Guns Of The Magnificent Seven is the best of the 4 films. It takes a huge leap from the dullness of the 2nd film to an action packed hit! This one has a better storyline from the original 2 and yet do many disagree, they are all wrong. This film is as good as any Western film. There is still the jolly old theme song and the main character whose actor changes in this film. To be honest I think Paul Kennedy is better actor for "CHRIS" than the other one in the 1st 2 films. This one also has a few notable actors in it as well, but none of them can beat Steve McQueen in the first film.So, in my opinion "GUNS OF THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN" is the actual gun of the 4 films...

A competently crisp, but flat instalment to the series. Those who have seen the previous films, would go in knowing what to expect as the material establishes the same formulaic staples from the moralistic backhand (fighting for a purpose) to the well-oiled action set-pieces (the big climatic showdown). "Guns" is the second sequel which saw George Kennedy (who isn't too bad) taking over Yul Brynner's role and filling those boots was going to be a big task. While it looked good with some striking scenic location photography, inventively sharp camera angles and a sprawling score that thunders away, the hardy action is rather lightweight and uninspired, while the pacing was uneven and the characters have little more than a minor sketching. A strong cast is evident (James Whitmore, Joe Don Baker, Monte Markham and Bernie Casey) but their portrayals don't have much of a mark say like the original feature did. Distinguishable, but forgettable. Casey had some presence and Baker was the only one to sightly stand out as a gunfighter with a limp arm. A modest western foray.

Taking over from Yul Brynner as Chris the organizer of the seven, George Kennedy's services are called upon by yet another Mexican village. But it's not to fight some bandit leader, Guns Of The Magnificent Seven involves the group in Mexican revolutionary politics.Fernando Rey as an opposition leader is visiting a village to recruit for the revolutionaries when the local army colonel, Michael Ansara, arrests him and several villagers in an effort to learn who is organizing in his area. One of the villagers who's apparently heard about the success of the Seven in a couple of other films rides to look for Kennedy. Reni Santoni and Kennedy recruit a new batch of seven to rescue Rey from Ansara who's a particularly sadistic individual.The rest of the seven include Monte Markham, Bernie Casey, Joe Don Baker, James Whitmore, and Scott Thomas. As is usual, some survive the final fight, some do not, I won't say who. The best part of the film is the assault on the fort where Ansara and his troops are garrisoned. It's a well staged battle sequence. In a bow to history, both real and cinematic, a young Mexican kid played by Tony Davis adopts one of the seven, James Whitmore, as a substitute father. The young man's name is Emiliano Zapata. Of course if the producers had done their homework, they would have learned that the real Emiliano Zapata did not come from the US border area, but was from the other end of Mexico.Of course the Elmer Bernstein theme, one of the most famous in film history is here as well, you couldn't do a Magnificent Seven film without it. But when all is said and done Guns Of The Magnificent Seven remains a rather routine western.

GUNS is the second sequel to MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, and George Kennedy takes over from Yul Brynner in the lead. As unlikely as this may sound, Kennedy is reasonably convincing as a steely-eyed hired gun who ends up doing good for good's sake and rescues an imprisoned rebel leader south of the border. In the end, he doesn't even take the money. The group that ends up riding with Kennedy is a mixed bag, as this was shot in Spain and some of the performers are clearly foreign. Watch for an almost-unrecognizable Joe Don Baker as one of the Seven. Monte Markham and James Whitmore are two others. The action sequences are well done for the time, but there's an awful lot of talking and sitting around in between. I hate to say it, but even with Kennedy playing the Brynner character and the use of the original theme music, this supposed sequel is in name only.