The Magnificent Seven (1960)
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A group of seven gunfighters is hired to protect a small village from a gang of marauding bandits.
The story
A gang of bandits led by Calvera periodically raids a poor Mexican village for food and supplies. After the latest raid, during which Calvera kills a villager, the village leaders decide to consult the only man they believe has the wisdom to help them, an elder who lives as a hermit outside the village. The elder advises them to fight back and buy weapons, and if they have no money for weapons, to seek help from other towns where weapons can be obtained. They send three villagers to a nearby town to barter for weapons, where they encounter a gunslinger named Chris Adams, who suggests hiring a group of gunfighters to defend the village.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A gang of bandits led by Calvera raids a Mexican village. To defend themselves, the villagers hire seven gunfighters: Chris Adams, Vin Tanner, Harry Luck, Bernardo O'Reilly, Lee, Britt, and Chico. The group trains the villagers and builds fortifications. After a skirmish where the gunfighters are forced to kill three bandits, Calvera returns with a larger force. The gunfighters and villagers successfully repel the initial attack, but Chico discovers Calvera plans to return. The gunfighters are captured by Calvera's men after a failed preemptive raid. They are eventually released but choose to return to the village to fight. In a final, bloody confrontation, several gunfighters—Harry, Lee, and Bernardo—are killed while others are wounded. Chris ultimately kills Calbera. The survivors, including Chris, Vin, and Chico, say goodbye to the village elder, while Chico decides to stay with a woman named Petra.
- First release year
- 1960
- Runtime (minutes)
- 128
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Sturges
- Writers
- William Roberts · screenplay; Walter Bernstein · Uncredited; Walter Newman · Uncredited
- Cast and characters
- Yul Brynner · Chris Adams; Steve McQueen · Vin Tanner; Charles Bronson · Bernardo O'Reilly; Robert Vaughn · Lee; Brad Dexter · Harry Luck; James Coburn · Britt; Horst Buchholz · Chico; Eli Wallach · Calvera
- Genres
- action; Western
- Themes
- Sacrifice
- Tone and mood
- Action; Heroic
- Premise and plot tags
- Western; Remake; Siege
- Source material / true-story basis
- Seven Samurai
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, becoming a staple of the Western genre and a staple of U.S. television history.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 93% · scale: percentage · review count: 80
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Original Score · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.; The score was used in the film Moonraker.; The film was a box office success in the Soviet Union.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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