Thursday 19 January 2012

The Magnificent Seven

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Year:1960
Country of origin:USA
Director:John Sturges
Genre:Small town Western
Starring:Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn
Rating:3/5
IMDB link:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054047/
Tagline:They were seven - And they fought like seven hundred!
Favourite line:"If God didn't want them sheared, he would not have made them sheep."

Highly rated Western with a simply unbelievable cast that, I must admit, I struggled with. Not due to the script.
Not due to the storyline.
Not even due to the incredibly grating score.
No, it was simply down to the age of the movie and, yes, I am aware that makes me a Philistine.

The plot:
A small town in Mexico is being exploited by a shady Mexican overord, taking the spoils from the local farm folk. Three of the towns men travel to seek assistance and have the good fortune to find Yul Brynner's Chris Adams and ask him for help, which he duly agrees to, before setting about recruiting six of the finest gunmen and knifemen in the region to tackle the moustachioed bandit.
So, if you have a problem, if no-one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can ask The Magnificent Seven.

Yes, folks, this simply must be the movie that inspired the truly dreadful A-Team.
Appearing in cinemas a few years before my usual cut off point of 1968, the age on this one really told for me, with overly dramatic acting and poorly choreographed fights and shoot outs.
I know, I know, I'm an idiot.
Don't even bother to get in touch to inform me of the fact.
On the positive side, Brynner and McQueen are exceptional, and it's clear to see why they were the Cruise and erm, erm, another Cruise of their day.
Hard work, then, but ultimately I am glad I finally got round to this.

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