Day 321: The Ultimate Warrior (1975)

For this week’s Ass Whoopin Wednesdays film, I wanted to do something a little different and lately I have become a huge fan of the legendary Yul Brynner (The Magnificent Seven). So, I decided that I was going to cover one of his films in The Ultimate Warrior (no not the wrestler) for this week’s film. It’s 2012 A.D. and the world has gone post apocalyptic where gangs are now running the streets and you have to be careful when venturing out or you’ll die for the clothes on your back. One leader of a peaceful gang called the Baron (Max von Sydow) hires a fearless fighter by the name of Carson (Brynner). Carson agrees to help the Baron lead his people to a place where there is no more violence, but a familiar enemy in the area could prove to be monkey wrench in their plans. The film also stars Joanna Miles (The Glass Menagerie) as Melinda, William Smith (Any Which Way You Can) as Carrot, Richard Kelton (A Guide For The Married Woman) as Cal, Stephen McHattie (A History Of Violence) as Robert, Mel Novak (Game Of Death) as Lippert, Darrell Zwerling (Chinatown) as Silas, Lane Bradbury (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore) as Barrie, and the film was directed by Robert Clouse (Enter The Dragon). To see the rest of the review, please click here to go to Moshpits and Movies.

Day 318: Morituri (1965)

Can you believe that there are only six Sundays left in all of 2016 and that is not including today. With that being said, there is only six more Sundays at the classics left and we have a good one for you today. The film that we chose for today features two actors that I respect immensely as Yul Brynner (The Ten Commandments) and Marlon Brando (A Streetcar Named Desire) star in the 1965 World War II film Morituri. Robert Crain (Brando) is a deserter of the Nazi party living peacefully in India being a pacifist. After a visit from a British intelligence agent, he is blackmailed into doing a mission for the allies during World War II. His mission is to disrupt a shipment of rubber that is leaving Japan, but he has to deal with a tough as nails Captain Mueller (Brynner) and the fact that this is a mission he might not come back from. The film also stars Janet Margolin (Ghostbusters II) as Esther, Martin Benrath (Stalingrad) as Kruse, Hans Christian Blech (Battle of The Bulge) as Donkeyman, Rainer Penkert (Claudia) as Milkereit, Trevor Howard (Superman) as Colonel Statter, Max Haufler (The Trial) as Branner, Wally Cox (Underdog) as Dr. Ambach, and the film was directed by Bernhard Wicki (Paris, Texas).

This was an excellent film especially if you are a fan of Brynner or Brando and if you are a fan of a great story. Marlon Brando is excellent as a guy who hates war and could care less about who wins, but now has to act like an SS pig. Then you have Yul Brynner, a man with a lot to lose himself which is his reputation, but he also isn’t too fond of an SS officers or the Nazi party. He is sort of a jaded naval captain who just wants to get the job done so he can leave. Then they throw all these other factors at you like political prisoners (like Donkeyman) who want to rise against the system and Esther, a Jewish girl who has so many personal scars along with her physical scars that it torments her. There is a lot to offer in this film to go along with the suspense of the espionage side of the film so if you’re a fan of characters then watch this film. The cinematography in the film is excellent as well as you follow all the tense moments of the film. One of my favorite scenes that really shows what Yul brought to the table in the film was the moment when he lost it in a drunken rage. It was such a powerful scene that gave us our final turning point in the script and story. The film is amazing, I loved it, and it’s available on Netflix right now as we speak. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.

Day 223: The Magnificent Seven (1960)

I am once again going down my list of films to watch, but today’s film is on the list for a separate reason. When I heard that they were remaking The Magnificent Seven, I told myself that I had to watch the original before seeing the remake and so here it is for today’s film. Every year, a village in Mexico is terrorized by the thief Calvera (Eli Wallach) and he steals their crops and kills any villager that dares stand up to him. That is until one day when three of the villagers come to America to hire a gunman by the name of Chris Larabee Adams (Yul Brynner) to help save the village. Adas will then go ahead and hire six of the best gunfighters around to help him out and form the Magnificent Seven which is made up of Vin Tanner (Steve McQueen), Bernando O’Reilly (Charles Bronson), Lee (Robert Vaughn), Harry Luck (Brad Dexter), Britt (James Coburn), and Chico (Horst Buchholz). The film also stars Rico Alaniz (The Life and Legend Of Wyatt Earp) as Sotero, Jorge Martínez de Hoyos (The Professionals) as Hilario, Rosenda Monteros (She) as Petra, Robert J. Wilke (High Noon) as Wallace, and the film was directed by John Sturges (The Great Escape).

I am going to be the first to admit that I am not a huge fan of Westerns, but there are exceptions to the rule that make me change my mind. After all, westerns are basically American folklore hence a reason why they were so popular at one time or another. The Magnificent Seven is definitely the exception to the rule as it was definitely one of the best westerns I have ever seen besides Tombstone. Yul Brynner is at his absolute best as he commands the screen while newcomer Horst Buchholz provides with plenty of moments of laughter that keep us going throughout the film with naive personality. Eli Wallach should also be mentioned into the conversation as he plays the antagonist of the film and a very good one to boot. One of my favorite scenes is in the beginning of the film because it helped set the tone for the rest of the film. It’s the scene where Yul’s character first meets Steve McQueen’s as they do the impossible by taking the body of an Indian through Boot Hill. It just shows how daring they are and how willing they are to do the right thing. The story was excellent and very well written and the cinematography was good as well as they captured all of the action. If you are a fan of westerns then this is one you have to check out because it’s hard to find the flaws of the film. I am going to give The Magnificent Seven an A for a final grade. Now, we wait until September 23RD for the remake to come out.