Delayed Reaction: The Magnificent Seven

Premise: In the Wild West, a town hires seven men to protect them from a gang of thieves who have been stealing their food.

 

The formula is perfect. A peaceful and helpless town needs protections. There's the stakes and sympathy. They need protection from a gang of criminals. Clear and uncomplicated villains. The town hires a motley crew of seven protectors. That's enough for several to die heroically. It also allows for an assortment of colorful characters. It's perfect. It's why Seven Samurai is a classic. It's why The Magnificent Seven is one of the most aired movies in TV history.

 

The big concern going into The Magnificent Seven is if there's a need for it when Seven Samurai is already a classic. 'Needed' is a word I'd avoid, but I think the movie does justify its existence. The third act actually diverges significantly from Seven Samurai. M7 lobs off 80 minutes to tell the story. Sadly, the 80 minutes are mostly from the second part of Seven Samurai, which is the stronger half. And the M7 cast is wonderful. I was surprised by how many of those actors (or at least names) I recognized. I don't know where all these actors were in their career arcs at the time, but getting Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, and a bunch of others in the movie together is quite impressive. Oh, and the score. Wonderful score. It's famous for a reason.

 

I wish I could explain it better, but there is something about the movie that is too clean for my taste. It lacks the tension of a High Noon or Rio Bravo. This feels like a Wild West Avengers, and I don't have the history with the genre to see this as some kind of culmination of the genre. Because of that, it's more accurate to say that I'm glad I finally saw this than to say I loved it.

 

Verdict: Weakly Recommend