The Magnificent Seven is one of my very favorite movies–of all genres, not just westerns. It’s wild success when it was released in 1960 was pretty much a sure thing, considering the all star cast, director, and musical score. The Story: The movie opens on a small, dusty Mexican border town. A large gang of bandits, on horses and armed with guns rides into the town, led by their dastardly jefe Calvera. They pilage the town regularly; Calvera, played by Eli Wallach, and his gang steal all the food and goods the village farms and makes, and as they ride away, Calvera promises that he and his banditos will be back for more. Some of the villagers, downtrodden, starved, and frustrated, have had enough. While many of the townspeople are still afraid to stand up to Calvera, the word of the village wise man (played by a convincing Vladimir Sokoloff) to fight sends a small group on their way to cross the border, and purchase guns with the meager valuables they still have. It is in this border town that the desperate villagers cross paths with the gunslinger who will change everything. The villagers enter a town in a tussle–a […]