I love a good western flick, and when my boys (who are computer nerds and Star Wars lovers) pleaded with me to take them to see the latest rendition of The Magnificent Seven, they didn’t have to twist my arm very hard to get me to say yes. So last night (Tuesday is bargain night at our local theater – I’m too cheap to pay full price for a first run movie, even a western LOL), we finally made the time to go see it.
It was a great, gritty western in the classic style. You just have to cheer for rough and tumble cowboys who find meaning for their lives by bonding together to help others.
Now, I have to admit that I never saw the original with Yul Brenner. After first meeting him as the king of Siam in The King and I, I just couldn’t quite picture him as a gunslinger. But as I perused the cast listed on the 1960 film, there are some pretty big names from the western genre – Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn – so I might need to reconsider.
However, I fell in love with the television series version from the late 1990s. It only ran a couple years, but I loved every minute of it. (It didn’t hurt that the cast was comprised of some pretty good looking cowboys.)
I had a bit of a crush on Eric Close at the time. You gotta admit, he makes a right fine western hero.
In the latest edition, Chris Pratt was the one who stole my heart. Gotta love a cowboy with a sense of humor along with a dangerous set of skills to ensure he is always taken seriously. Doesn’t the picture below just have western romance written all over it? The movie was about as far from a romance as you can get, but I can’t help but be inspired by this picture. Makes me want to spin off on another tale altogether.
So, have you seen the movie yet? If so, what did you think?
Who are some of your favorite movie cowboys?
For those who love to smile as they read, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. Karen is a firm believer in the power of happy endings. . . and ice cream. She is an avid cross-stitcher, and makes her home in Abilene, TX with her husband and three children. Learn more about Karen and her books at: www.karenwitemeyer.com.
Karen- yes I saw the movie a few weeks ago, & like you I went to the “cheap seats” matinee. Chris Pratt stole my heart as well. I stayed through the ending credits just so I could see what his real name was. He was funny, sexy, & my favorite too. I can’t remember if I saw the old movie or not, but I’m going to look into it, as Steve McQueen is one of my favorite actors. Thanks for the great article.
We’ll have to start a Chris Pratt Cowboy fan club, Tonya. 🙂 I was already familiar with him from his work in Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy (I’ve got those science fiction nerds in the family, after all), so he was part of the reason I was willing to see this movie in theaters instead of waiting for the DVD. I thought the entire cast in this movie did a great job.
I have not seen it as yet. I did see the original. I love John Wayne’s cowboy movies.
John Wayne is the king of the Hollywood cowboys for sure, Debra. 🙂
I haven’t seen this yet. It sounds really good.
It WAS really good. Pretty violent and not everyone survives, but I drank in the characters and western setting.
I have not seen it yet. Loved the original version.
They made a few changes from the original – the town they are saving is a gold mining town instead of a small Mexican village, and they have more ethnic diversity among the seven, which added another level of interest with fighting styles and weapons of choice. There was some great humor in this version, too.
Have not seen it yet (too cheap here also!) but want to! I adore westerns and that is probably because I grew up on a farm. I love the picture! YES, write a novel about it!!
Emma – the character in the movie from that picture – was a great feisty heroine. Faraday started giving her advice on how to shoot and she just grabbed the rifle and took care of business making the comment – “Thanks, but I had a father.” To which Faraday answered, “I didn’t.” It made a touching moment while still leaving the heroine strong and spunky. 🙂
Saw the original. Don’t know if I will see this one. I wait till they come out on DVD. Cheaper to rent it from redbox for a night than go to a movie theater.
So true, Kim. Especially with kids in tow. 🙂 We go to less than 10 movies a year, I think. Usually closer to 5. Since we already have a Netflix account, we usually wait for the movies to come to DVD.
Karen, I couldn’t wait for this movie to come out so I saw it the first day. LOVED it! So much backstory in each of them and I liked how it was such a diverse cast. I think it had almost every nationality. Chris Pratt stole my heart too. I think it was little glimpses into his childhood. That scene with the girl up above was pretty telling for him. He said something about his childhood and his father not caring to teach him anything. I cried at the end. So many good men died. There was one line that is stuck in my head that Denzel Washington said to Goodnight Robicheaux — “What was lost in the fire was found in the ashes.” I loved that. I dug in my purse and wrote it down in the dark theater.
Smart lady! Yes, there was a lot of good dialog in this one. The screen writers did a great job. I also loved the line that Goodnight said to Chisolm while they were out on the trail after he asked about Sam’s sister. “Just wanted to make sure we were fighting the battle in front of us and not the one behind.” A great line, especially since Goodnight ended up being the one who struggled the most with past demons. Lovely irony in that.
Karen,
Like you, I never saw the original movie but really enjoyed the series. I hope to see the new movie soon.
As for favorites, of course John Wayne & the usual favorites, but Audie Murphy was one of my lesser thought about favorites. I always enjoyed his westerns.
Let me rephrase that last sentence. Audie Murphy may not be considered a top favorite for a lot of people, but he was ine of my favorites. = )
Audie Murphy is a great pick. not only a great western actor but a decorated war veteran from WWII. A hero in real life as well as on the big screen. Thanks, Dali. 🙂
My first crush on a movie star was Yul Brynner!!! Loved his accent for one and his voice. Normally I like long hair but he made the bald look sexy I think!! And he had that swagger lol. I missed seeing the new Magnificent Seven (I’ll have to wait until it hits netflix) but I know I loved the first one and have seen it many times!
Yul carried off the bald before it was the trendy thing to do. 🙂
My hubs and I saw the movie and really, really enjoyed it. Karen, I am like you, John Wayne is the king of Cowboys!
So glad you enjoyed the movie, Melanie!