THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960) **1/2 It's fair to compare it to Shichinin No Samurai, but only because they admit they lifted the story. Otherwise the films aren't particularly comparable. The plot doesn't flow here as it does in Kurosawa, and it isn't as intricate; the characters are neither as developed nor as endearing; the violence is a necessary cinematic end rather than an unavoidable tragedy; and the funny bits aren't nearly as funny. Most importantly, however, Kurosawa portrayed gun violence as an essentially wimpy way for woosies to attain something akin to equal footing with real men. Here, guns are portrayed as the only sensible way of resolving issues that can't be agreed upon--and Westerners in the post nuclear age can't help having some sympathy for the view that if you're going to kill someone, it probably doesn't particularly matter how, and the less harm to yourself the better. Just because this ain't no Seven Samurai doesn't mean that it's no good, though. John Sturges doesn't exhibit the artistic touch of Kurosawa, but who does? The humour and imagery isn't so profound, but it's entertaining and things never lag. With Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen, Yul Brynner, James Coburn and Robert Vaughn on one side, against Eli Wallach and a bunch of banditos; you know that there's going to be plenty of testosterone flying around. As I tend to do in such situations, let's have a mini-award ceremony: the Mr. Machismo award goes to Brynner, Eli Wallach (who actually brings a great deal of sensitivity to an overtly one-dimensional character, he might have been able to act with those Japanese guys) gets best actor, and Horst Buchholz is the one who the film couldn't have done without. Horst gets the plum young wannabe Samurai Toshiro Mifune role, and he plays it to the hilt. Some guys are just too good to be gun fighters, or rock stars, or movie stars or tycoons, but they're typically confused about this when they're young.
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