The magnificent seven/The big country/The long riders

Triple bill of classic westerns. 'The Magnificent Seven' (1960) stars Yul Brynner as Chris Adams, one of seven master gunmen who help the defenceless farmers of an outlying village, pitted against Calvera (Eli Wallach) and his army of bootlegging bandits in a tale based on Akira Kurosawa's classic 'Seven Samurai'. In 'The Big Country' (1958), when sea-captain Jim McKay (Gregory Peck) forgoes a life on the ocean waves and travels west to claim his bride Patricia Terrill (Carroll Baker), he finds more trouble than he bargained for. The Terrill clan are embroiled in a bitter feud over water rights with a rival family headed by Rufus Hannassey (Burl Ives). Both clans want access to land which belongs to Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons), and as their squabbling escalates, Jim and Julie find themselves caught up in the middle, doing their best to calm things down. In 'The Long Riders' (1980) Walter Hill follows in the footsteps of directors Nicholas Ray and Philip Kaufman, and presents his version of the story of the James-Younger gang. Hailed as heroes by many, and much celebrated for their attacks upon the railroad, the gang became the most famous band of outlaws in the country. They were eventually brought to ruin by the Pinkerton detective agency, losing many of their number in the ill-fated Northfield, Minnesota bank raid. Hill's film tells the whole story with explosive slow-motion violence, vivid period detail, and a cast made up of celebrity brothers (the Carradines, Keaches, Quaids and Guests).

Cast

Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Eli Wallach, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Horst Buchholz, Brad Dexter, Wladimir Sokoloff, Rosenda Monteros

Genres

Western

Language

English