- Film Review
- Reviewed By Adrian Turner
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4 out of 5
Grittily shot in canyon country, bursting with violence and with pit stops for pithy philosophising, this is one of the last westerns one can call a "classic". With more than a passing nod to The Magnificent Seven, made six years earlier, Richard Brooks's action-filled addition to the genre was a box-office smash, repairing the damage that the flop Lord Jim had done to his reputation two years before. Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin, Robert Ryan and Woody Strode are the magnificent four, flawed and fearsome, hired to rescue Claudia Cardinale from the clutches of manic Mexican bandit Jack Palance. Prolific film composer Maurice Jarre provides a suitably evocative score.
Plot Summary
Western starring Burt Lancaster, Lee Marvin and Robert Ryan. Four soldiers of fortune are hired to rescue the wife of a cattle baron, who is being held by a ruthless Mexican bandit. But, after a gruelling ride across frontier country to the bandit's stronghold, the mercenaries discover their mission is not all that it seems.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Bill Dolworth
- Burt Lancaster
- Henry Rico Farden
- Lee Marvin
- Hans Ehrengard
- Robert Ryan
- Captain Jesus Raza
- Jack Palance
- Maria Grant
- Claudia Cardinale
- JW Grant
- Ralph Bellamy
- Jacob Sharp
- Woody Strode
- Ortega
- Joe De Santis
- Fierro
- Rafael Bertrand
- Padilla
- Jorge Martinez de Hoyos
Crew
- Director
- Richard Brooks
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