My Review Of "The Glorious Seven"

Jerry Kwarteng, Fernando Corral, Maurice Nash, Marina Kinski, Ilker Kurt, Ender Atac, Fernando Carrera, Max Gromov, Alek Beardman, Usman Maqbool, Sarah Salomo, Carlos Santos, Juan Ruiz and Julia Mulligan star in a Harald Franklin film, which is a revision of the classic Akira Kurosawa1954 masterpiece Shichinin no samurai. 

Ex-military commander David Guerra is hired by a crooked millionaire to rescue his wife who was kidnapped by the leader of a guerrilla group. Guerra recruits six of his former special forces comrades to join him on this task. Outnumbered by their highly skilled opponents the seven start a seemingly hopeless and bloody mission, hoping they can pull off the unthinkable and somehow still survive.

"The Glorious Seven" is a revisionist take on the classic film "Samurai Seven", and full disclosure-I only saw it once as a kid. Also there is "The Magnificent Seven", which I saw bits of, but westerns are typically not my thing  So setting that aside, my review is simply based on this film's merit-as much as possible. 

The story isn't all that original once you get below the surface. This version is more exotic, bringing Spanish flavor to the concept. Deeper elements are recognizable tropes-not just from the obvious influences, but characteristics from material over the years pepper "The Glorious Seven". I mean-lets face it- 'Magnificent', and 'Samurai' have had a major impact on cinema, film and television.

The acting is above board. Occasionally there are moments where dialog feels clunky and lines fall flat, but for the most part the film's story moves smoothly with committed actors. Character development is a little dry, they only shine to a level barely giving dimensional performances. Still it is enough to hold your attention. I was impressed by how much the energy and attitude of the film became reminiscent of the"American Ninja", "Kickboxer" franchises. 

Special effects-wise, there isn't all that much to say. Nothing really impressive stands out. There are some fight sequences, gun battles, and action moments that spread out the runtime appropriately. Sometimes they feel sloppy but for most scenes things go as expected, but with mediocre pop. Gunfire is often CGI, but tolerable. The real effect comes from the scenic locations. It really amplifies the overall value of the film. Overall"The Glorious Seven" isn't anything we haven't seen before, but it manages a decent watching experience with plenty happening, and worth checking out. (3/5)