The Magnificent Seven

In 1960, director John Sturges took Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and relocated its core story from feudal Japan to the dusty borderlands of Mexico and Texas. The result was a Western that became a genre landmark in its own right. Yul Brynner stars as Chris Adams, a principled gunslinger who assembles a team of six other men to defend a Mexican farming village from the bandit Calvera, played with relish by Eli Wallach. The cast reads like a who's who of tough-guy actors at a pivotal moment in their careers: Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Brad Dexter, James Coburn, and Horst Buchholz.

Shot on location in Durango, Mexico, the film cost $2 million to produce and grossed over $19.5 million worldwide. Elmer Bernstein's score, especially the main theme, became instantly recognizable and has since been used in countless commercials, sports events, and parodies. The movie received two Academy Award nominations, for Best Scoring and Best Sound, and in 2004 it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.[edit]

A poor Mexican farming village lives under the thumb of Calvera, a bandit leader whose forty riders descend regularly to steal food, livestock, and supplies. The farmers, led by the elder Hilario, are peaceful people who have never mounted a defense, believing resistance would only bring worse punishment. With their stores nearly empty, three village elders cross into Texas with their meager savings, hoping to buy guns and hire someone who can teach them to fight.

In a dusty border town, they encounter Chris Adams, a stoic gunslinger weary of killing but moved by the farmers' desperation. The money they offer is laughably small, but Chris agrees to help on principle. He begins recruiting: Vin Tanner, a cocky drifter with a quick draw; Bernardo O'Reilly, a pragmatic widower with a young son; Harry Luck, a boastful gunslinger convinced the village hides a fortune; Lee, an aristocratic gunfighter haunted by his past; Britt, a silent expert with a knife and whip; and Chico, a hot-headed young Mexican-American eager to prove himself.

The seven travel to the village, where the farmers greet them with skepticism. Training begins: the gunmen teach the villagers to shoot rifles, dig trenches, and set traps. The sessions are tense and clumsy; the farmers are frightened, the gunmen impatient. A subplot develops as Chico falls in love with a young village woman named Petra, deepening his personal stake. Calvera and his gang arrive for their usual raid and are ambushed, losing several men. But the victory is short-lived. Calvera returns with his full force, surrounds the village, and after a farmer betrays the gunmen out of fear, the seven are captured. Calvera spares their lives but forces them to leave, humiliated.

Retreating, the seven debate their next move. Chris insists they cannot abandon the villagers to certain slaughter. One by one, the others agree to return for a final, desperate stand, knowing they are outnumbered and outgunned. The farmers, inspired by the gunmen's return, take up arms alongside them.[edit]