With a Jolt, My Mind Awakens…Chapter Thirty-Eight: He Comes First for the Clenched Fists…

Focus: “The Magnificent Seven”. Bring together the ragtag rebels of myriad motivation, specifically bound to their protection of the bullied Mexican village from the Obligatory Outlaw Scourge. Fifty-three years after the movie rode quietly yet triumphantly into Sinematic (sic) Sundown, the presence remains profound; the formula’s been duplicated, mimeographed, re-molded and re-drafted to the Forward Force of Action/Western/Sci-Fi/Horror Movies-to-Come. In my humble opinion, this movie trounces even Peckinpah’s “The Wild Bunch”, not by ferocity or technique, but by pride. “The Magnificent Seven” earns its heft in the business – to the gunslingers, a tip of the cap:

I thought a mite further – Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson – Legit Tough, Given the Card of Credence by Hollywood. Still, they couldn’t battle the rigors of living. Flesh and blood, just like the rest of us. Get a load of this:

Yul Brynner: Cancer – Age 65.
Steve McQueen: Cancer – Age 50.
Charles Bronson: Complications from Alzheimer’s disease & pneumonia – Age 81.
Additional Tough Guy Departure for your Evaluation & Disgust: Robert Shaw – Quint from “Jaws”, Red Grant from “From Russia With Love”, Mr. Blue from “The Taking of Pelham One Two Three”: Heart Attack – Age 51.

BALANCE: THESE GUYS WERE ALL OUTLIVED BY: