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Guns of the Magnificent Seven (1969)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 5/14

GunM7
5/14: Guns of the Magnificent Seven is a way, way better sequel than the previous which was ill-advised to begin with.

In many ways, it feels like a true sequel to The Magnificent Seven. Although there's an indication of high quality, it is, quite frankly, absolutely mediocre. Dearth of star power is the problem. Specifically, the cast consists of well-known secondary actors who were sidekicks to a bigger star. So, there's nothing to be excited about. Even the ending is as anticlimatic as it gets.

As soon as the action starts, almost everybody dies right away, successfully putting a preemptive end to the film in order to avoid the risk of a prolonged final battle. I suppose it's better to think of Guns of the Magnificent Seven as an audition tape for the cast as they would go on to have a long career in Hollywood.

The worst character is played by Joe Don Baker because not much is said about him. He just goes crazy in the middle of a scene for pathetic reasons. Reni Santoni is horribly miscast because he's embarrassing to look or listen to. Yet Bernie Casey has his moments and shines through. The rest of everybody is like a wallpaper; they're merely there.

I wish they would stop with this Chris thing and just move on with a new name; the inclusion of the words "magnificent seven" is annoying, only to serve as a safety net. The story is improbable because I can't believe, after the prison break, Mexico will post an APB for the escapees.

All in all, Guns of the Magnificent Seven is too mediocre and is thus not worth seeing unless you want to erase your memories of the asinine sequel Return of the Seven.