The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) User Reviews

Ride with the 7.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 10 September 2016]

With about a week to go,I talked to my dad about what presents to get for a pal for their birthday. Knowing that me and my friend are hoping to see the new Magnificent Seven on the big screen,my dad decided to get him the final title from the original Magnificent Seven era.

The plot:

Trying to put his outlaw life behind him,Chris focuses on being the best sheriff in town,who makes sure that everyone serves their time for misdeeds (even when his wife Arrila pleas for a teen ragamuffin to be freed!) Learning that his old friend Jim Mackay is caught in an ambush,Chris goes to help him out. After helping him escape,Chris is asked by Mackay to help him protect a town that is being overrun by outlaws. Turning down the offer,Chris soon discovers that he will have to gather up the Magnificent Seven.

View on the film:

Crossing the floor, Lee Van Cleef gives a very good performance as Chris,who despite having an "old romantic" side which looks a bit odd against Cleef's credits,is given a smooth soulfulness from Cleef,which Cleef melts down with a pipe smoking stamp which keeps all the guys in line with a cold hard stare. For the lone Magnificent Seven flick of the 70's,director George McCowan and cinematographer Fred J. Koenekamp ride off to a dusty warmth,as smooth crane shots catch the glare from the sun gliding over the 7 outlaws.

Loading up short shots of action, McCowan gives the movie a grubby mood by splatting dry blood on the slow-draw cowboys. Mapping out the final set-piece, McCowan rolls out explosive shoot-outs,that catch a few surprising people in the crossfire. Bringing the sun down on the series,the screenplay by Arthur Rowe gets some Western grit under the gun by firmly pulling Chris from the straight and the narrow back to the path of the outlaw. Clearly inspired by The Dirty Dozen (a film I've not yet seen!) Rowe fails to give the other six members of the gang "their moment" and instead leaves them to fade into the background,and stops The Magnificent Seven from going out with all guns blazing.

"Seven has always been my lucky number."

[lost-in-limbo · 6/10 · 18 December 2010]

The final chapter of the original series (as there was a short-lived TV series that came out decades later), but despite the recurring Chris character (this time portrayed by the steely Lee Van Cleef) and the Mexican bandits. "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" didn't feel like a magnificent seven film but more a western take on "The Dirty Dozen". Well when it starts it plays on a more personal, if adventurous note (Chris now a town Marshall seeking vengeance on a couple of bank robbers) before settling on the winsome, but safe story mechanics of the previous entries. A village (of women) in need of rescue from Mexican bandits. After chasing one of the bank robbers over the border, he finds himself accidentally getting involved as originally he knocked down the offer from an old friend to help in some shape. "He did my job. I'll do his." A team is hand-picked by Chris… this time it's criminals not bounty hunters. The same shtick, but still rather diverting. Arthur Rowe's story moves by quick enough, never becoming overly preachy but held together by some engaging dialogue passages and solid performances (Michael Callan, Luke Askew, Stefanie Powers, Pedro Armendáriz Jr. and Ralph Waite) that share a good rapport on screen. Also some familiar faces (James Sikking, Ed Lauter and Gary Busey) show up. Director George McCowan takes time to set it up with moments of reflection and humour, but there are well pieced shootouts with violence bursts and red sauce going around. The efficient direction stays grounded, even though it had that made for TV back-lot feel. The music score is recycled but still feels at home with the action. "Ride" won't blow you away, but I found it a slightly better effort over the last two instalments; "Return" and "Guns".

This one broke all the rules

[rooprect · 7/10 · 29 January 2010]

This ain't your grandfather's western. It's disturbing, cynical, morally ambiguous, and despite the stunningly bright visuals and bouncy themesong by Elmer Bernstein, it's one of the darkest westerns I've ever seen. I couldn't help but wonder if this film served as the template for the Eastwood masterpiece UNFORGIVEN that would come 20 years later.

Unlike your classic westerns where the hero is infallable and can shoot the dandruff off a cockroach at 100 yards, this presents a realistic protagonist: a man who is troubled by questions of morality, one who doesn't always have the perfect plan, one who makes some pretty bad judgements and has to pay the price.

There are some real gems of dialogue that illustrate this human factor, delivered brilliantly by Lee Van Cleef in the role of Chris.

A priest says: "God works in mysterious ways."

Chris retorts: "Yeah, he confuses the heck out of me, too."

And throughout the film we get similar insight into the soul of a man who, despite his decades of experience, still doesn't have any answers--at least none that he can convince himself about, despite his bravado. For that reason alone, I rate this as one of my favourite westerns. Like the aforementioned UNFORGIVEN, this is one of the rare westerns that shows us what real life is about, not comic book goodguy/badguy stuff.

I can only assume that's why this film doesn't seem to be well received. The earlier MAG7 films seemed to be a clearcut war between right & wrong, whereas MAG7 RIDE gives us a war between two different forms of insanity. This presents a much more challenging story to follow. Viewers might be confused at how a "good guy" can leave his friends to die, or how he doesn't fight fair. But to me--and maybe to you--it gives the story a lot more substance. It also makes the story very unpredictable right from the beginning, and as a result it's one of the most suspenseful westerns I've seen.

A word about Stefanie Powers: FREAKIN AMAZING. Good golly miss molly, I didn't know she could act! If you think all she can do is "Hart to Hart" you gotta check this film out for her performance alone. It's a tough role, because she plays the emotional character amidst a backdrop of cold, leathery gunslingers. This formula is nothing new for western heroines; however I've noticed in other films the emotional heroine is too melodramatic, reducing her to the absurd. Stefanie, on the other hand, delivers the perfect subtle performance: very human yet not hysterical. She's smart, wise (in many cases wiser than any other character)... and I gotta say it... what a looker! You'll find your eyes glued to her in every scene.

A final note, for anyone who notices this sort of thing: horses. As with all old westerns we see a fair number of horses getting thrown around. I went back & watched these scenes in slowmo, and I'm pretty sure that these were trained horses who fell without harm. Unlike RETURN OF THE MAG7 which was absolutely brutal (in one case you see a trip wire pop up, sending a 40mph, 2000lb horse onto its head--I doubt that horse ever got up again), these horses always fall to the side and roll safely. It always sucks when you learn how many horses are killed in these old westerns, but this film seemed to be pretty tame in that respect. Well, enough of that. The bottom line is I really enjoyed this film, and if any of this review made sense to you, I think you'll really like it, too. Go Ride(!) to your nearest video store and check it out. (gawd that was a cheezy line. Maybe I'll edit it out later)

Acceptable and passable sequel with a revenger Lee Van Cleef , post-Sergio Leone

[ma-cortes · 6/10 · 2 August 2007]

This is the last sequel to ¨Magnificent seven¨ with the skinny Lee Van Cleef as tough gunslinger named Chris (whose character was played by Yul Brynner in two occasions and one performed by Lee Van Cleef and George Kennedy). He's nowadays as sheriff , Marshal Chris Adams , who turns down a friend's request to help stop the depredations of a band of Mexican bandits , but then his spouse (Mariette Hartley) has been kidnapped by a gang . When his wife is abducted by bank thieves and his friend is murdered capturing the last outlaw , Chris feels obligated to take up his partner's cause . Then Chris along with a journalist (Michael Callan) set off in pursuit bandit gunfighters (Gary Busey among them) , as he recruits five prisoners to track down the desperadoes . Besides , Chris helping his buddy (Ralph Waite) must free a Mexican village (inhabited by women as Stefanie Powers , among others) besieged by nasty outlaws who are devastating the small location . Lee van Cleef is decided to take a group of prisoners and strike a blow against the Mexican bandits . He goes to Tucson Territorial Prison where a bunch of misfits , murderers , robbers , rapists and other prisoners (with a TV star-studded cast such as Pedro Armendariz , Luke Askew, William Lucking, Ed Lauter, and James B. Sikking ) get a chance to redeem themselves . As Chris recruits various Magnificent Men and once again defending hapless people from their oppressors . As a brand of new seven , doing their number , they put their lives on the line and let it ride .

The last in the original series of four ¨The Magnificent Seven¨ movies , here Lee Van Cleef as Chris , substituting Yul Brynner , who played the role in two occasions , and one performed by George Kennedy . Yul Brynner insisted he would only make the sequels if Steve McQueen was not involved , McQueen felt the plot was too absurd and for this, and other reasons, was not interested anyway . Van Cleef as a two-fisted avenger sheriff is good as well as his role of ¨Sabata¨, meanwhile Yul Brynner left the Chris character for playing the ¨Cleef's Sabata¨ role in ¨Indio Black¨ . The story is similar to previous entries , adding ¨Dirty dozen¨ wake , including customary outlaw band formed by an eclectic gang with diverse speciality , as dynamite or guns . The film gets action Western , exciting riding, shootouts, it's funny and entertaining , although nothing new but displays a television style . The movie contains some moment of grisly violence and even touching on the relationships between the women and the Magnificent . This is a drab , inferior sequel from the original and enduringly popular ¨The magnificent seven¨ (John Sturges,1960) that is equally remake to ¨The seven samurais¨ (in fact , it was Yul Brynner who approached producer Walter Mirisch with the idea of doing a Western adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's classic) . After that , followed ¨The return of the seven¨(Burt Kennedy,1966), again with Brynner and ¨Guns of the magnificent seven¨ (Paul Wendkos,1969) with George Kennedy and continued with a TV series and a Television movie realized in 1998 . As always , breathtaking and memorable musical score by the great Elmer Berstein. Elmer , whose score for the series is one of the best-known ever composed , also wrote the soundtrack for the parody of this film, 'Three amigos'. Appropriate cinematography by expert cameraman Fred J. Koenekamp (Patton, The inferno towering, Papillon) . The motion picture was regularly directed by George McCowan , a usual TV episodes director (Charlie's Angels , Banacek , Cannon , Starsky and Hutch) . The film will appeal to Lee Van Cleef fans .

The Magnificent Dirty Half-Dozen

[Coventry · 7/10 · 4 April 2012]

Just when you think they're releasing more and always inferior "Magnificent Seven" sequels solely because people can't get enough of Elmer Bernstein's legendary musical score, comes the final and (in)arguably best follow-up of the whole franchise. John Sturges' 1960 original, although merely just a blatant imitation of the Japanese milestone "Seven Samurai", can righteously be considered as a true American western classic, but parts II and III are downright shameless, uninspired and totally redundant rehashes without any entertainment value whatsoever. The character of Chris Adams, twice depicted by Yul Brunner and once by George Kennedy, grew out to become some sort of philosophical prophet who always does the right thing and the rare highlights of the sequels were just vague copies of similar moments featuring in the original. With this fourth and final installment, we arrived in the decade of 70's cinema and is this ever noticeable or what? What the Italian directors already knew throughout the entire 1960's had now suddenly become clear in the USA as well: westerns need to be mean and dirty, with despicable characters (even the heroes!), graphic violence and plenty of sleaze and smut! Even the traditional goody-two-shoes Marshall Chris Adams has suddenly become an embittered and narcissistic persona, though admittedly the performance and natural charisma of Lee "the Bad" Van Cleef adds a great deal to this transformation. Not once but twice Chris rejects the cry for help of an old pal, who begs him to come and fight an unfair battle against a Mexican posse that terrorizes a small little town near the American border. Instead of that, he chooses to go after one sole juvenile delinquent who raped and murdered his own wife. Only when Chris discovers that his pal killed off the youthful thug because he joined the posse, he feels responsible to take over the good cause and defend the remaining widows of the little community. Chris' six "noble" helpers aren't heroic lonesome cowboys, but convicted criminals who only participate because it's their only chance for parole. This minor chance in the formula actually makes this final entry more like a crossover between "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Dirty Dozen". And last but not least, the allegedly poor and defenseless town women are actually more like luscious and horny widows. They don't exactly appear mournful over their brutally slaughter farmer husbands and pretty much throw themselves at the robust macho thugs. It also has to be said that they don't really look like Mexican farmer women, but more like the ensemble staff of a luxury brothel. All this is perhaps a bit of an abrupt alternation of the franchise, but it's the best damn thing that could have happened to it! The gunfights are quite nasty, with lots of blood spurting out of people's stomachs and heads, and the climax is short but exhilarating. Van Cleef is awesome as always (by God, I love that guy) and there are terrific supportive roles for Luke Askew, Ed Lauter and William Lucking. And, not to forget, a modest but memorable cameo appearance of a still very young Gary Busey.

Trying to keep a dying franchise alive....

[planktonrules · 4/10 · 1 April 2013]

I recently watched all four of the Magnificent Seven movies and "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" was the last. While the first film was exceptional in every way, I can't say there was much reason for the other three films. Part of it is that the plots are pretty much the same as the first film. Part of it is that the cast kept changing. In the case of Chris, the leader of the seven, he was played by three different actors. Yul Brynner played him in the first two and was a tremendous presence. So, when he was later played by George Kennedy and Lee Van Cleef (in this film), it was a huge letdown.

While "The Magnificent Seven Ride!" is yet another attempt to squeeze a little bit of life out of a dead franchise, at least it offers SOME differences. The first three plots are pretty much clones. This one is just enough different to make it interesting....a bit. In fact, this film is a bit like the first three combined with "The Dirty Dozen"!

When the film begins, Chris (Van Cleef) has settled down. He's now a sheriff and has a young bride (Mariette Hartley). Life is good. However, after three punks rob the bank, shoot the sheriff and kidnap his wife, the usual routine is disrupted. When he sufficiently recovered from the shooting to give chase, Chris sets off to catch the creeps. Unfortunately, his wife's body is found along the trail and the trio brutalized and raped her. When Chris finds two of them, he soon dispatches them--but isn't sure where the third is. Perhaps he's gone across the desert to Mexico.

Inside Mexico, Chris meets up with an old friend that tried earlier in the film to recruit Chris for another Magnificent Seven-style fight against some stupid Mexican gang of bandits. He refuses--as he's got revenge on the brain. But, when Chris later finds the friend and others murdered AND rescues their women (who have all been repeatedly raped), he isn't going to walk away this time. But he needs help--and goes back over the border to get prisoners to help him with the fight! What will happen next? See the film...though there really isn't a whole lotta doubt!

"The Magnificent Seven Ride!" ends up being pretty much what you'd expect after the prisoners were recruited. They are a pretty much forgettable cast doing EXACTLY what previous incarnations of the series had already done. And, the film looks a lot more like a made for TV movie than anything else. Very slight and forgettable.

By the way, when you watch the film, you might have a similar reaction to me. After this group of women have been brutalized, raped, had their men murdered and just barely avoided death, showing them romantically pairing up with the surviving members of the seven seemed pretty sick.

a chapter in the Mag Seven

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 21 March 2020]

This next chapter of "The Magnificent Seven" stars Ralph Waite, Lee VanCleef, Michael Callan, and two recognizable young faces, Stefanie Powers and Mariette Hartley. Marshall borrows prisoners to help him go after mexican bandits. they take over the mostly empty house pretty easily, but then go after the larger gang, which will be more difficult. although even more interesting than the plot of M.S.R... i highly recommend reading the Trivia section regarding the Battle of the Adobe Walls. (there were actually TWO battles at that spot. and some great details on the battles found in wikipedia dot com). pretty cool history, although it is only mentioned briefly in the film. Directed by George McCowan, who also directed the 1979 version of H.G. Wells' (remake) Shape of Things to Come. Written by Arthur Rowe, who did mostly television. Attentive viewers will see the famous Vasquez Rocks area, northeast of LA, used for so many films over the years.

The last--and certainly the least--of the "Magnificent 7" franchise

[fredcdobbs5 · 4/10 · 24 January 2022]

By-the-numbers western has the chintzy look of a cheap Aaron Spelling made-for-TV opus. A good cast of veteran "heavies"--Luke Askew, William Lucking, Pedro Armendariz Jr., Ed Lauter--can't save this extremely ordinary oater from poor direction and atrocious hack writing. Predictable at every turn,

"Seven's always been my lucky number".

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 6 May 2016]

The movie doesn't have the star power of the original but it's refreshing to see Lee Van Cleef in a Western leading role for a change. His character is Chris Adams, a role portrayed by Yul Brynner in 1960's "The Magnificent Seven". The character is played with some ambiguity, since even though Chris is a town marshal, he's not above shooting a couple of bullies who rode off with a young man he freed from prison at his wife's (Mariette Hartley) request. Events conspire to propel Chris and pulp tabloid writer Noah Forbes (Michael Callan) to form an alliance with five hardened criminals who are granted amnesty provided they accompany Chris to rescue the Mexican town of Magdalena against a marauding bandit named De Toro.

Though the film plays out largely as a made for TV Western, I was intrigued by the preparations for battle made by Chris with the help of one of the convict cohort, Captain Andy Hayes (James Sikking). In charge of the mandatory explosive devices was Luke Askew as Skinner, while the widowed women of Magdalena pitched in to help defend their small town against the outlaw gang. The expected confrontation held it's fair share of surprises and violence against the Mexican outlaws, though it came to a rather abrupt end with the death of De Toro (Ron Stein), who for all the build up of the character, had almost no screen time and very little in the way of presence considering the way the part was written.

With virtually no time spent grieving for his murdered wife, Chris forms an amiable alliance with Stefanie Powers' character, Laurie Gunn and they close out the picture as one of the couples to survive the gunfight. Considering his options, I was left a little puzzled by Chris's decision to remain behind in Magdalena as the new village marshal, wondering to myself what the citizens of his former town would have thought about that.

The Dirty Seven

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 16 April 2009]

Taking more of its plot from The Dirty Dozen than from the previous Magnificent Seven movies, The Magnificent Seven Ride! finds Lee Van Cleef in the role of Chris the leader, previously filled by Yul Brynner and George Kennedy.

There's a bandit named DeToro (Ron Stein) who apparently took over the role from Rudolfo Acosta mid point in the filming who's a really nasty devil, raping the women of a given place after the men have been killed is an avocation of his. When he rapes and kills Van Cleef's woman, it's time for Van Cleef and writer friend Michael Callan to find five more to make another seven.

Good men are hard to find so when you can't find good ones, get bad ones. Which Van Cleef does by going to the nearest prison and getting five specimens, William Lucking, Luke Askew, Pedro Armendariz, Jr., James Sikking, and Ed Lauter.

Obviously this part of the plot is completely ripped off from The Dirty Dozen. And Van Cleef does have an interesting way in both insuring his parolees don't desert him and guarantees that the bandit chief will meet him on ground of his own choosing. That's the big surprise of the plot and I won't reveal it.

Some surviving women of another town, Stefanie Powers, Mariette Hartley, Allyn Ann McLerie, and Melissa Murphy join up with the Dirty Seven knowing full well, it's either their protection or their open targets any time the bandits are having a booty call. This is the only Magnificent Seven film with any real women participation in it.

Still it doesn't quite come up to the standards of that first film. None of the successors do.

The Magnificent Seven Ride Off Into The Sunset - Good Stuff!

[FightingWesterner · 8/10 · 31 May 2010]

Despite sporting "The Magnificent Seven" in it's title, this is basically a B-movie with a budget, albeit a very good B-movie. This throws in revenge elements and a little Dirty Dozen style criminal recruitment to spice up the usual heroics of the title protectors.

After seven or so years of mainly spaghetti westerns, it's nice to see Lee Van Cleef (taking over hosting duties from Yul Brynner and George Kennedy) headlining a major American western.

It's also a lot of fun to see a slew of familiar faces sharing the screen with Van Cleef, like Gary Busy, Luke Askew, Ed Lauter, and William Lucking (who's finally getting some recognition as a co-star on "The Sons Of Anarchy") among others.

It's too bad that second-billed Stefanie Powers isn't given anything much to do besides looking good and kissing Lee Van Cleef, who's wife has been dead less than a week!

Another Dirty Dozen western knock-off, this one being Italian, is Massacre At Fort Holman, also known as A Reason To Live, A Reason To Die, starring James Coburn, Telly Savalas, and Bud Spencer. If you liked this, then that one is highly recommended too.

Not "Magnificent". Not even very good.

[Poseidon-3 · 2 February 2007]

A perfect example of the exploitation of a name (i.e. - "The Magnificent Seven") in order to put butts in theatre seats, this dire THIRD sequel to the original film has little or no connection to it at all. Van Cleef (taking over a role made famous by Yul Brynner and then after that played by George Kennedy) is a newly-married sheriff of a small western town. His wife (Hartley) sympathizes with a young robber who is about to be transferred to Tuscon Prison. When, against his better judgement, he releases the punk, the robber and his two pals rob again and kidnap Hartley. Van Cleef and his recently-acquired biographer Callan ride off to rescue her, but find that impossible. Meanwhile, a crazed Mexican bandit (Stein) is terrorizing the area and wipes out all but 17 women and some children in a small village. Van Cleef decides to defend the village against Stein, who is about to return, and recruits five hardened criminals from Tuscon Prison to aid Callan and him, thus another "Seven" is formed. Van Cleef and company, with the aid of the women, fortify the village and plan to wipe out Stein and his 50 men when they come back. Within the preparations, Van Cleef begins to fall for Powers and Callan takes a shine to Murphy as the other men also establish relationships with their respective aides. Van Cleef isn't bad in the film and ably represents a sure-handed gunslinger and leader. Callan has little or no acting pressure placed on him in his rather lifeless role. The remaining members of the seven are familiar TV and movie faces and, considering it takes a very long time for them to team up, not very much of them is shown below the surface attributes. Waite, of "The Waltons", has a brief role as a friend of Van Cleef's. Hartley (who had co-starred with Van Cleef previously in "Barquero") only appears briefly and, while she gives a sensitive portrayal, she has very little to work with. Powers, decked out in thoroughly inappropriate hair (as are all the women of the village including one with a bob and one with a long greyish-blonde fright wig), has a tough row to hoe here. The idiotic script asks her, as a very recent widow and the victim of repeated rape, to instantly fall for Van Cleef! The romantic aspects of the film are heavily misguided as all the women have been brutalized, used and assaulted and yet make goo-goo eyes at the seven men who've come to rescue them! It's repulsive and trashy to have the female cast represented this way. Almost reprehensible. Other noted cast members include Busey, in an early role as one of the robber's associates and Conwell, who spent 24 years on "The Young and the Restless" as one of the widows. One major failing of the film is it's lack of a decent villain. The marauding bandit is referred to repeatedly as a vicious, menacing and mad killer, yet when he arrives, he's played by stuntman and bit player Stein! The entire film, as exciting as its concept sounds, has a pall over it. The legendary Elmer Bernstein theme music is trucked out again, but this time it has a muted, anemic, generic sound. The scenery is dull, the settings are bland and the cinematography is drab and uncaptivating. In its favor are some lively action scenes including an attack on a hacienda and the pivotal finale, but, unfortunately, too often it's a bleak, uninteresting, amateurish and tacky, to the point of being offensive, affair.

Lee Van Cleef holds the picture with a lot of women!!!

[elo-equipamentos · 6/10 · 31 January 2018]

I shall say that Lee Van Cleef and a bunch of beauty women hold the picture, we must forget as sequel of Magnificent Seven, it was a masterpiece, this picture is quite good entertainment for many reasons, it has the most elements to make a good movie, the plot is aceptable, apart Cleef the casting is second class but still good and finaly a great western lanscape, but this one has a great virtue than the previous, it has a bunch of women, all them young widows including Stefanie Powers and Mariette Hartley, look on Ed Lauter & Gary Busey in the early years!!

Resume:

First watch: 2005 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6.25

The Magnificent 7/The Dirty 5/Flogged Dead Horse 1.

[hitchcockthelegend · 4/10 · 19 March 2013]

The Magnificent Seven Ride is directed by George McCowan and written by Arthur Rowe. It stars Lee Van Cleef, Stefanie Powers, Michael Callan, Mariette Hartley, Luke Askew and Ralph Waite. Music is scored by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Fred Koenekamp.

The third and final sequel to John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven (1960), "Ride" is a pretty lifeless affair that plays out as nothing more than a last resort TV time waster.

Plot finds Chris Adams (previously played by Yul Brynner and George Kennedy and now by Van Cleef) as an older man settled down as a town marshal. When one day he is coerced by his wife Arilla (Hartley) to parole a young scoundrel, they both come to regret it very quickly. Chris is set on a path of revenge that will eventually take him to a border town that has been raped, pillaged and stripped of all males by bandits led by Del Toro (Ron Stein). Sure enough, backed by some convicts released into Chris' custody on promise of parole for their gunnery services, Chris and the rest of the seven set about protecting this town now made up only of women and children.

It honestly sounds better than it is! The film is tired across the board, it's now become a weary premise for any "seven" fan to sit through. The production is cheap looking, the colour photography drab, even Bernstein's iconic score is pared down, while McCowan (Frogs) directs in a ponderous fashion. There's loads of talking that really doesn't add up to much, main characters are either not defined (we barely know the five convicts or the villain Del Toro) or react bafflingly to a situation (Chris and Powers' Laurie begin a relationship quickly after losing their respective spouses' to murder!).

The shift to an older lawman Chris is a good idea, but it never gets utilised and Cleef is pretty stagnant (or bored) in the role. The plot point of using convicts to make up the "seven" was a bold try, but it just comes off as being a cheap knock-off of The Dirty Dozen. The makers go for a psychological kick by only letting us see or hear the aftermath of crimes, which is good since there is some upsetting stuff in the mix, but again it is handled so laboriously it tests the patience considerably. This also means the picture is devoid of thrilling moments to at least keep the action fan interested, meaning the "big" finale has to pay bigger dividends than it actually does.

Return of the Magnificent Seven and Guns of the Magnificent Seven are hardly great sequels, but they have some worth to Western fans in general, but "Ride" is sadly a case of flogging a dead horse. A poor movie that really should never have been made. 3/10

The Magnificent Seven Ride!

[CinemaSerf · 6/10 · 28 May 2023]

Lee Van Cleef takes on the famous Yul Brynner role as "Chris" - this time a US Marshal who is drafted in to recruit a team to protect a small agrarian township from the marauding "De Toro" (Ron Stein). The casting is oddly unconvincing. Stefanie Powers just doesn't cut it at all as love interest "Laurie", nor does Mickey Callan as "Noah" (he should just have stuck to fighting over-sized chickens and Herbert Lom) and, unfortunately, I just cannot take Ralph Waite seriously even though this was made before we became accustomed to his performances with his wholesome "Paw Walton" characterisation. It is stodgily directed, drearily written and is an exceptionally slow burn for an action film, and though it does pick up slightly for the last fifteen minutes or so it is not really much of a worthy successor and I found that it was a film that I am sure I must have seen before, but remember not at all.

Mild mannered sequel

[user-35583 · 6/10 · 21 March 2020]

LVC takes on the role made famous by Yul Brenner in the original and first sequel. This is the 3rd sequel and has LVC chasing a gang responsible for kidnapping his wife. Plays more like a PG13 TV movie. Lacks the grit and atmosphere of the others. Basic revenge caper but not a bad way to spend 100 minutes.

Pretty Bad

[iwalrus · 2/10 · 12 June 2021]

Was this a good movie in 1972? I don't think so because it was pretty bad 50 years later.

The fight scene was quite ok thus the score of 2 but the rest was not.

The hero's wife gets killed and he seeks revenge but falls in love with another woman a few days later! Groan!

This is a stepdown from the previous films but is still entertaining and worth a viewing.

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 14 February 2022]

The Magnificent Seven Ride! (1972) is a movie I recently watched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a small border town in Texas that struggles with Mexican bandits crossing the border, doing what they want and crossing back into Mexico. Their behavior has led the town to be filled with nothing but farmers and widows. Chris comes to town and feels bad for the widows and farmers but has little resources to fight the bandits. He decides to head to the local prison, grab whatever men are in there and give them an opportunity to do something besides stare at each other all day.

This movie is directed by George McCowan (Frogs) and stars Lee Van Cleef (Escape from New York), Ralph Waite (The Bodyguard), Stefanie Powers (Herbie Rides Again), Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon), Ed Lauter (Cujo), James Sikking (Hill Street Blues) and Allyn Ann McLerie (All the President's Men).

The storyline for this is very straightforward and a bit cliché, but the settings, props and attire were perfect. Lee Van Cleef was awesome in this role and is always fun in westerns. The final shootout was great and easily my favorite part of the movie. The ending definitely gave me a good laugh. This is a stepdown from the previous films but is still entertaining and worth a viewing.

Overall this was a perfect film to end the series with. Lee Van Cleef was awesome but not good enough to carry the film. I would score this a 6/10 and only recommend it to western genre fans.

Two Ways to Evaluate "Magnificent Seven Returns"

[rikitiki · 4/10 · 10 April 2005]

I would bet a month's salary "The Magnificent Seven Returns" (MSR) was made-for-TV. Other reviewers attest that MSR was a theatrical movie, and I'll take their word for it. The logical answer must assume it was originally shot for TV, and after a change-of-studio-heart, it was released theatrically instead. Every actor is primarily a TV actor: Mariette Hartley, Michael Callen, Ralfe Waite, Stephanie Powers... TV performers all. Lee Van Cleef split his time between TV and theater screens. Stephanie Powers has only made 3 or 4 "real" movie appearances in the last thirty years of a very prolific television career. Minor players are veteran small-screen actors who can be seen on old reruns of "Gunsmoke", "Wild Wild West","Streets of San Francisco," and so on.

The ho-hum sets are identical to the Universal Studios Tour sets, often seen in old episodic TV. And the editing betrays the one-or-two-takes-hurriedness of TV, with limited camera movements, positioning, cutting, and lighting. The sound track, exclusive of the original Berstein themes, are straight from seventies television. Yep, I'd bet money it was shot for TV.

That's an important point in evaluating MSR. Initially I watched MSR on cable assuming it was an old theatrical release. In comparison to the original "Magnificent Seven", it's a joke, a cartoon, an amateurish attempt at movie making. Acting, lighting, writing, settings, action, cinematography, music (exempting the Berstein themes), editing, pacing,...on and on....all pale in comparison to the classic "Magnificent Seven" which is close to the perfect 60's western, and one of the great action movies of all time.

However, viewed as an early 70's made-for-TV movie, the film is actually better than average. Those unfortunate enough to live through the 70's as an adult, know what I'm talking about. MSR would have competed favorably with "Alias Smith and Jones" and similarly bland network shows. During the seventies, "Gunsmoke" was a quality show, concentrating on character development rather than action, deemphasizing gun play to two shootouts a week. MSR has more action than a whole season of "Gunsmoke." In this light - in this frame of reference - MSR is passable entertainment, a cut above the TV fare from that decade.

A Saddle Sore Sequel Compared With the Other "Magnificent Seven" Sequels

[zardoz-13 · 6/10 · 23 November 2008]

"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.

Rock-bottom.

[gridoon · 3/10 · 4 November 1999]

The series finally hits rock-bottom with this lousy fourth installment, which was (thank God) the last one. None of the three sequels did justice to the highly entertaining original, but this particular film is nothing more than a shameless attempt to exploit the name of the "Magnificent Seven" and Bernstein's rousing music theme. The production values resemble those of a made-for-TV movie and the characters are forgettable and indistinguishable: in parts "II" and "III" you couldn't remember their names, here you can't even remember their faces. Lee Van Cleef was an inappropriate choice for the role of Chris, but nobody could have replaced Yul Brynner in our minds anyway. Don't waste your time.

Van Cleef gets the Girl!

[ster2001 · 10/10 · 4 August 2004]

If you like Lee Van Cleef you must have this film now on DVD in an excellent transfer. Yes this looks like a TV Movie. Yes the plot has been done a million times etc. But it DOES have an excellent performance by Van Cleef playing Chris. On the plus side - Some TV movies are pretty damn good! This is a solid western in all departments with good acting all around. It's almost a Whose who of 70's character actors- James Sikking, Ed Lauter, faces you've seen all the time and a young Gary Busey. The dialog is pretty brilliant at times(scene with Chris and the Monk is a hoot) and is never less than good. Stand out scenes for me were when Chris and the writer find his dead wife. Van cleef underplays fantastically and it is genuinely touching and simply done. Also his "love scene" - Stephanie Powers looks stunning and Van Cleef absolutely Oozes restrained machismo. It's a moment of simple affection portrayed spot on by both actors. If you want to know what "screen presence" means check this scene out. These two scenes alone are worth the price of the movie. If you're a fan of IL "Angel Eyes" this is a must have.

frustrations

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 3 February 2020]

Chris Adams (Lee Van Cleef) is now a Marshall in the Arizona Territory. Arrila (Mariette Hartley) is his young new wife. He refuses his old friend Jim Mackay who is defending a border town from Mexican bandit leader De Toro. He submits to Arrila and releases young thief Shelly Donavan. Shelly repays him by robbing a bank with his friends, shooting Chris, and kidnapping Arrila. They rape and kill her. Chris pursues Shelly to Mexico with help from friend Noah Forbes. On the way, he once again encounters Jim Mackay with his villagers and yet again refuses to join him. To his horror, Shelly had helped De Toro in ambushing Jim Mackay's villagers. The village is left helpless with only women and children. Laurie Gunn (Stefanie Powers) and the other women have already been brutalized. With no horses and no hope for help, the villagers are trapped. He returns to Arizona to recruit five prisoners in exchange for pardons.

This is the 3rd and last sequel to the Magnificent Seven. I don't buy Chris Adams as the law. I don't buy a lot about this although there is everything to buy about Lee Van Cleef. He is a superior Chris Adams to either earlier versions. He is just great. I really didn't buy it at the prison. I agree with the sentiment that the prisoners would simply kill Chris as soon as they are close to the border. I do like Chris convincing them to attack De Toro's compound but then I don't buy them letting that prisoner go. As soon as Chris starts listing their names, somebody should have killed the prisoner. Chris should write a letter to De Toro doing the same thing and give the letter to the prisoner. Once the prisoner leaves, Chris can then tell the men about the letter and they would be forced to follow him. The writing is just not that smart.

Other problems include lining up the women to be picked. It's a bit sexist but more importantly, it detracts from building possible romantic chemistry. The battle in the desert seems compelling on its surface but it doesn't really make sense. It's fun action but they need elevation. As defenders, they should be fighting from the higher vantage point and there is no exposition on why the bandits have to travel that path. It seems more reasonable to fortify the town. That's the frustration with this movie. The basic premise works to some extend but the details are wrong all over the place and that is frustrating to watch.

The not-so-magnificent seven.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 10 August 2019]

I consider the first Magnificent Seven movie to be an over-rated cowboy 'classic', a western retelling of Kurasawa's The Seven Samurai that is hampered by schmaltz and clichéd characters. It is, however, made watchable thanks to its star power, the impressive cast including Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen and James Coburn.

The only 'star' in this fourth film in the series is Lee Van Cleef, and as good as he is, he can't carry this tired movie by himself. Cleef is U.S. Marshal Chris (previously played by Brynner in the first two movies, and George Kennedy in the third), who, with writer Noah Forbes (Michael Callan) at his side, goes on the trail of a trio of bank-robbers who have kidnapped his wife.

After finding the body of his spouse, who has been raped and killed, Chris tracks down and executes two of the guilty men (one of whom is played by a young Gary Busey), and goes looking for the third, who he believes to have been recruited by bandit De Toro (Ron Stein), whose band of outlaws have been terrorising the small Mexican border town of Magdalena (killing all of the men and raping the women).

At Magdalena, Chris promises the frightened women (very few of whom look Mexican and all of whom are attractive) that he will return with a group of men to deal with De Toro and his bandits. Visiting the prison in Tucson, Chris assembles a team comprising of men he put behind bars, promising each of them a pardon if they help his cause...

While the preparation for the arrival of De Toro's gang, and the subsequent gun battles, are reasonably fun (with some bright red squib work), the film lacks originality and has the look and feel of a made-for-TV movie, with much of the action taking place at one of cinema's most recognisable and over-used film and TV locations, the Vasquez Rocks in California. The inclusion of Hart to Hart's Stefanie Powers as Chris's love interest only adds to small-screen vibe.

4.5/10, rounded up to 5 for IMDb.

Lively spin-off

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 6 December 2019]

Of course, only a fool would go into the sequel to an all-time classic movie expecting it to be of the same quality as the original, and inevitably THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN RIDE! never comes close. However, it does prove to be fitfully entertaining as a stand-alone kind of movie, albeit with a closer link to THE DIRTY DOZEN than the original masterwork. All of the original cast have long parted ways with this franchise, so the magnificently grizzled Lee Van Cleef takes over the reins and handles the protagonist role with aplomb. The movie benefits from some nicely-judged supporting turns, with the likes of Ed Lauter, Gary Busey, Ralph Waite and Luke Askew putting in some good performances, and generally the whole film is well-shot and lively with action and humour.