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The Magnificent Seven Collection

(The Original Film and 3 sequels) (Magnificent Seven, Return of the Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, The Magnificent Seven Ride!)

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Akira Kurosawa's rousing Seven Samurai was a natural for an American remake--after all, the codes and conventions of ancient Japan and the Wild West (at least the mythical movie West) are not so very far apart. Thus The Magnificent Seven effortlessly turns samurai into cowboys (the same trick worked more than once: Kurosawa's Yojimbo became Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars). The beleaguered denizens of a Mexican village, weary of attacks by banditos, hire seven gunslingers to repel the invaders once and for all. The gunmen are cool and capable, with most of the actors playing them just on the cusp of '60s stardom: Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn. The man who brings these warriors together is Yul Brynner, the baddest bald man in the West. There's nothing especially stylish about the approach of veteran director John Sturges (The Great Escape), but the storytelling is clear and strong, and the charisma of the young guns fairly flies off the screen. If that isn't enough to awaken the 12-year-old kid inside anyone, the unforgettable Elmer Bernstein music will do it: bum-bum-ba-bum, bum-ba-bum-ba-bum.... Followed by three inferior sequels, Return of the Seven, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, and The Magnificent Seven Ride! --Robert Horton

Release Date: 10/14/2008 Run time: 431 minutes

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The Magnificent Seven: The Complete Series(Seasons 1 and 2 of the TV series from 1998)

First, a review of the series itself: 5 gigantic gold, gleaming stars. I caught a few re-run episodes on Encore Westerns and fell in love instantly. Amazing cast, phenomenal acting, great sets, and no gore. It achieves that delicate balance of drama and adventure of the genre without the violence and sex that plagues most modern movies/show today. I really credit whoever cast the series because each actor shines in his role and their personalities play off each other perfectly. I am saddened that the series was cut off after two (all too short) seasons and was floored when I heard that it only came back a second year after an intense fan campaign. Once again primtime networks don't know a truly good show when they see it.

Release Date: May 13, 2008 Run Time: 1031 minutes