|
Seven Men From Now (1956) is a well-made Western from the pen of Burt Kennedy (The Train Robbers, The War Wagon) directed by Budd Boetticher (The Cimarron Kid) and staring Randolph Scott, ably supported by Gail Russell and Lee Marvin. Don't be put off by the hokey opening theme song - a convention of movies of that era (Boetticher hated the song). Seven Men From Now is more than just a simple revenge story, although it starts out that way. Slowly all the layers of the story and of the characters are revealed.
Ben Stride (Randolph Scott) is out to get the seven men who held up the Wells Fargo office - a robbery of $20,000 in which a woman was killed.
Scott gives a great performance as Stride, who turns out to be driven by guilt more that revenge.
After finding two of the seven men, Stride comes across John Greer (Walter Reed, Lassie) and his wife (Gail Russell, Studio 57) in their wagon on their way to California. As Stride helps them on their way, it becomes obvious that John is out of his depth in the west. Less obvious is the development of an attraction between Mrs.Greer and Stride.
Gail Russell & Walter Reed © Warner Bros. Pictures
Complications come when the three meet up with Bill Masters (Lee Marvin, Paint Your Wagon) and his sidekick who are also after the robbers, but only for $20,000. It turns out that ex-sheriff Stride and Masters have a history. What happens as this mismatched group pursues the remaining robbers?
Randolph gives a solid performance as the upright but guilt-ridden Ben Stride. When he lost his job as sheriff, he was too proud to take the job as deputy. So his wife had to work, and it was she who was killed in the Wells Fargo robbery. Scott plays this character to perfection.
Lee Marvin © Warner Bros. Pictures
Playing against Scott's noble Stride is an excellent Lee Marvin as the likeable bad guy who is up front about being after the money, and is also attracted to Mrs. Greer. The final show down between Stride (Scott) and Masters (Marvin) is memorable.
Gail Russell © Warner Bros. Pictures
This film was Gail Russell's comeback after a drinking problem. Her character of Mrs. Greer seems to spend most of her time serving coffee to the men, but she and Scott say a lot with just a look and an almost-kiss than if they'd actually embraced.
The film takes great advantage of the location in Lone Pine (California) and the photography (Andrew V. McLaglen and Robert E. Morrison) and color are right on.
A good reason to see this film besides it's a great movie is the multi-layered plot and multifaceted characters. You'll find more depth in the 78 minutes of Seven Men From Now than in most of today's big action films. Treat yourself to a western the way they used to make them.
Director: Budd Boetticher
Writer: Burt Kennedy, original story and screenplay
Cast Members: Randolph Scott, Gail Russell, Lee Marvin, Walter Reed, John Larch
Rating: unrated - today probably PG-13 violence, but not graphic.
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Run Time 78 minutes
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Format: Color
|
