The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Such a frustrating disappointment

So much average

As Good As It Gets

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

This is the classic Western with a good story, acting, music and Directing that all adds up to the name given i.e. magnificent. To further make the point, compare this to the recent remake and you will learn to appreciate this even more. Same goes with Charleton Heston's Ben-Hur and the remake. There is no remaking certain movies and this be one of them. The only exception is if it is an exception or a superb movie retold expertly. Where can you get this line-up of stars? Furthermore, every once in a while the music in a movie is as good as the movie itself (think Star Wars, Godfather) and include this movie too. This movie has been compared to the Seven Samurai which I highly recommend because it is just as entertaining using the same theme. Bunch of hardened seasoned pros are hired to save a village against all odds. I have the Magnificent Seven DVD which also has a "Behind the Scenes of the making of this movie which is entertaining in itself. You can pick-up all three of the sequels in a special package for next to nothing (under $10) so get to it. The sequels are not as good as the original but for ten bucks how can you lose? Highly recommend beef jerky or popcorn or better yet, some tortillas and beans if you want to get into the movie. Include a tasty drink too. Please enjoy this gem. I did.

Firstly, the music is wonderful. In Hollywood movies the music should drive the narrative, and this is one of the best examples you'll ever see. Elmer Bernstein was a genius--and not in the devalued sense that the word is used today. You can listen to the score without the visuals, and it still grabs you.The story is simple, but the character development is more than you would normally expect, and the movie has a message that it successfully conveys. There are so many great stars in this movie, and they all play their part to make the film great, without any one cast member trying to be dominant.And in the end, this is one of the great "feel good" movies of all time. The music, the cast, the message, everything combines to create one of the greatest films ever made.

If you watched "Seven Samurai", you can't missed the almost identical story & heroes. "The Magnificent 7" is exactly that, not "based on", but exactly that: the American, Western version of that old Japanese "gem"!Recently, a very new version released (this year, 2016). Better battle scenes, more action, special effects, many actors (stand-men), etc., like all modern Hollywood films. But... lack of screenplay, of dialogues, of acting (Washington couldn't save by himself the film). This one... maybe old, without lot of fighting, with "good looking-dress up" actors (the old Hollywood didn't liked the "dirty" - real - cowboys), but... here, we have SCREENPLAY, ACTING!A very good film, worth to watch it any time, even so many decades ago. "Da...da-da-da...Da-da-da, da-da" (main music theme)!

When I grew up it was sci-fi that took hold, with the advent of Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc. and new, good westerns were few and far between. However, this was a western that slipped through the filter and struck me as such a good movie. Excellent acting from an all-star cast, an iconic score and archetypal script all contributed to being wonderful entertainment as well as a top-notch production.Having seen literally over a thousand movies, one of the highest praises I can give is to say I still vividly remember scenes decades later. The Magnificent Seven has quite a few scenes that fall under that category.