"The Magnificent Seven Ride!" qualifies as a saddle sore sequel compared to its two predecessors, Burt Kennedy's "Return of the Seven" (1966) and Paul Wendkos' "Guns of the Magnificent Seven" (1968), the followed John Sturges' incomparable original "The Magnificent Seven." Lee Van Cleef is the best thing about "TM7R." He looks like he belongs in this uninspired horse opera, and his performance is top-notch. No, he looks nothing like either Yul Brynner or George Kennedy. Nevertheless, he lends a commanding presence that this woebegone western desperately needs. Indeed, Van Cleef dwarfs the rest of the cast. Moreover, this "Seven" lack depth of character and whip up no more than a modicum of sympathy, unlike their forerunners.
"Frogs" director George McCowan manages to keep the action galloping along for its 100 minutes, and seasoned TV scenarist Arthur Rowe has altered the formula for this outing. For example, unlike the original, our heroes attack the Hispanic villain's camp before they engage him in a fight to the death in the village at the end. Unfortunately, "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" breaks too many rules. The villain is a one-dimensional cipher with no personality. Indeed, he doesn't utter a word. The best part of this lackluster western occurs in the last twenty minutes as the seven prepare for the onslaught of De Toro's men. "TM7R!" looks tired, empty, and worn out owing to its ersatz back lot setting and familiar television locales. Clearly, McCowan could not surmount the obstacles inherent in the low budget. Walter Thompson does a competent editing job, but he doesn't have much with which to work so the film has a routine rhythm to it. Talented "Patton" lenser Fred J. Koenekamp had little time to make this sagebrusher look as majestic as the earlier "Seven" entries.
Die-hard "Magnificent Seven" fans have every right to abhor this lame western. I saw it in the theatre when it came out in 1972 and found it nothing short of deplorable. "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" doesn't live up to the Sturges, Kennedy, and Wendkos films. In fact, Geoff Murphy's television pilot surpasses the McCowan film. I remember "Playboy" magazine film critic Bruce Williamson commented that "TM7R" got by "on bits and pieces." In retrospect, more than 30 years later, my aversion to this film has dissipated. Although the McCowan film has its good points, the bad points set aside most of its assets. The stupendous Elmer Bernstein orchestral score seems to have lost its grandeur, too.
"The Magnificent Seven Ride!" opens with Lee Van Cleef and another horseman skedaddling out of town. One of Chris' pals from the past, former bounty hunter Jim McKay (Ralph Waite of "The Stone Killer"), is riding to see him in the hope that he can enlist Chris' help against a dastardly Mexican bandit called De Toro. Two of De Toro's men lay in ambush for Jim, but Chris guns down them and saves his old friend's life. When Jim asks Chris to ride with him, our pipe-smoking protagonist refuses. Not only has he ridden to Mexico three times before, but now he has taken a wife, Arrila (Mariette Hartley of "Barquero"), "who's still practically a bride." McKay reminds Chris that he saved his life, but Chris isn't about to budge. MacKay reminds them about the first time that they went south and earned only $50 dollars per man. Chris still turns him down.
Meanwhile, a washed up journalist, Noah Forbes (Michael Callan of "Cat Ballou"), wants to immortalize Chris the way the real-life Ned Buntline did Buffalo Bill Cody. While all this is transpiring, Arrila pleads with Chris to release an 18-year old robber, Shelly (Darrell Larson), who is about to serve a stretch at the infamous Tucson Territorial Prison. Eventually, Arrila wears her husband down and Chris frees Shelly. Shelly repays him by robbing the town bank, wounding him in the shoulder, and abducting Arrila. Chris and Noah track down Shelly's accomplices and Chris guns them down in cold blood. Chris crosses trails with Jim again. Jim is the law in Magdalena, a Sonora farming village that consists primarily of Mexicans with a few American families. De Toro (Ron Stein)and his army of pistoleros terrorize the border. Neither the Rurales nor the U. S. Calvary has had any luck thwarting his notorious activities. Worse, neither refuses to work with the other. When Chris encounters Jim the second time, he learns that Shelly has ridden by and left. Chris learns later Shelly joined De Toro's gang, showed them a rear approach (a la "The 300 Spartans") but Jim killed Shelly. "He's done my job," Chris observed, "I'll do his." Chris rides into Magdalena and finds wives who're widows and some children. They don't have enough horses to escort them out of the village, but De Toro and his gang have ridden north across the border. Chris promises Mrs. Laurie Gunn (Stephanie Powers of "Hart to Hart")that he'll return. Noah and Chris ride to Tucson Territorial Prison where the warden reluctantly paroles into his custody Walt Drummond (William Lucking), Scott Elliot (Ed Lauter), Matt Skinner (Luke Askew), Pepe Carral (Pedro Armendáriz Jr.), and ex-Army officer Andy Hayes (James B. Sikking). Chris warns them that he has to consign the pardons before they can be freed and that he dies under any circumstances that the law will track them down.
"TM7R" looks completely different from the three earlier oaters. "The Magnificent Seven" was made in Mexico, and "Return of the Seven" and "Guns of the Magnificent Seven" were shot in scenic Spain. In fact, "TM7R" was shot at Universal Studios back lot where "Laredo," "Alias Smith & Jones," and "The Virginian" were made. The exterior desert scenes were lensed at Vasquez Rocks where Captain Kirk battled an alien in the "Star Trek" episode "Arena" and where virtually every cheapjack genre B-movie has been shot.
"The Magnificent Seven Ride!" lacks the magnificence of its predecessors.
"Frogs" director George McCowan manages to keep the action galloping along for its 100 minutes, and seasoned TV scenarist Arthur Rowe has altered the formula for this outing. For example, unlike the original, our heroes attack the Hispanic villain's camp before they engage him in a fight to the death in the village at the end. Unfortunately, "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" breaks too many rules. The villain is a one-dimensional cipher with no personality. Indeed, he doesn't utter a word. The best part of this lackluster western occurs in the last twenty minutes as the seven prepare for the onslaught of De Toro's men. "TM7R!" looks tired, empty, and worn out owing to its ersatz back lot setting and familiar television locales. Clearly, McCowan could not surmount the obstacles inherent in the low budget. Walter Thompson does a competent editing job, but he doesn't have much with which to work so the film has a routine rhythm to it. Talented "Patton" lenser Fred J. Koenekamp had little time to make this sagebrusher look as majestic as the earlier "Seven" entries.
Die-hard "Magnificent Seven" fans have every right to abhor this lame western. I saw it in the theatre when it came out in 1972 and found it nothing short of deplorable. "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" doesn't live up to the Sturges, Kennedy, and Wendkos films. In fact, Geoff Murphy's television pilot surpasses the McCowan film. I remember "Playboy" magazine film critic Bruce Williamson commented that "TM7R" got by "on bits and pieces." In retrospect, more than 30 years later, my aversion to this film has dissipated. Although the McCowan film has its good points, the bad points set aside most of its assets. The stupendous Elmer Bernstein orchestral score seems to have lost its grandeur, too.
"The Magnificent Seven Ride!" opens with Lee Van Cleef and another horseman skedaddling out of town. One of Chris' pals from the past, former bounty hunter Jim McKay (Ralph Waite of "The Stone Killer"), is riding to see him in the hope that he can enlist Chris' help against a dastardly Mexican bandit called De Toro. Two of De Toro's men lay in ambush for Jim, but Chris guns down them and saves his old friend's life. When Jim asks Chris to ride with him, our pipe-smoking protagonist refuses. Not only has he ridden to Mexico three times before, but now he has taken a wife, Arrila (Mariette Hartley of "Barquero"), "who's still practically a bride." McKay reminds Chris that he saved his life, but Chris isn't about to budge. MacKay reminds them about the first time that they went south and earned only $50 dollars per man. Chris still turns him down.
Meanwhile, a washed up journalist, Noah Forbes (Michael Callan of "Cat Ballou"), wants to immortalize Chris the way the real-life Ned Buntline did Buffalo Bill Cody. While all this is transpiring, Arrila pleads with Chris to release an 18-year old robber, Shelly (Darrell Larson), who is about to serve a stretch at the infamous Tucson Territorial Prison. Eventually, Arrila wears her husband down and Chris frees Shelly. Shelly repays him by robbing the town bank, wounding him in the shoulder, and abducting Arrila. Chris and Noah track down Shelly's accomplices and Chris guns them down in cold blood. Chris crosses trails with Jim again. Jim is the law in Magdalena, a Sonora farming village that consists primarily of Mexicans with a few American families. De Toro (Ron Stein)and his army of pistoleros terrorize the border. Neither the Rurales nor the U. S. Calvary has had any luck thwarting his notorious activities. Worse, neither refuses to work with the other. When Chris encounters Jim the second time, he learns that Shelly has ridden by and left. Chris learns later Shelly joined De Toro's gang, showed them a rear approach (a la "The 300 Spartans") but Jim killed Shelly. "He's done my job," Chris observed, "I'll do his." Chris rides into Magdalena and finds wives who're widows and some children. They don't have enough horses to escort them out of the village, but De Toro and his gang have ridden north across the border. Chris promises Mrs. Laurie Gunn (Stephanie Powers of "Hart to Hart")that he'll return. Noah and Chris ride to Tucson Territorial Prison where the warden reluctantly paroles into his custody Walt Drummond (William Lucking), Scott Elliot (Ed Lauter), Matt Skinner (Luke Askew), Pepe Carral (Pedro Armendáriz Jr.), and ex-Army officer Andy Hayes (James B. Sikking). Chris warns them that he has to consign the pardons before they can be freed and that he dies under any circumstances that the law will track them down.
"TM7R" looks completely different from the three earlier oaters. "The Magnificent Seven" was made in Mexico, and "Return of the Seven" and "Guns of the Magnificent Seven" were shot in scenic Spain. In fact, "TM7R" was shot at Universal Studios back lot where "Laredo," "Alias Smith & Jones," and "The Virginian" were made. The exterior desert scenes were lensed at Vasquez Rocks where Captain Kirk battled an alien in the "Star Trek" episode "Arena" and where virtually every cheapjack genre B-movie has been shot.
"The Magnificent Seven Ride!" lacks the magnificence of its predecessors.