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Every actor gave his all to his character. Robert Vaughn, though briefly on-screen,is magnificent; especially when releasing the villagers at the end. Yul Brenner is magnificent; his presence throughout the movie is commanding,larger than life. Steve McQueen does not need to speak to give a magnificent performance; Clint Eastwood had to have studied Steve McQueen 101 to learn that a western character can speak few lines and be effective. Charles Bronson and James Coburn-magnifique! Words cannot describe the utter perfection that they brought to the movie; I couldn't wait to see their next scene. Eli Wallach-when I first saw this movie, I was teenager back in the sixties. I thought he was the most magnificent villian; it took me a long time to like him in other roles, he was so convincing. It took me a while to understand the Horst Bucholtz character, it wasn't until I saw the 'Seven Samuai' in the nineties that I realized why he was slightly un-magnificent. The villagers,especially the three boys who befriend the Charles Bronson character, give the story its heart. The bandits are effective challengers to our heroes. The movie's only flaw is that it is the magnificent six. The character portrayed by Brad Dexter only only in the movie so that Steve McQueen could count to seven.

Not your average western,but great actors,good character developement,and good use of flashbacks. Could be classified as a mystery. Russell Crowe really seems as if he had not bathed throughout the movie,giving some realism to the movie. The gun tournaments reminds one of medievel contests, though one could guess who would win up until the last round. One unanswered question in this movie was the reason for the lack of love between father and son played by Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The acting makes the movie. Some scenes were too long and meaningless. The movie tried to be a documentary. I would like the Olympic Gold Medal at least mentioned in the movie. Will Smith,Jon Voight and Mario Van Peeples were excellent playing people familiar to most of us. The fight sequences were well staged.