Movie:
Based on Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven took that idea of seven samurai defending a village and transplanted it in the western genre. The film, originally released in 1960, was directed by John Sturges, and was followed by three sequels and a TV series. The film stars: Yul Brynner (Chris Adams), Eli Wallach (Calvera), Horst Buchholz (Chico), Steve McQueen (Vin), Charles Bronson (Bernardo), Robert Vaughn (Lee), James Coburn (Britt), and Brad Dexter (Harry).

A band of outlaws, lead by Calvera, is terrorizing a poor Mexican village. They rob them of their food, leaving them only enough to get by. The villagers, who have finally had enough, decide to send three of their number to the border in order to buy guns. There they witness Chris and Vin in an incredible act of bravery. The villagers approach Chris for help in picking out the best guns. Chris suggests they hire gunmen instead. The villagers can only offer food and board, along with the small sum of $20 per man. Chris manages to recruit six others (Vin, Chico, Bernardo, Lee, Britt, and Harry), and they go back to the village. They then have only a few weeks to train and prepare the villagers to fight before Calvera comes back…but can they possibly overcome such odds?

I've only seen bits and pieces of The Magnificent Seven on TV over the years, so I was looking forward to seeing the movie in its entirety. Now that I've seen it all, I can safely say it's an incredible film filled with a number of great actors, each of which pulls off a terrific performance. Steve McQueen seems to have some of the best lines in the film with "We deal in lead, my friend" and "It seemed like a good idea at the time." The film is definitely one of the best westerns that I've seen.

Picture:
The Magnificent Seven is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen. The transfer is terrific, much better than I expected for a film over 40 years old. It does have some flaws: the image is occasionally too soft, detail in several of the night scenes is lacking, and there are some marks & specks. Colors are well saturated throughout, with accurate flesh tones and rich blacks.

Sound:
The Magnificent Seven is presented in a newly remixed Dolby Surround 5.1 track in English, as well as the original Dolby Mono 2.0 track in English, French, and Spanish. However, the 5.1 track doesn't stray too far from its mono roots – dialogue and most of the effects are still center channel based. However, a few sound effects, like gunshots or ricocheting bullets, are in the surrounds. The film's score, by Elmer Bernstein, was Oscar-nominated, and sounds terrific. Dialogue throughout the film is crisp and clean, with no distortion that I could detect. Subtitles are also available in French and Spanish.

Extras:
MGM has provided the Magnificent Seven with some cool extras. First up is a screen-specific audio commentary with Walter Mirisch (producer), Eli Wallach, James Coburn, and Robert Relyea (asst. director). The commentary was very interesting and did a good job balancing stories of how the film was made and stories of the actors and their egos. There is also the documentary titled "Guns for Hire: The Making of the Magnificent Seven," which runs slightly over 45 minutes in length. Some of the information contained in the commentary is repeated here, but there's a wealth of new stuff. The documentary covers the production, how the story developed, and how it was shot. Several of the actors also make appearances in new or older interview segments. Other extras include two trailers for the film and a comprehensive stills section, which is divided into five sections. These are titled: "Behind the Scenes," "Off the Set," "Portrait Art," "Classic Production Art," and "Poster Art."

Summary:
Anyone who has never seen the film and likes the Western genre owes it to himself to see this film. Fans of the actors or "Seven Samurai" should also give the film a look. MGM has provided the film with a great transfer, remastered sound, and some terrific extras. Highly Recommended!