Ben Larson
This was really a disappointment after watching The Magnificent Seven. I know sequels are usually disappointing, but this one had little going for it compared to the original. The only character returning was Yul Brenner, and he looked as if he was going through the motions to collect a check to pay the rent. The outstanding cast that made The Magnificent Seven was was not equaled in any measure by these replacements. Warren Oates did manage to make things interesting in his constant search for women. And, you do get to see one of Mexico's greatest stars in Emilio Fernández, who played the bandit leader.
Michael_Elliott
Return of the Magnificent Seven (1966) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Chris (Yul Brynner) and Vin (Robert Fuller) hear about some bandits who have kidnapped all the men of three villages and have headed off into the desert with them. Chris decides to gather up five more men and head out to take on a mission where they're be greatly outnumbered.If you thought any sequel could live up to THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN then you might not want to watch this. I mean, that John Sturges' film is a pure classic (as if the film it's based on) so even thinking a sequel would live up to it isn't the best thing to think. With that said, RETURN OF THE SEVEN is actually a mildly entertaining movie as long as you're not expecting for it to do the impossible.Larry Cohen's screenplay doesn't offer up any sorts of great twists or original moments but it does know exactly what it wants to deliver. A decent story with a great cast and of course a lot of action. The action scenes are certainly what makes this film so memorable and that's especially true for the finale where we get some terrific gunfights with some dynamite thrown in for fun. Director Burt Kennedy handles all of this quite well and at least keeps the film moving.Brynner is always entertaining to watch and he's good here. I thought he did a nice job slipping back into the role, although it's certainly not as electrifying as the original. Fuller, Julian Mateos, Claude Akins, Fernando Rey, Emilio Fernandez and especially Warren Oates all offer up some nice support. The cinematography is also very good with Elmer Bernstein's score still packing a punch. Sure, this sequel was made to cash in on the first film but on its own it's a decent entertainment.
screenman
The original title always struck me as a rather overblown definition for a bunch of gun-toting saddle-tramps. Still; their screen presence was at least underscored by a top-quality group of actors to support Yul Brynner. Most were movie stars in their own right.However; this first sequel was a pale imitation, with a group now composed of largely B and C list players, who were more mediocre than magnificent. It was a similar set-up. Brynner's 'Chris' had to recruit yet another team of gun-toting saddle-tramps to sort out the Mexican peasants' problems again. Another tyrant was giving them grief.With the originality and freshness of the first movie now spent, this remake had little else to offer. The budget was evidently very limited. This was reflected not only in the cast, but also in the below-par script, which borrowed much from the earlier classic. It was also more than half an hour shorter than John Sturges' original. Yet we still had a reprise of the agonising and moralising that made even the first a little turgid at times. However, here there was no decent acting, action or location work to balance things up. Filmiing was less expansive. It failed to convey the broad sweep of landscapes that were a great part of the original.Generally; it just lacked imagination. The first movie had been a smash-hit, and this pedestrian sequel was evidently put together as quickly and cheaply as possible in order to cynically cash-in on former success. And it shows. There's very much a 'made for TV' feel about it.Not recommended.
zardoz-13
No, Burt Kennedy's "Return of the Seven" doesn't surpass the John Sturges classic western "The Magnificent Seven." Remember, however, the Sturges film itself was a remake of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's "The Seventh Samurai." First, I contend that "The Magnificent Seven" is one of the top ten best westerns. Second, I get a kick out of watching "Return of the Seven" for its own modest virtues. This sagebrusher came about as a result of the sequel craze in the 1960s. After the tension on the set of "The Magnificent Seven" with Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen refused to play second fiddle again to 'the King.' Anyway, McQueen's star was rising, while Brynner's stardom was waning.It is important to remember the theatrical title, too, because it is "Return of the Seven" with the omission of the adjective "Magnificent." Indeed, Brynner is the only one who made it back for the sequel. McQueen refused to and Horst Buchholz had disappeared in Europe making other movies.Mind you, around this time, the Europeans had spawned the so-called 'Spaghetti' western craze. Moreover, the Franco government in Spain subsidized filmmakers, and the rough-hewn Spanish scenery substituted more than adequately for the frontier American Southwest. While the scenery is more interesting to admire, the music stands out by itself, and the corpses outnumber the horses ten-to-one, you know that you're watching a 'Spaghetti' western. Oh, yeah, if the dialogue isn't lip-synched, you know you're watching a 'Spaghetti' western. Consequently, the Mirish Production company must have felt that they could knock out a sequel very inexpensively in Spain. Reportedly, the Alicante location where they filmed "Return of the Seven" had not been used in a picture. Unquestionably, "Return of the Seven" looks like an epic western, and Paul Vogel's cinematography is a feast for the eyes. Everybody looks really picturesque when they shoot their guns in this western. Burt Kennedy's "Seven" surpasses Sturges' "Seven" only in terms of its rugged, breath-taking scenery, Vogel's ace cinematography, and the lavish production values. Burt Kennedy stages some exception gunfights, but he cannot top the vintage Sturges shoot-outs."Return of the Seven" picks up years after the Sturges epic. An insane rancher decides to honor the memory of his two dead sons by abducting the farmers of several villages and having them build a shrine—a church—to commemorate his sons. Right off, "Return of the Seven" differs from "The Magnificent Seven." Francisco Lorca (Emilio Fernández of "The Wild Bunch") looms above all as a law unto himself, whereas Calvera (Eli Wallach) was a cunning, ruthless bandit that lived outside the law. These films have different villains. One of the villages that Lorca's men raid and enslave is Chico's village. Julian Mateos takes over the role that Horst Buchholz created.The worst scene is the first between Chris (Yul Brynner) and Vin (Robert Fuller of "Laramie") at the bullfight. Vin sidles up alongside Chris makes up a story that he is looking to collect bounty on Chris. Scenarist Larry Cohen of the "It's Alive" trilogy could have contrived a better reunion scene. Although Cohen received credit for writing the screenplay, all the dialogue sounds like something that Burt Kennedy would have written for Randolph Scott on those Budd Boetticher westerns of the 1950s. My favorite line is when Chris and Vin meet again during a cockfighting tournament and talk about their luck rounding up candidates. Vin asks, "Are they any good?" Chris retorts, "They're alive." Staying alive is what "Return of the Seven" is all about. Meanwhile, Cohen replays themes from the original. The villagers huddle in a rainy church and admit their fear of anything.The cast differs obviously and so do the characters. Burt Kennedy's "Seven" is harsh, definitely less sentimental than the Sturges "Seven." Some of these guys rub each other raw. Chris averts a gunfight between the loquacious Colbee (Warren Oates of "Ride the High Country") and the tight-lipped Frank (Claude Atkins of "A Man Called Sledge") in one scene. "Is he faster than you, Chris," Frank asks. "I'd hate to have the live on the difference," Chris observes. I'd heard this line in "Rio Bravo," but it fares better here. Another great scene occurs earlier when Chris buys Frank out of jail. "He killed five men in a gunfight," complains the jailer about the amount of Chris' bribe. "I could make it six," growls Frank. The bargain is sealed. The dialogue in this scene compares with the dialogue in the Charles Bronson scene in the original "Seven." This time the Seven confront at least fifty gunmen, twenty or so more than in the first picture. Interestingly, Chris gets not only Frank but also Luis Emilio Delgado (Vergílio Teixeira of "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad") from the local jail. This anticipates the classic Lee Marvin war movie "The Dirty Dozen." Another scene that matched the original is the initial hero and the villains confrontation. Chris rides boldly into the construction site and demands the release of Chico and everybody else to the incredulity of Lorca's second-in-command Lopez (Rodolfo Acosta of "Rio Conchos") who replies, "I could have you shot like that." Lopez snaps. "There are five Winchesters pointed at your head." Chris is far more audacious than he ever was in "The Magnificent Seven." Emilio Fernández is a splendid foll0w-up to Eli Wallach. In real life, Wallach was gentle, whereas Fernández was violent, handy with a gun, literally a gangsta of sorts. He looks like he means business as the villain in "Return of the Seven." Like Yul Brynner, Elmer Bernstein encores his original Oscar nominated orchestral soundtrack and amazingly he received another nomination for it. If you haven't seen the first "Seven," you could swear that Bernstein created the score for the sequel!
