Return of the Seven ** (1966, Yul Brynner, Robert Fuller, Julián Mateos, Warren Oates, Claude Akins, Fernando Rey, Emilio Fernández) – Classic Movie Review 6576

Director Burt Kennedy’s 1966 movie brings Yul Brynner’s welcome return as hired gun Chris Adams in this acceptable but less magnificent sequel to perhaps everybody’s favourite Western, The Magnificent Seven (1960).

The trouble is that Brynner is fielding a reserve team (Robert Fuller, Julián Mateos, Warren Oates, Claude Akins, Jordan Christopher, Virgilio Teixeira) in screen-writer Larry Cohen’s story about the Seven coming to the rescue of a village enslaved by a crazy Mexican who wants to build a monument to his dead sons. Emilio Fernández plays the villain, Francisco Lorca.

Brynner is still a formidable, stony faced hero, there is enough involving drama and action, and there is expert direction from Western specialist Kennedy, who might have disappointed the fans of the original but still turned it into another box office hit.

Fuller (from TV’s Laramie and Wagon Train) takes on the role of Vin from Steve McQueen and Julián Mateos replaces Horst Buchholz as Chico. Fernando Rey, who plays a priest here, is also in the next film, Guns of the Magnificent Seven, as a different character.

The Magnificent Seven are Yul Brynner as Chris Adams, Robert Fuller as Vin Tanner, Warren Oates as Colbee, Claude Akins as Frank, Julián Mateos as Chico, Virgilio Teixeira as Luis Emilio Delgado and Jordan Christopher as Manuel De Norte.

Also in the cast are Elisa Montes, Rodolfo Acosta, Gracita Sacromonte, Ricardo Palacios, Felisa Jiminez, Pedro Bermudez, Francisco Anton, Moises Menendez, Hector Quiroga and Jose Telavera.

Elmer Bernstein received an Academy Award nomination for his score, though it is a re-recorded version of his music for The Magnificent Seven (1960).

It survived indifferent reviews to earn $1.6 million on release and another $1.3 million on its 1969 re-release.

It is also known as Return of the Magnificent Seven and The Magnificent Seven 2.

There were two more sequels: 1969’s Guns of the Magnificent Seven and 1972’s The Magnificent Seven Ride!, both without Brynner.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6576

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