The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Top 100 Films: #2
Overall Rating: 10/10

To try and summarize the importance of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly on the evolution of my perspective of film as more than purely an American based art form would be in vain even at my most articulate. Simply put, this film put the notion of greatness into my own zeitgeist and sent me down a path from which there was no turning back. It introduced me to foreign cinema, stylistic direction, the epic, classic movies, westerns, and was one close up draw jump from here to Kurosawa.

But no need to go there now, this post is about the mesmerizing style of Leone, catapulted by the charismatic crook Eli Wallach, ignited by the dynamic villainy of Lee Van Cleef, and launched into the stratosphere of legendary by the smooth, timeless Clint Eastwood. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly (GBU) is a film unphased by aging or the growing trends of high octane entertainment. It survives the decades because it shaped the films of each of them. As influential as a film would ever dare be, and the kind of movie you can watch over and over again and constantly get something more out of.

It is perhaps best said that GBU is a film of nonstop minor escalation and deescalation wrapped around a larger, ever escalating primary plot. With each passing turn, each down time, each move, the viewer is privy to new insights to the characters, new ways of viewing the western as Leone viewed it, and somber morality tales to interspersed throughout the lot. The backdrop of the Civil War reminds us that violence is more than the never ending bloodbath of nightmares, it is the revelation of a man's inner being. It strips away at the heart of them, and delivers unto us their true form.

Are they a sultan of greed? A swindler of life? Or perhaps a compassionate loner with eyes full of gold? Maybe they're just a lowly captain tired of the endless nothingness at costs we dare not dream to imagine. Such is the world of The Good, The Bad and the Ugly. And with that you mind find it hard to imagine, this is one hell of a fun ride.

GBU starts of slow. Three scenes, three introductions, three foundations for the entire film, with each character defined for us in their most basic sense. After all, once we know what we're dealing with, all that is left to us is the journey, right? That's where Leone gets his pay off. That's where he truly makes his mark. For Leone takes these characters to their brink of their archetypes, and in each shows us something more raw. Of course, there's no denying Tuco is Leone's caricature masterpiece. He's the full realization of the byproduct of such a world as the one Leone examines through this film's near three hour runtime.  The world of the west, put so eloquently by Tuco himself creates two kinds of people - priests or thieves, and those who opt for the inbetween pay the price.

So it is perhaps most noteworthy that while Tuco himself succumbs to the primal nature for greed, his compatriot in fate, The Man with No Name/Blondie, is a more subtle, and intriguingly complicated man. For without much thought you could easily label him as little more than another Tuco himself. He lies, steals, but above it all shows an awareness for the world in which he resides. As if he is playing his own game with those around him, the prize of which often comes out to be their life. In many respects he is a gatekeeper, a judge who acts in favor of the better man, but only when that man chooses to act so. That doesn't mean he won't drop you off at the next desert if he feels you've served your purpose. It just means that when push comes to shove, he'll always plan for the upper hand.

As a villain, Angel Eyes' iconic status rests entirely on the cold, sly snarl of Lee Van Cleef. Every bit the soldier he pretends to be, Angel Eyes is not a man of great wit or charisma, but instead relies on pure, unadulterated dedication to the task at hand. Once his direction has been set, one would need an army to deter him from his inevitable course. And for that reason, his sinister nature comes out in full. He'll torture a man as soon as friend him, and if you're not careful he'll leave you behind to save his own skin in a heartbeat.

So take those three, those lovable, cartoonish characters and wrap them into the world of Leone's one of a kind style. Just watch this movie for the way Leone uses the camera. Sure, we all know the closeups, but pay attention to what he gets out of them - especially the eyes. The amount of emotion he gets out of his main characters. The subtle facial twitches and quirks that give them a relatable life, where another director would stick for the warmth but distant medium shot. Look at the compositions of the shots, the blend of Ennio Morricone's magnanimous score, the prolific nature each camera movement takes. Each shot is setup to be a portrait of the film at large.

So developed that once you see a photo of it, the entire film begins to flash through your mind once again. You remember that music, the lines, the looks on each character's face as they match wits and guns against one another. The steadfast calm at which Blondie drew his gun. The shifty look of annoyance as Tuco tried to make heads or tails of a given situation. The way Angel Eyes laugh brought flames into those sharp, dagger eyes. It's all there, all memorable, and only gets better with time. The Good, The Bad and the Ugly may not be a movie you have to watch dozens of times to understand, but it is one that pays off no matter how many times you do.


Film Credits:
Directed By: Sergio Leone
Screenplay By: Sergio Leone, Furio Scarpelli, Agenore Incrocci, & Luciano Vincenzoni
Story By: Sergio Leone and Luciano Vincenzoni
English Version By: Mickey Knox

Rango (2011)

Overall Score: 7.75/10

To be absolutely honest, it's not very often that I find myself turned off by a commercial for a movie and then perform a complete 180 when I finally seek it out for an official viewing. If anything, it is far more often that I am drawn in by a commercial and then sulk into a darkened corner and rant when the final product is unveiled. So, it is always a pleasant surprise to find a movie which without caution sails past my lowered expectations, and finds a place high upon my shelf of entertainment.

Last year, that movie was How to Train Your Dragon. This year, the movie is Rango. And believe me, the commercials couldn't be worse with respect to what this film is trying to do. Combining elements of Star Wars and the Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns, whose connection might be less vague than you realize, with surrealism in the vein of Hitchcock/Dali's Spellbound, Rango is a mentally entrancing experience. An experience wrapped in the fragile shell of generic loner becomes hero, family stamped and approved storyline simplicity.

With more curious head turns than a Dancing With the Stars audience at a Higgs Boson seminar, Rango is a charming, lonely soul whose infectious stories and flamboyant mannerisms can take charge of any scene. Where many films deal only with surface level, external aspects of being lonely, Rango's is tackled internally, through the use of dream expositions. We see the power of a vivid imagination and dedication to a character, mixed in with the longing for friends who both appreciate, but also idolize you. You're not just good to them, you're the best to them. And in the case of Rango, that draw means more to him than even the most basic fundamentals of his personality.

Depp delivers a whimsical performance as the sporadic protagonist lizard, Rango. Rich in layers, and heavy on quirky, the character is T-ed up perfectly for Depp's cinematic persona. Ned Beatty continues racking up the villainous vocal roles transition from a cuddly teddy bear to the turtle mayor of Dirt. A straight forward, self-interested baddy whose evil ways rely more on Beatty's strong voice command than demonstrable action. And simply put, the movie couldn't handle much more characterization than that.

The rest of the cast is a hodge podge of worthwhile characters, each with their pre-associated character quirk to maintain their usefulness throughout the run time. There's not much digging to be had here, and the film's better for it. Rango is by all accounts a character piece, living the shadow of the family genre. It's only there because the main story wants to be, but it could easily transfer to another medium without fault.

That's not to say Rango is without faults. Despite the high voltage action, the film Rango can be as unfocused as its titular star. It can turn a hilarious moment that will split the guts of audiences right into the kind of comedy you'd expect to find on some Saturday morning cartoon rehashing the same joke over and over. Taking the ride of Rango is like hoping on a beast of a roller coaster. When it's high, it's as high as any would dare go, but when it's low... well, let's just say the fall is steep, quick, and may involve nausea. But it is to the endless credit of the talent involved that those low moments are brief and far between, using every bit of inertia to keep the movie going up.

Gore Verbinski may have lost me on the last two pirate films, but he sold me hook line and sinker here. Rango is a pure enjoyment of a watch. Granted, its referential obsessions may be lost on those without the cinema knowledge to back it up. Seriously people, if you're over forty and didn't get that was Clint Eastwood, you need a good talking too!

Film Credits:
Directed By - Gore Verbinski
Written By - John Logan

Addendum - Am I the only one who went 'oh come off it' when Music By Hans Zimmer rolled out into the credits? At least half the music in the movie was The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and the Harmonica theme from Once Upon a Time in the West.

True Grit (2010)

OVERALL RATING: 8.00/10

My apprehension with respect to the Coen Brothers has been well documented over the past year on this blog. I often contend that they are masters of the tease who collapse onto themselves when it comes time for the pay off. Their interwoven tales of literary references and societal analogies get lost in harsh contextual backlog of self-important rants. Any messages they may have originally intended crumble underneath the weight of seemingly rushed finales which usually include the removal of key characters at warp speed and hanging plot points. So when I heard they were remaking the 1969 western True Grit, I had my reservations.

Arguably their most accessible work, Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, The Big Lebowski) enter into the basic foundations of western ideology in their 2010 adaptation. Removing the more family friendly comedy elements that sustained the original, True Grit is a emotionally insightful look at the western lawman. With the precision of a fine tuned pianist, the writing-directing team balance their patented elusive, high-brow, dark comedy with a beautifully captured focus on characters and motivations.

At times morose, but seldom lackluster, the 2010 True Grit installment is given a decisive mood which the original film lacked. The tale of Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld), and her hunt to inflict retribution upon Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) for the murder of her father, is one of awakening and loss. Seemingly stoic, Ross is forced to face real world pain and loss as she encounters a collection of vile and sycophantic criminals on the run. Teaming up with the hard-nosed US Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), and reluctantly the Texas Ranger LeBoeuf (Matt Damon), her business savvy and reclusive lifestyle is put to the ultimate test.

In her first major acting role, Steinfeld replaces the bossy nature of Darby's incarnation with a more personable and humane take on Ross. The accessibility of her character solidifies the connection between the audience and the narrative. With the exception of only one scene, and a couple of shots, she is the focal point through which all the events that transpire are presented. The audience is only privy to those conversations that she can hear, and view violence the way she does. As such the violent acts are a powerful thing. A gunshot doesn't merely end with a spot of blood and a fall. Each shot is a thundering bang, each drop of blood a splattering spray, met with screams of anguish and lingering death

Perhaps it is par for the course that the action scenes which take place away from the eyes of Mattie Ross are relatively tame. Though over the top, both deal with violence through the lens of those who deal with it on a daily basis. Thus enters the much coveted Jeff Bridges with a powerhouse performance as Rooster Cogburn.

Bridges' take on Rooster Cogburn is as stubborn and drunk as Wayne's ever was. However there's an added element of history which supplies layers and insight to Cogburn that make him equally lovable and contemptible. He can be audacious and vile, but underneath it all he has a sense justice that, while not unwavering, carries with it a strong sense of decency. Making him the perfect match for the flamboyant and boisterous LeBoeuf. Damon tones down LeBoeuf's incessant self-obsession in favor of a more intellectual cowboy. LeBoeuf counters Cogburn's down to earth, everyday man, style with a more upper class lawman. He makes up for his rash and lack of viable experience with charisma and resoluteness.

The back and forth banter between Cogburn and LeBoeuf stood out to me as one of the film's most enjoyable aspects. Hilarious, and yet eye opening, they provide the film a much needed breakdown of archaic western mythos. Neither character is without flaws, many of which we are shown, and therein lies our desire to want to know them better. Unfortunately, at the cost of these diatribes, we lose one aspect of the original 1969 film I admired - the platonic bond that builds between Cogburn and Ross.

Stepping into the villainous role of Tom Chaney, Josh Brolin uses his (more or less) five minutes to absolute perfection. He is everything the preceding conversations would lead you to believe, and more. With even less screen time, Barry Pepper steps into the difficult to fill shoes of Robert Duvall as Lucky Ned Pepper, adding to the films list of memorable performances. From the closeups of his spitting and mangled teeth, the makeup team gave Ned a vagrant look and Pepper had the gumption to match it. Together they give a brief introspective to the products of a world split between the lawful and the lawless.

Using dialogue that at times borders on poetic, the Coen Brothers do an outstanding job of capturing this world. The characters are not your general 'ho-hum' western stereotypes, but instead use words riddled in syllables and pronunciation (you'd be surprised how rare that is for a western). Winter as the backdrop to their journey provides a chilling, dark, and foreboding visual tone. It creates a since of isolation and barrenness to scenery that would otherwise seem welcoming. As the film progresses, this isolation becomes more and more apparent. Wide shots of towns and landscapes give way to closeups and reaction shots.

Which is one of the primary reasons why I find the final shootout equally appealing and frustrating. The iconic scene of Cogburn charging four men head on, dual wielding guns, is as much apart of the True Grit nostalgia as any scene in the film. Yet it feels so disassociated with the tone of the rest of the film, I can't but feel another approach would have made more sense.  Sure you may lose some marketability, but I truly feel it would have been a more satisfying conclusion.

Still, no matter how I slice it, True Grit is one of the best films I've seen this year. The mix of comedy, tragedy, and visual prowess provides a versatile viewing experience unlike any other film I've witnessed this year. It resonates on a deep level with wonderfully incandescent characters and beautiful imagery. It is my firm opinion that True Grit ranks among the upper echelon of Coen Brothers films.

Film Credits:
Written and Directed By: Joel and Ethan Coen
Novel By: Charles Portis

So, what did you think of True Grit? If you haven't seen it yet, will you?

High Plains Drifter (1973)

HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER

DIRECTED BY: CLINT EASTWOOD
WRITTEN BY: ERNEST TIDYMAN & DEAN RIESNER (uncredited)
REVIEWED FOR: 1001 MOVIE CLUB
OVERALL SCORE: 7.50/10

Mysterious gunman (Clint Eastwood) agrees to help a mining town defend itself from 3 criminals they put in jail some time ago, now being set free. All of which are connected by a dark secret some will kill to protect.

"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes 'em afraid."

To say High Plains Drifter absolutely caught me off guard would be a flagrant understatement. Dark, eerie, mysterious, it's a western unlike any western I've seen before it. Laced in supernatural elements, grounded by dark, far too real, characters, Eastwood, Tidyman, & Riesner sure created something worth a view. Different from the darkness of a Wild Bunch, because High Plains Drifter is a tale of the darkness of men. And the consequences that come when good people do nothing.

To make sure this gets across to the viewer, the filmmakers shock no more than 15 minutes in without "heroic" gunman raping a woman right off. A shocker to the system if I've ever seen one, and a perfect setup for the tone of the film. A near entire cast of anti-heroes. Which makes the film both difficult to watch, and gripping, as one tries to solve the underlying mysteries. What makes these people do what they do, and why. Questions reiterated to the viewer throughout the film, all coming to point in the grand finale.

Though don't think of it as all bad. To offer the viewer some characters to relate to we are given dwarf Mordecai (Billy Curtis), who befriends our stranger and acts as his second-in-command, and Sarah Belding (Verna Bloom), wife of local innkeeper, and last remaining moral conscience. The two provide much of the heart of the film, and serve as mediators between the viewer and the past. Bringing together the harsh reality of the town, with the simple western premise.

Bloom is especially strong in the role, providing the perfect balance to Eastwood's mysterious backstory. The rest of the cast serve their purpose, but during their bigger moments it must be said not all rise to the occasion. Luckily enough, it's never so bad that it takes away from the film, just doesn't offer much to it.

Of course one can afford to be mediocre in acting when Eastwood's direction is so steadfast. Utilizing an eerie score, the dark shots Eastwood has become known for, mixed in with classic Western setup, it's a strong visual film throughout. The sort of film one images wears on the mind of those involved because of all that is put into it.

Brilliantly blending darkness with the classic western, Eastwood and company have crafted something truly unique in High Plains Drifter. Those seeking western chipper, and humor, dare not apply, High Plains Drifter is a dark, analytical, take on humanity, and the cost of our selfishness.

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST

DIRECTED BY: SERGIO LEONE
WRITTEN BY: SERGIO LEONE AND SERGIO DONATI
REVIEWED FOR: 1001 MOVIES CLUB
OVERALL SCORE: 9.50/10

A strange gunman recognizable only by the harmonica he carries (Charles Bronson) teams up with a ruthless outlaw, Cheyenne (Jason Robards) to help Jill (Claudia Cardinale), a city girl prostitute who opts for a new life only to find her recent husband and his family dead at the hands of a well known killer, Frank (Henry Fonda).

If I were to go with a second director whose work I truly love after Kurosawa, Leone would likely hit right there at number 2. It's not that I think he's the greatest director of all time, it's rather that I've never seen a movie of his I would consider bad. And while Once Upon a Time in the West sits right on the outskirts of my top 100 films, have no fear it's about as close to a honorable mention as they come. I remember mostly the first time I watched it. Right off two things stood out to me: 1) It's about 15minutes longer than it needed to be and 2) I absolutely loved it. From Fonda as the evil murderer, to the social commentary on the transition of times, end of the west, and rise of the railroads. Once Upon a Time in the West is a narrative on revenge, new life, and the cost of a violent one.

Carried perfectly by 4 charismatic performances, it's safe to say I found little to complain about in the acting department. Fonda is a vision as the scruffy and violent Frank, a performance I'm sure few would expect from the seasoned veteran, and good guy character actor. While Robards is a hilarious echo of Tuco, with a bit more of a human flair, and Bronson is the perfect, Blondie-esque, quiet killer with his own motives... though not quite as much flair. Of course it would be a crime to not note that this is also the movie that introduced me to the vision that is Claudia Cardinale. She lights up every scene as the ex-prostitute seeking a new life only to be forced back into similar circumstances to save her life.

Though, like all his films, Leone's characters have more layers than you would imagine. Frank may be a mass murderer, but he dreams of being a business man, and a respectable man... within his own limits. Frank's boss, dreams of seeing the pacific ocean before he dies. Jill dreams of having a nice, pleasant, family oriented life. While our two heroes (or anti-heroes - depending on point of view) seem to want very little. Harmonica wants to kill Frank, for reasons we are not privy to, until the very end. While Cheyenne seems to just not like people taking advantage of others, or himself. There's a lot of layers to it all, and Leone handles it with that beautiful character love you'd come to expect from him. Sure there's some questionable points on morality, and men and women in the west, but it's really not about that. From his unique character introductory melody to the somber tales, and aspiring hopes, Once Upon a Time in the West is a film about the cost of following your dreams... and still having to pay for your past.

It may not be absolutely perfect, and it's a bit of a far stretch from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, but Leone's tale of the final days of the west is a beautiful, intriguing, and episodic look at the intersecting lives of gunmen.

Duck, You Sucker (1971)

DUCK, YOU SUCKER (a.k.a. A FISTFUL OF DYNAMITE)

DIRECTED BY: SERGIO LEONE
WRITTEN BY: SERGIO LEONE, LUCIANO VINCENZONI, & SERGIO DONATI
ORIGINALLY REVIEWED: APRIL 18, 2009
OVERALL SCORE: 7.50/10

Juan Miranda (Rod Steiger) is a low life scum who spends his days robbing stagecoaches, killing its rich inhabitants, and raping women with his many illegitimate children. After a successful robbery one day he comes across an Irish dynamite expert, John Malloy (James Coburn). The two get off to a very rocky start, but are quickly thrust into the middle of the Mexican Revolution, one by choice, the other by accident. Seeking out very different things in life, John and Juan become an unlikely but capable team in aiding the Revolution.

From the opening Mao Tse-Tung quote on the troubles of revolution, to the first shot of Juan urinating on group of beetles, it's clear right off the bat this western is not your typical Sergio Leone. Juan is a despicable character, using his family only for his own profit, and having raped a women no more than 15 minutes into the film. John on the other hand, keeps to himself, and only through extended flashbacks do we learn more about his dark past (ala Once Upon a Time in the West Style/Few Dollars More style).

Even for all Juan's faults, he maintains a quasi-Tuco style to life which makes him entertaining, and as the film moves, his character grows into the sympathetic character we find in the films finale. John on the other hand takes a very intriguing, Blondie-esque, trait as the always two steps ahead of the game intellectual character. With neither character we get a solid background, even John's backstory is quite complex, and ambiguous. Yet for all the films characters, it takes a long time to get where it's going. Much of the opening half of the film is spent developing the relationship between John and Juan. How they seek to use each other for personal gain, while Leone spends his time developing a series of gags and situations for them to fall victim too.

Sergio Leone delivers some great directing moments, combining a sort of comical flair for the first hour, while a darker, more painful use of camera work towards the later half. At the backdrop, Ennio Morricone's score is much more quirky than his previous Leone collaborations, but by the end of the film I was completely sold on it. The great weakness of Duck, You Sucker is that its opening hour is just spread far too thin. It's unable to sustain the greatest of interest, but once the PoW scene kicks in, Leone goes into overdrive and delivers a final 1 and a half as good as any I've ever witnessed. It's painful, epic, moving, allowing us to develop a strange connection to these oddball characters, while they themselves grow closer as a pair. A poignant tale on the tragedy of revolution.

The all too often overlooked, Duck, You Sucker, is a powerful and epic tale (despite its title) of two complete opposite characters, and a harsh look at Leone's personal perspective on revolutions.

The Professionals (1966)

THE PROFESSIONALS

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: RICHARD BROOKS
NOVEL BY: FRANK O'ROURKE
OVERALL SCORE: 7.00/10

Rancher Joe Grant (Ralph Bellamy) recruits a small, elite, team (Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, and Woody Strode) of professionals to rescue his wife (Claudia Cardinale) from Mexican revolutionary Jesus Raza (Jack Palance).

If you just look at the cast list above I don't think you need to think long about why this movie has been on my need to watch list for some time. The Professionals is by many accounts the pre-Predator example of extreme testosterone, hard hitting, rough men, who take down anyone who gets in their way. The opening sequence in which each character is introduced is riddled with hard hits, women, and of course machine guns (using the rather comical technique of introducing each character during their associated actors name). Of course when you have such talent you're going to want to highlight it.

While Burt Lancaster may have gotten top billing there's little denying that Lee Marvin's Rico Fardan is the anchor for both the film, and the team. He's the only one of the Professionals we get to know anything about, and we see his struggle with taking down an old alley in Raza. Though of course that's not to say we get to know little of Bill Donworth (Burt Lancaster) who delivers many of the films great one-liners, and serves as the emotional counter, and long time friend, to Fardan. Unfortunately Robert Ryan and Woody Strode (who is never given nearly enough credit as an actor) are well underused and in many respects only serve the function of narrative side-kicks. Ryan's character does provide some moral ground for the group, but even then it's only random. While Strode is stuck with the generic, and over romanticized role, apache warrior/tracker, which gives him some good action scenes, but not much in the way of lines or screen time (as he's often off tracking).

Claudia Cardinale is as beautiful as you'd imagine, and it's nice that her character develops into more than just a damsel in distress. While Raza (Jack Palance) is able to escape a predictably cheesy villain role, and become a sympathetic character for the audience. Yet for all its strengths in performance characters, Richard Brooks has to be the glue to put it all together. While tense and filled with action, The Professionals is a very standard film, and never really escapes the realm of being a bit hokey. The direction is solid, but not creative, with some questionable moves in order to surprise the audience. Of course at its heart it's the narrative that keeps The Professionals together. It's about those who fought for revolutionary ideas, those who still fight, and what becomes of those who no longer do.

While a bit hokey, and not all that creative, The Professionals is a fun and involving western, worth the time and attention of its viewer.

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
DIRECTED BY: JOHN STURGES
WRITTEN BY: WILLIAM ROBERTS
OVERALL SCORE: 10/10
TOP 100 FILMS: #69

A small Mexican village struggles to survive amid constantly being taken advantage of by a local group of bandits, and their leader, Calvera (Eli Wallach). To save their village, they decide to hire seven gunmen (Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Brad Dexter, & Horst Buchholz).

I'm betting if you really tried you'd be hard pressed to come up with a list of 10 remakes that actual manage to adapt without copying/losing the original. Though at, if not near, the top of every one ought to be John Sturges' 1960 film The Magnificent Seven. Wonderfully adapting Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic, The Seven Samurai, Sturges' collects a group of up and comers, future legends, and experienced actors to bring out the life in his remake. Limiting the scale, Sturges manages to bring in Kurosawa's 3+hour epic, in just over 2 hours with colorful characters, similar to the actors playing them.

Wallach is perfect as the colorful opponent to the seven lawmen. Cunning, people smart, and yet ruthless, Calvera provides a strong opposition, and great character development to our core heroes. At the same time, Sturges doesn't sacrifice the notion of the flawed hero. Many of our secondary characters, much like their components, have subtle troubles in their lives, they are either escaping from, or running to. These little insights allow the audience to feel both sympathy, and revere them at the same time. We're allowed in, if only a little bit, to see why they are the way they are, and why they would take on such a difficult task.

Sturges, a solid director through every film, has always been dependent on the screenplay to make his films work. This is where William Roberts comes in. Developing similar characters, story arcs, and situations from the original, Roberts is able to transpose Kurosawa's masterpiece, maintain its subtext, and yet present the film in a new light. At every turn a new development, as the film progresses so does our love and compassion for the characters, adding all the tension you could ever want into a powerful finale.

One of the greatest remakes ever made, The Magnificent Seven is fun, exciting, and maintains that same look at humanity that Kurosawa's original did.