Excellent stuff. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore. More’s the pity… I’ve watched this a number of times over the years. And it’s never disappointed.
It starts with an interesting set up scene, in which two of our erstwhile Seven meet, battling racism in a rough Western town. This immediately sets up our gunslingers as noble warriors. As opposed to the rather more tawdry outlaws that history so often reveals, lurking behind the mythical glamour of the Western genre.
And of course this is rightly so. As this is a remake of Akira Kirusawa’s Seven Samurai, transplanted to the Ol’ West (or South-West?).
The star studded ensemble cast is great. Delivering in spades. And what’s really good is that, with Yul and Steve as a binary focal point, the other guys don’t crash their egos all over the screen. But, rather like the mythically super-cool cats they play, slouch into their roles with a studied but light touch.
Even the supporting cast are very strong. From Henry, the decent guy corset salesman at the top of the film, to the poor farmers, such as Hilario, who enlist the aid of our seven pistol-totin’ heroes
There’s no point synopsising the very basic plot, which is very much based on the Seven Samurai original.
What is interesting is that this American Western version, going rather against the stereotypes, is not only in colour, not black and white, but even adds certain other dimensions to the whole genre piece, that the Japanese original has less of: warmth, humour…
Brynner is excellent in the slightly odd and potentially rather awkward role of moralist and philosopher gunfighter. And he has a suitably daft name/origin… O’Reilly, the Cajun. Say, wha’?
But he looks great. As do all our very macho heroes. In their different ways. Brynner’s compact dark clad figure contrasts strongly with the lean, rangy tan-clad James Coburn’s knife-wielding Britt.
And the slightly disheveled youthful earnestness and idealism of Chico (Horst Bucholz) contrasts nicely with the jaded world-weary nihilism of Robert Vaughan’s Lee.
The landscapes/settings deserve their own billing. As does the music. And perhaps even the direction? It’s all consummately well done. Well shot, in stunning locations. Well directed and acted. Well conceived. So many things that so many modern remakes – I haven’t seen the modern remake of this film (and I don’t feel very inclined to do so) – get wrong, this gets right.
Charmingly and disarmingly so. And that’s despite it ageing. It’s 64 years old now!