The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven [DVD Magnificent]

This excellent TV series was a short-lived (two seasons) remake and expansion of the classic 1960 movie of the same name. The original movie was a "Who's Who?" of big names in Hollywood, and to a certain extent, the same could be said of the cast of the 1998-2000 TV series. Michael Biehn (an actor who originally came from Lincoln, Nebraska), stars as the leader Chris Larrabee. Other cast members include Eric Close (Without a Trace), Dale Midkiff (Time Trax), Ron Perlman (Vincent in Beauty and the Beast), Rick Worthy (Battlestar Galactica) and Laurie Holden (The Shield, The Walking Dead). Robert Vaughn (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.), one of the original Magnificent Seven feature film actors, puts in a recurring supporting role in several episodes. This is a slickly done Western, with great attention paid to the details. Each of the characters gets his moment in the sun. As the box description says... "The seven men include their embittered leader, a former gun-for-hire seeking redemption; a sharpshooter and bounty hunter; a former slave who becomes a healer; a young and cocky Eastern-bred idealist; a smooth-talking con artist; a womanizing gunslinger; and a former priest turned eccentric prophet." The writing and production values on this show were excellent, and the performances were terrific. I particularly enjoyed both Eric Close as Vin Tanner and Anthony Starke as Ezra Standish. If you've got a hankering for an old-fashioned western about occasional bad guys with hearts of gold, trying to do the right thing...don't pass this one up. This series, with 22 total episodes, was produced over two seasons. In some cases it was packaged as "the complete series", and in others it was packaged with each season separate from the other -- check your packaging! [If you like this, you may also wish to watch the original Magnificent Seven (1960) with Yul Brynner and Eli Wallach -- interesting comparison!]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Magnificent Seven episode guide at epguides.com ]

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