The Magnificent Seven Ride!

Fifth outing for the mercenary heroes who originated as the Seven Samurai, lagging a long way behind 1 and 2 (Kurosawa, Sturges), but a marked improvement on 3 and 4 (Kennedy, Wendkos). Set a little laboriously in 'changing times', with Chris now ageing, married and law-abiding, while likely candidates for his team are either dead or languishing in jail. But the characterisations are sharp, the script economical, and the strategy of the final confrontation set out almost as intriguingly as in Seven Samurai.