There are only seven basic stories for writers to use and Hollywood ranks the Hero’s Tale right at the top; my favorite genre or at least far ahead of Boy Meets Girl. So I was quite interested when TV Guide mentioned that one such film I’d never seen but which has all kinds of great press, 1960’sThe Magnificent Seven, was going to be shown on commercial-free Turner Classic Movies. This is a film that spawned three or four sequels, a couple of variations, and a TV series. One of the last of the classic Hollywood westerns, Magnificent Seven is itself based on a another film, a Japanese classic called Shichinin No Samurai from Akira Kurosawa.
A Mexican village, a few miles on the other side of the Texas border, is hounded year after year by a bandit and his gang until the farmers decide enough’s enough. Riding up to some no name Texas town seeking guns and ammunition, they find instead two brave gunmen (Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen) and hire them instead. The gunfighters recruit four more and a wannabe insists on joining them to make the seven. Once the crew reaches the village, there is only enough time for a little training before the bandidos attack. The story itself is hardly surprising to anyone who’s seen more than three Westerns or really any three decent Hollywood action films.
What makes it stand out so much is that so many elements come together so well. The actors really inhabit the characters, while the script treats the characters with respect rather than as objects to move the plot. The director lets the script breathe and gives the actors space. About the only artificial feeling I got was from the sets, especially the Mexican village, which were a little too obviously built on a tight budget. The villagers are a good example of what I mean; in most movies their characters would have been the objects of condescension but Brynner as the leader of the hired guns talks with them and makes them a part of the plan.
I’m not surprised since the director is John Sturges, who went on to make one of my all time favorites three years later, The Great Escape. And Steve McQueen, when his A game is on, is always a treat. The ending might seem like a bit of a letdown but I saw it as realistic.
Recommended
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