I have a confession to make: before yesterday, I had never watched The Magnificent Seven (1960). Quite how this happened, I’ll never know…But it was worth the wait!
What a dream team Yul Brynner (‘Chris’) and Steve McQueen (‘Vin’) make and they had a great little bromance going on. If you’ve ever watched Westworld (1973), then you know sure as hell that Brynner is more than comfortable in the role of the cowboy. In The Magnificent Seven he shows acting prowess he would later go on to display in Westworld: strong and unnervingly calm, Brynner is alpha male without even trying. He doesn’t even have to open his mouth.
This is true of the scene in the bar with young hothead ‘Chico’ (Horst Buchholz) whose masculinity has been threatened by Brynner’s gunslinging knowledge and ability. Brynner stays silent and still throughout the whole scene as Chico screams and shouts and near enough stamps his feet in frustration. Your nerves are on edge as you wait for Brynner to respond to his goading with one hefty right hook, but the punch never comes.
Although there is a lack of the fast-paced action that we are used to today, this film takes care of its characters and encourages the audience to get to know them, so that if/when(!) one of the characters’ dies, you actually feel bothered by this – something which modern films can forget.
It was also a pleasure to see a young Robert Vaughn cast in this film. I know him more for his role as Albert Stroller in TV series Hustle. What a chap!
P.S. The title music in The Magnificent Seven is great!
Has anyone see the 2016 remake? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought of it. Is it worth a watch?
Further reading:
Reactionary: The Magnificent Seven (1960)
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