With a cast like Yul Brynner as Chris Adams, Eli Wallach as the bandito Calvera, Steve McQueen as Vin, and Charles Bronson as Bernardo O'Reilly, this movie is guaranteed to please the audience. Directed by John Sturges, it is, I believe, the only American Western that paved the way for the Spaghetti genre. The intense violence, the macho presence of the 7, the quasi absence of any female lead, and especially the setting (a Mexican pueblo!) were definitely not ingredients of the romantic American Western.
And for this alone the film deserves some recognition, for being ahead of its time, so to speak. The basic plot is not particularly intense: a Mexican town is constantly being robbed of its crop by 40 banditos, led by Calvera. When 3 of the inhabitants decide to rebel, they head to an American town, initially to buy guns. They end up hiring 7 men who decide to support their cause for various individual reasons, but definitely not for the low pay!
This Western is not a classic because of the action scenes (which were not that spectacular) but because it focuses on the characters. Each man learns something of value from this mission, and each of them has a haunting past, though we are never told the details. Chris and Vin are lonely drifters and invincible gunmen with moral principles and a dash of compassion. For instance, in the beginning of the film, they team up to give a Native American a decent burial in a little town's cemetery, despite the locals' strong opposition. Chris, after siding with the 3 Mexicans's cause, takes the initiative of finding the right men for the job. Bernardo O'Reilly is half-Mexican half-Irish, and he's the one who has a special relationship with the kids of the Mexican village. He is good with the rifle, but doesn't fail to give the children a good lecture on the responsibilities of their fathers. Lee (Robert Vaughn), is a fugitive and is always dressed elegantly, even during combat. I liked Britt's character's best. Played by James Coburn, he is really fast both with a gun and with a knife. Look out for the first scene when we're introduced to his character, where an insisting gunman keeps on provoking him until he gets what he asked for. Never in that scene does Britt lose his cool, taking small naps' in between provocations. It's a real laugh, that scene! Actually, the first part of the movie, where we are gradually introduced to each of the 7 men, is the best part. Harry (Brad Dexter), is a strange character; the only reason he goes for the job is that he is convinced, for some reason, that there is gold mine near the Mexican village. Throughout his conversations with the villagers, he keeps on referring to the mine, much to their perplexity and much to Chris' amusement. Then there is Chico (Horst Buchholz), a young, persistent, and proud gunslinger wannabe. He is the only one of the 7 to win' in the end, as he decides to settle down with a woman in the village. Other interesting characters were that of Calvera and of the village's Old Man (played by Vladimir Sokoloff). Calvera is a proud bandito who keeps his word (surprisingly!), and the Old Man is a wise, courageous, and respected figure in the village. `You hear that, Sotero? Do you hear what he said?..Ride on!..To ME!' (Calvera) `Only the farmers have won. They are like the land itself; you helped rid them of Calvera the way a strong wind help rid them of locusts. You're like the wind blowing over the land and passing on Vayan con Dios!' (Old Man) Another feature that makes this a memorable movie is of course Elmer Bernstein's score, which was used for many years in TV cigarette ads.
The best line, which poignantly illustrates the drifter's eternal loneliness, comes at the end of the movie when Chris tells Vin that "The Old Man was right. Only the farmers have won. We lost. We always lose..."
And for this alone the film deserves some recognition, for being ahead of its time, so to speak. The basic plot is not particularly intense: a Mexican town is constantly being robbed of its crop by 40 banditos, led by Calvera. When 3 of the inhabitants decide to rebel, they head to an American town, initially to buy guns. They end up hiring 7 men who decide to support their cause for various individual reasons, but definitely not for the low pay!
This Western is not a classic because of the action scenes (which were not that spectacular) but because it focuses on the characters. Each man learns something of value from this mission, and each of them has a haunting past, though we are never told the details. Chris and Vin are lonely drifters and invincible gunmen with moral principles and a dash of compassion. For instance, in the beginning of the film, they team up to give a Native American a decent burial in a little town's cemetery, despite the locals' strong opposition. Chris, after siding with the 3 Mexicans's cause, takes the initiative of finding the right men for the job. Bernardo O'Reilly is half-Mexican half-Irish, and he's the one who has a special relationship with the kids of the Mexican village. He is good with the rifle, but doesn't fail to give the children a good lecture on the responsibilities of their fathers. Lee (Robert Vaughn), is a fugitive and is always dressed elegantly, even during combat. I liked Britt's character's best. Played by James Coburn, he is really fast both with a gun and with a knife. Look out for the first scene when we're introduced to his character, where an insisting gunman keeps on provoking him until he gets what he asked for. Never in that scene does Britt lose his cool, taking small naps' in between provocations. It's a real laugh, that scene! Actually, the first part of the movie, where we are gradually introduced to each of the 7 men, is the best part. Harry (Brad Dexter), is a strange character; the only reason he goes for the job is that he is convinced, for some reason, that there is gold mine near the Mexican village. Throughout his conversations with the villagers, he keeps on referring to the mine, much to their perplexity and much to Chris' amusement. Then there is Chico (Horst Buchholz), a young, persistent, and proud gunslinger wannabe. He is the only one of the 7 to win' in the end, as he decides to settle down with a woman in the village. Other interesting characters were that of Calvera and of the village's Old Man (played by Vladimir Sokoloff). Calvera is a proud bandito who keeps his word (surprisingly!), and the Old Man is a wise, courageous, and respected figure in the village. `You hear that, Sotero? Do you hear what he said?..Ride on!..To ME!' (Calvera) `Only the farmers have won. They are like the land itself; you helped rid them of Calvera the way a strong wind help rid them of locusts. You're like the wind blowing over the land and passing on Vayan con Dios!' (Old Man) Another feature that makes this a memorable movie is of course Elmer Bernstein's score, which was used for many years in TV cigarette ads.
The best line, which poignantly illustrates the drifter's eternal loneliness, comes at the end of the movie when Chris tells Vin that "The Old Man was right. Only the farmers have won. We lost. We always lose..."