Still riding high from his Oscar win for Cool Hand Luke, George Kennedy steps into the role that helped make Yul Brynner a bona fide western star. Thankfully George kept his hair and doesn't attempt an eastern European accent, taking the role of Chris Adams and making it his own.
It's nice to see him at this point in his career, getting to play the hero instead of the amoral guy or the villain.
Although no match for the original seven, a neat cast of familiar character actors, including James Whitmore, Joe Don Baker, Bernie Casey, Reni Santoni, and Fernando Rey are still a whole lot of fun to watch.
Like all the sequels to the original Magnificent Seven, this is basically just a good, solid studio B-western, with a healthy enough budget, picturesque locations, excellent Elmer Bernstein score, and some well-staged action scenes. However, some fans of the Mexican Revolution themed sub-genre of spaghetti westerns might find the storyline a bit familiar.
My favorite part is early on, with Monte Markham's near hanging, George Kennedy's introduction, Markham's trial by horse, and subsequent shootout. It's a really compelling sequence.
It's nice to see him at this point in his career, getting to play the hero instead of the amoral guy or the villain.
Although no match for the original seven, a neat cast of familiar character actors, including James Whitmore, Joe Don Baker, Bernie Casey, Reni Santoni, and Fernando Rey are still a whole lot of fun to watch.
Like all the sequels to the original Magnificent Seven, this is basically just a good, solid studio B-western, with a healthy enough budget, picturesque locations, excellent Elmer Bernstein score, and some well-staged action scenes. However, some fans of the Mexican Revolution themed sub-genre of spaghetti westerns might find the storyline a bit familiar.
My favorite part is early on, with Monte Markham's near hanging, George Kennedy's introduction, Markham's trial by horse, and subsequent shootout. It's a really compelling sequence.