Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)

A Mexican revolutionary hires an American gunslinger to organize the rescue of their leader from a brutal army prison.

Director:

Paul Wendkos

Writer:

Herman Hoffman

Stars:

George Kennedy, James Whitmore, Monte Markham

Cast

Complete credited cast:
George Kennedy	...	Chris
James Whitmore	...	Levi
Monte Markham	...	Keno
Reni Santoni	...	Max
Bernie Casey	...	Cassie
Scott Thomas	...	P.J.
Joe Don Baker	...	Slater
Tony Davis	...	Emil
Michael Ansara	...	Col. Diego
Frank Silvera	...	Lobero
Wende Wagner	...	Tina
Sancho Gracia	...	Miguel
Luis Rivera	...	Lt. Prensa
George Rigaud	...	Gabriel (as Jorge Rigaud)
Fernando Rey	...	Quintero

Storyline

A Mexican revolutionary hires an American gunslinger to organize the rescue of their leader from a brutal army prison.

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Plot Keywords:

gunslinger | army | rescue | mexican | prison | 

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Taglines:

The Magnificent Seven are back - and they don't aim to please.

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

14 July 1969 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Vuelven los siete magníficos

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mirisch Production Company, The, Mirisch Corporation, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Despite bearing no resemblance to Yul Brynner, including a full head of hair, George Kennedy takes over the role of Chris Adams, played by Brynner in the first two films. Even Adams' trademark dark clothing is gone. What remains is the steel resolve and affinity for cigars.

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Goofs

During the beginning of the attack on the prison you can see a string attached to the knife that is thrown at the guard in the tower.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Col. Diego: Where is the meeting?
Tortured Prisoner: In the church.
Col. Diego: Is Quintero with them?
Tortured Prisoner: Yes.

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Connections

Referenced in Guns for Hire: The Making of 'The Magnificent Seven' (2000)

User Reviews

The incredibly redundant Seven return

I've always been a big fan and personal admirer of George Kennedy. He's a number of great things. He's a severely underrated actor who appeared in a large number of cinematic milestones but hardly ever received any recognition for it. He's a versatile actor who can effortlessly adapt to every possible genre as well as to every possible type of character. He's a hard working and unpretentious actor who starred in massively budgeted blockbusters as well as in cheap B-movies. I also tell you what he's not, though … George Kennedy is NOT Yul Brunner and therefore cannot carry the leading heroic role in a western, especially not when this particular western franchise already outstayed its welcome. In fact, George Kennedy is not a leading actor; period. He's at his best in a major supportive role. Standing in the shadow of the hero but still essential to the plot, like his roles in the "Airport" series.

"Guns of the Magnificent Seven" is a fairly worthless and time-wasting western, and that is definitely not George Kennedy's fault. As said already, the franchise was clearly dried out in the first sequel already and thus far all the follow-ups are redundant and uninvolving rehash of the original John Sturges' classic. Yet again, some poor Mexican schlemiel is seeking the help of Chris Adams because a malignant Colonel is exploiting the defenseless farmers in his community and this time even kidnapped their revolutionary leader. Yet once again Chris Adams seeks out six fellow gunslingers to ride with him, a process that already consumes 40 minutes of the entire film, and comes to the rescue. And, finally, once again the seven supposedly relentless hired gunman develop a deep sympathy for the pathetic Mexican villagers and sacrifice their lives for their well-being. Yawn. This third entry in the series is incredibly boring most of the time, because Chris' plan of action exists mostly of … waiting. I was actually rooting for the drunk Mexican posse leader who continuously referred to the Seven as greedy cowards. None of the (not so) magnificent seven characters is even remotely worth talking about and the big bloody finale, set in an allegedly maximum security prison were all the guards take Sundays off to spend the day in bed with their wives, is overlong and unexciting.

There came one more sequel after this one, namely "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" with no less than Lee "the Bad" Van Cleef reprising the role of Marshal Chris Adams. I am still going to check that film out, mostly because I'm a Van Cleef fan boy. And, quite frankly, because I bought the Magnificent Seven box set, so I already paid for all four movies anyway.