Great Film overall

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Some may disagree with me but for my money this is the best western ever made. The dialogue, the music, the scenery and the outstanding cast and direction all come together in perfect alignment. It is a movie I have watched many many times since first seeing it at a very early age. Needless to say, I am a huge, huge Yul Brynner fan.

The Magnificent Seven is a classic Western movie, it really is a good movie, has a great cast, Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Horst Buchholz, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and etc, the soundtrack is excellent, the script is based on the script The Seven Samurai of Kurosawa, is a Seven Samurai in the Western, has very similar premises, the photography is beautiful, and the action scenes are very good, the costumes are very good, and the rhythm is medium, The Magnificent Seven is A good movie, but would not enter my top 10 of western movies, but has a good cast and good action scenes, not to mention the great photography and good costumes. Note 7.5

Long but thoroughly absorbing, "The Magnificent Seven" is one of those classic Westerns that even non-fans of the genre will probably like. The director, John Sturges, sustains a near-perfect balance between action, humor, character development, and introspection. There are great lines ("I've been offered a lot for my work....but never everything", "No, I'm doing this because I'm an eccentric millionaire!", "With me, only one decision: do what I say"), and powerful scenes (Bronson's response to the kids saying their fathers are cowards, Brynner's lie to the dying Brad Dexter, etc.). The cast is truly magnificent; they make the characters both human and larger-than-life. And of course Elmer Bernstein's score is rousing and unforgettable. It was followed by three sequels, which were mediocre at best, if memory serves. As for the recent remake, the trailer alone says everything that needs to be said. ***1/2 out 4.

The Magnificent Seven is a 1960's western directed by John Sturges. It's a movie that I had heard of but knew little about before watching, and left me with mixed feelings. There are things that work, and the acting is (mostly) strong, but ultimately the film is dragged down by an agonisingly slow pace. This is 128 minute film which would probably work better if it were half that length. It takes the first 45 minutes before they have even recruited the seven (in a very Avengers Assemble-type-way), and then they go to protect a villain from plundering bandits. The issue is that the plot doesn't really develop from there. Director John Sturges focuses entirely on characterisation instead of genuine story development, so the end result is a film with great characters but a story that drags on and on, which passed its sell-by-date within the first hour. However the plus-side to this is that the film contains some genuinely good characters, who mostly manage to keep it entertaining, even when the pace drags it down. Yul Brynner as Chris Larabee Adams and the great Steve McQueen as Vin Tanner both offer great performances and characters - it is these two that keep the film afloat. The villain of the story, Calvera, played by Eli Wallach is somewhat average but at the same time the exact type of villain you would expect from this type of film, so in that way he serves his purpose. The casting is on- point and there are only a couple of weak performances, so on the whole there are few complaints there. Being a western about 1870's gunslingers and bandits, an audience would naturally assume that this would be a movie packed with action, but unfortunately this is no where near the case. There is virtually no trace of action within the first 70 minutes of the movie, and even after then, there are only two real shootouts, which, although they were well shot and entertaining in themselves, were far too infrequent. In a movie already dragged down by a very slow pace, a bit of action here and there would go a long way; but audiences are bound to be disappointed as they are instead forced to listen to endless monologues about not giving up and fighting to survive, yet ironically we barely see any of this. If you're looking for a movie that focuses mostly on characters instead of action or story, this will probably please you (although you'd be better off watching the 2015 Steve Jobs movie, which does a much better job of both characters and story), but if you're looking for an action-packed Western with a strong story, look away - you will not find that here. Still, the characters are certainly good, and the acting complements them, along with a great, Oscar-nominated soundtrack by Elmer Bernstein that all works together to make this a just-about-enjoyable movie that still, in 2016, has its strengths.