Quote:
Originally Posted by John Cole
The Magnificent Seven suffers terribly when compared to the original, but I think it's a fine Western on its own. The scene with James Coburn proving his mettle with the knife at the beginning is terrific, and Robert Vaughn as the drunk and aging gunfighter is also a standout. The director, John Sturges, has always been underrated, and the opening scene takes up one of the themes he explores in Bad Day at Black Rock, racism in America. And the score by Elmer Bernstein is a classic.
The knife scene was pretty good. That character was a good parallel to the character I mention previously in Seven Samurai who was killed by the stray bullet. It's a genius way to build up the character's skill by showing he doesn't even need a gun.
The drunk and aging gunfighter... I have no idea. Unfortunately it seems to me that it's entirely cliche and bad, however it's entirely possible that at the time it was totally original and he was such a great character that that's why it became cliche afterwards. I have no idea of telling.
TBH I didn't pay too much attention to the mention now that I think about it. It was a fine western, but doesn't compare to the great ones imo.