cgvsluis

The Magnificent Seven has a wonderful and distinctively sweeping musical score throughout, which is a highlight of the film. It begins in a small Mexican farming village. The village farmers are being taken advantage of by a group of bandits lead by a man called Caldera (Eli Wallach), who are stealing their money and food, leaving them with the bare minimum to survive on.

The "old man" (Vladimir Sokoloff) tells them there is a solution. They need to go to the border and buy guns to protect them. Not knowing anything about guns, they realize they need to buy guns for hire, aka gunslingers.

Three villagers go to a border town where they watch the following scene play out...

Two Traveling salesmen of women's brassieres are bothered by people walking over a dead man for three days and they pay the undertaker for his burial. The problem is he is a Native American and there are people in town who won't stand for him being buried in the town's cemetery. He explains that he can't find drivers to get his horse drawn hearse to the cemetery. Two strangers...-Chris Larabee Adams (Yul Brynner in all black) and Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen) volunteer to drive the hearse to the cemetery. The two gunslingers are on high alert during this process with their guns at the ready. After their success and impressed by their bravery, the three villagers approach Chris with their job offer. They have brought everything left in the village of value for payment.

"I've been offered a lot for my services, but never everything."- Chris

Chris proceeds to assemble a group of misfit gunslingers, for the payment of $20. They include the aforementioned Vin Tanner, Bernardo O'Reilly (a mustache less Charles Bronson), Lee (Robert Vaughn), Harry Luck (Brad Dexter), Britt (James "I was aiming for the horse" Coburn) and eventually the very stubborn Chico (Horst Buchholz).

"How can you tell they are good?"-villager "There are ways."-Chris

This is an excellent remake of the masterpiece The Seven Samurai, in which farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a samurai for protection and he gathers six samurai to join him. Akira Kurosawa made an exceptional film that was worthy of copying and I believe John Sturges western take truly does it justice.

Some of my favorite parts of the film are when our v band of gunslingers are clearing up misconceptions of their idolized lives by sharing the emptiness of their chosen profession. The best example of this is when Bernardo lectures the three amigos, who won the right go put flowers on his grave in a straw drawing, about the difference between them and their farmer father's who have taken on a bigger commitment by having families. Yul Brynner is commanding as the lead gunslinger, with his deep voice, strong physical presence and all black attire. Coming a close second is Steve McQueen, who exudes that ever present McQueen cool. Bronson was the biggest surprise for me and I enjoyed his repartee with the three village boys. The role of Chico with his eagerness and recklessness of youth was an interesting contrast to the older and more seasoned gunslingers.

This is a classic western that all western film fans should have on their must see list. Strongly recommend this film to film lovers, along with the original Seven Samurai of course.

Based on a stage play of the same name, I was really impressed with is comedic and twisty crime thriller's script. Jump starts and screams aside, it's the script that is the big draw. There are few actors, more typical of a stage play, and a phenomenal set.

In fact, I want to talk about the backdrop first. Other than the beginning and the end which is in a real life theater (and a brief moment at a suburban train station), the entire film takes place in this gorgeous windmill home that is a real home in the Hamptons currently owned by the Ironman himself, Robert Downey Jr. The house is really spectacular, the bedroom is below the windmill's actual working gears and under the bedroom is our playwright's office that is surrounded by books and antique weapons...some of which are props from his previous plays. There is a huge two sided fireplace in the middle of the room that separates the kitchen from the open room containing the living room. Then there is the attached conservatory which at times casts a purple glow to its side of the house. The outside is equally spectacular with its white columns and rounded porches overlooking the rolling lawn. Then there was the furniture and household items which included antiques, quilts and a lovely "partner desk".

The story follows a formerly successful playwright from the opening night of his latest flop home to his wife. The playwright, Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine), is famous for having the longest running thriller on Broadway...but he is a long way from that. His wife Myra (Dyan Cannon) tries to do an excellent job buoying his spirits when he makes it home. His play, Murder Most Fair, received the following reviews by critics:

"Billed as a comedy thriller, so much for truth in advertising!" "Murder Most Fair, you don't have to go, I'll tell you who did it...Sydney Bruhl and what's worse he did it in public."

While bemoaning the failure of his opening night to Myra, Sidney confesses that the insult to injury was that he received a copy of one of his student's first draft of his first murder mystery thriller play called "Death Trap" and it's brilliant. "I'll tell you how good it is. Even a gifted director couldn't hurt it." He eventually talks about "what ifs", thanks to a comment from his wife, like what if he invites the student writer to collaborate or get critiquing from him and he murders him and steals his play.

Which is eventually what he does...and can't tell you too much more or I would ruin the fun of some of the twists and turns. There is a wonderful Dutch psychic neighbor named Helga ten Dorp (Irene Worth) who shows up and dithers about with her feelings and perceptions...like feeling pain.

The writing really is hysterical. "For all your elephantine tiptoeing around." "Has anyone used the word....sociopath?" But I do have to give due to the excellent acting. Michael Cain, Dyan Cannon, Christopher Reeve, and Irene Worth are all riveting and played their rolls to perfection. This was a whole new side to Superman and I understand why fans might have an issue, but the story is so great I think mystery thriller fans should give it a go. Huge recommendation from me. Complete and utter surprise.

This is a tale as old as time...a criminal trying to go straight but being drawn back in by life, circumstances and family. Classified as crime noir, the film is based on the crime novel "Scratch a Thief" written by Zekial Marko under the pen name John Trinian. It was fun seeing Zekial himself play the character of the tweeker Luke, who shares a jail cell with Eddie when he is brought in on a 48 hour hold. Eddie then follows Luke's story as he is arrested for murdering a woman who O. D.'s.

In Alain Delon's first American film, he plays Eddie Pedak a thief who did a two year jail stretch, but has been out and trying to live a straight life. He is married to Kristine, who is played by Ann-Margaret in a rare domestic role. Her "features" are shown off only briefly first in her slip and then in a cocktail waitress outfit...but for the most part this was a serious role for Ann-Margaret as both a wife and mother to the adorable Kathy (Tammy Locke).

The film opens with a hold-up in which the female proprietor is shot to death as witnessed by her husband who is upstairs doing the books. Al. We see is the sheepskin coat that's worn by the shooter and the older Model A car that is driven as the getaway car. In the next scene we see Eddie pull up to his apartment in what appears to be the exact same car. He hustles his wife and daughter out to the car in order to take them to see the new fishing boat that he has just put a down payment on. We learn he has been driving a truck for a company for almost a year...setting aside $50 a month for the down payment (aka things are going well and he has plans to go into business for himself in the future).

The tenacious San Francisco cop Inspector Mike Vido, played by Van Heflin, is determined to put Eddie behind bars as he blames him for a hold up in which he was shot but Eddie was acquitted. Once Vido hears the description of this new holdup and homicide he is determined to pin it on Eddie. He intentionally waits till the next morning to pick up Eddie for questioning and a 48 hour hold at his place of work...which costs Eddie his job.

Then Eddie's criminal brother Walter Pedak, Jack Palance, shows up with his goons trying to convince Eddie to join him in a crew of five for one last big job. When Eddie is unable to collect unemployment because his previous emplosaid he quit instead of was fired and his wife goes to work at a cocktail lounge...it's the last straw and he takes Walter up on the job. Meanwhile Vido is slowly realizing Eddie didn't commit the most recent holdup and murder.

The real title of this film could be Too Little Too Late. It really does explore issues of criminals trying to breakout and the biggest is finding and maintaining decent employment that helps them stay straight. The acting was good in this crime drama and it was actually nice seeing Ann-Margaret act like a normal person instead of an overdone vamp busy shaking her money maker, and she was just as lovely. Alain's performance was captivating and I think he pulled off the character of Eddie very well, especially as Eddie became more and more stressed. Although his character's machismo did start to get to me with the slapping and dragging Kristine out of her job. I did really enjoy their domesticated moments, the three of them...Eddie, Kristine, and Kathy.

The elephant in the room was all of these non-Italians playing Italians from Trieste, Italy. The Frenchman Alain Delon and the ethnically Ukrainian Jack Palance play the Italian Pedak Brothers along with Van Heflin playing playing the tenacious Italian cop Mike Vido. I will say I was surprised by Jack Palance's Italian, it was pretty good.

If you are a crime drama fan or a film noir fan, I think this is worth the watch.