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Guns of the Magnificent Seven by Paul Wendkos
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DVD Cover InformationActor: Bernie Casey, George Kennedy, James Whitmore, Monte Markham, Reni Santoni Director: Paul Wendkos Brand: TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 2.35:1 Running Time: 106 minutes DVD Release Date: 2004-05-25 Audience Rating: G (General Audience) Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Movie Reviews of Guns of the Magnificent SevenMovie Review: Without Bryner, McQueen, and Sturges--Who'd Have Thought? Summary: 4 StarsAfter the very disappointing sequel to The Magnificent Seven, called Return of . . . , I kind of hoped they were going to end the series. With McQueen, Sturges, and the original screenwriters gone, the film just didn't work. The film was sadly filled with one western cliche after another and annoying platitudes. Then Guns of the Magnificent Seven comes out and I reluctantly go see it with a friend. I loved this film! Ten minutes into the movie and you stop worrying about how little George Kennedy resembles Yul Bryner. He fills the role of Chris as though he'd created him. Witness a great scene where Kennedy first meets Monte Markham's character, Keno, and in fact ends up saving him from being hanged as a horse thief using a humorously ingenious ploy. Since both Keno and one of his pursuers claim to be the horse's owner, they must come up with a way to prove it one way or another. Kennedy says drolly (pointing his cigar) "let's ask the horse." What follows is quite humorous and serves to introduce Seven fans to the easy chemistry between Kennedy and Markham from the get-go. Markham is one of those guys who was always good in films but never caught on like say, McQueen or Coburn, even though he bears a slight resemblance and demeanor to both. He even has that uncanny ability to deliver very short lines of dialog with either humor or poignancy.
Anyway, the script is quite good and each member of the Seven is richly drawn, albeit quickly, through striking visual introductions and terse, natural dialog. You get an explosives expert, a one-armed Confederate sharp-shooter, a family man forced to join to support his family (the always excellent James Whitmore), a horse thief and presumed outlaw, a tuberculor gunfighter, an again one of the villagers who's ready to take up the fight.
The action sequences have all the muscle and athleticism that made the original so good. The fighters are not just shooting at each other--they're diving for cover, running and jumping across roofs, and almost always in motion--much the way Sturges filmed his actors. The scenes where some of the Seven are killed are painful to watch, but filled with heroism. And, of course, there's Elmer Bernstein's music, which practically lifts you out of your seat it's so exciting. The script offers some nice quiet moments too, where the cowboys reminisce about the changing west. One of the best written scenes is where Kennedy dismisses a potential ally with a bandit (poor man's Eli Wallach). Reclining in the Seven's encampment, Kennedy doesn't even turn to face the mercenary and says something to the effect, "I'll let you know if we need you."
For true lovers of the Seven, this and the original are the only ones I'd recommend. Really good entertainment.
Summary of Guns of the Magnificent SevenA capable cast led by George Kennedy helps make this third-go round for the Magnificent Seven franchise a worthwhile adventure for Western fans. Kennedy is a more-than-capable replacement for Yul Brynner as Chris, who must round up a new Seven to help rescue a revolutionary leader (Fernando Rey) held captive by a sadistic military leader (Michael Ansara, adding another notch to his long list of villains). Comparisons to the original Magnificent Seven are inevitable, and while Guns doesn't match up in terms of scope or quality of writing, the solid cast--which includes James Whitmore, Joe Don Baker, and Bernie Casey as members of the new Seven--overcomes any limitations by delivering energetic performances; the Spanish locations and veteran TV director Paul Wendkos's nods to spaghetti Western conventions are also a plus. --Paul Gaita The Magnificent Seven ride again in this fast-moving follow-up (Variety) to one of the greatest western sagas in film history. Academy Award? winner* George Kennedy (Cool Hand Luke) and James Whitmore (The Shawshank Redemption) take the reins for a bold sweeping adventure that delivers nonstop excitement!When notorious desperado Chris Adams (Kennedy) is offered a huge reward to free a young Mexican revolutionary from prison he must first assemble a cutthroat team of frontier warriors. Together these daring gunslingers embark on the adventure of their lives and discover a cause worth more than a fortune in gold.System Requirements: Running Time 106 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: WESTERN/MISC. Rating: G UPC: 027616905758 Manufacturer No: 1006375
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