The movie follows master gunfighter Brynner and his six fellow soldiers of fortune as they form a united front to defend a small agricultural village in Mexico from a group of marauding bandits and their leader.
Director John Sturges was extremely fortunate in securing a near-perfect cast for this enduringly popular western reworking of Japanese classic Seven Samurai.
John Sturges remake of Kurosawa's masterpiece, Seven Samurai, is enjoyable on its own terms due to the stellar cast, not to mention Elmer Bernstein's score, but it helps to know the Japansese classic.
Very nearly a classic, this Americanization of Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai does a good job of mirroring the major themes and attitudes of the original while re-creating that monumental film in an occidental setting.
Even with some highly fetching Mexican scenery in color, this United Artists release, thrusting Yul Brynner well to the fore, is a pallid, pretentious and overlong reflection of the Japanese original.
Bangor Daily News (Maine)
February 03, 2006
Overly celebrated, but the gun fights are among the best ever in a Western.
Quickflix
October 20, 2014
Bernstein's score is one for the ages. This film, however, is not.
