helped round out the Magnificent Seven. All-star indeed.

   Eli Wallach – before he was old – ably inhabits the evil bandito they must neutralize.

5. Male Stars Great 4.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

   None really, but don’t want to drag down the acting scores.

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

10. Film

    Very Good 3.5

    John Sturges, able director of big movies with big male stars, harnesses the half dozen huge egos The Magnificent Seven had on set.

    Elmer Bernstein has numerous great scores to his credit, though none top this. Magnificent aptly describes the swelling it causes in the hearts of listeners.

11. Direction Very Good 3.5

12. Play OK 2.5

13. Music Perfect 5.0

14. Visuals Very Good 3.5
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 1.8

17. Sex Innocent 1.3

18. Violence Fierce 2.4

19. Rudeness Salty 1.7

21. Reality

    Surreal 2.1

22. Circumstantial Glib 2.0

23. Biological Glib 1.9

24. Physical Surreal 2.5