Guns of the Magnificent Seven

In Mexico around 1900, revolutionary leader Quintero is captured by the forces of the dictator Díaz and imprisoned in a fortress. One of his men, Max, crosses into the United States with a modest sum of money and looks up the gunfighter Chris Adams, hoping to buy his help. Chris uses the funds to recruit a small group of specialists, among them a knife expert, a demolitions man and a close-quarters fighter. Recognizing that freeing one prisoner is not enough, the seven men set out to liberate the fort's political detainees and turn them into a fighting force for an assault on the stronghold.

Guns of the Magnificent Seven is the third entry in the series that began with John Sturges's 1960 western, itself drawn from Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. Paul Wendkos directed it, placing it between Gidget (1959) and Footsteps (1972) in a career that also includes The Delphi Bureau: The Merchant of Death Assignment, Special Delivery, The Execution and The Bad Seed. Herman Hoffman wrote the screenplay, and Vincent M. Fennelly produced for United Artists and The Mirisch Company. George Kennedy leads as Chris, supported by James Whitmore, Monte Markham, Reni Santoni, Bernie Casey and Scott Thomas.

The film took in about 2 million dollars worldwide, a modest return for a western of its period. On IMDb it holds 5.8 from roughly 3,700 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.4 from around 124 votes. The two audience scores are close, indicating a similarly mixed response from viewers on both platforms.