There is an episodic feel to this film - brevity of sequences and quicker pacing - which makes this feel like a TV movie despite it achieving a theatrical release. Lee Van Cleef takes the lead character, Chris Adams, into middle age and into the safe position of town sheriff, albeit with a new set of problems. While there is a wisp of the determined air of Yul Brynner's characterisation, the film doesn't add up to much. There isn't much tension built leading up to the action sequences, just a series of melodramatic shifts. Stefanie Powers gives a touching performance but it is not enough to save it from formulaic dirge.

With about a week to go,I talked to my dad about what presents to get for a pal for their birthday. Knowing that me and my friend are hoping to see the new Magnificent Seven on the big screen,my dad decided to get him the final title from the original Magnificent Seven era.The plot:Trying to put his outlaw life behind him,Chris focuses on being the best sheriff in town,who makes sure that everyone serves their time for misdeeds (even when his wife Arrila pleas for a teen ragamuffin to be freed!) Learning that his old friend Jim Mackay is caught in an ambush,Chris goes to help him out. After helping him escape,Chris is asked by Mackay to help him protect a town that is being overrun by outlaws. Turning down the offer,Chris soon discovers that he will have to gather up the Magnificent Seven.View on the film:Crossing the floor, Lee Van Cleef gives a very good performance as Chris,who despite having an "old romantic" side which looks a bit odd against Cleef's credits,is given a smooth soulfulness from Cleef,which Cleef melts down with a pipe smoking stamp which keeps all the guys in line with a cold hard stare. For the lone Magnificent Seven flick of the 70's,director George McCowan and cinematographer Fred J. Koenekamp ride off to a dusty warmth,as smooth crane shots catch the glare from the sun gliding over the 7 outlaws.Loading up short shots of action, McCowan gives the movie a grubby mood by splatting dry blood on the slow-draw cowboys. Mapping out the final set-piece, McCowan rolls out explosive shoot-outs,that catch a few surprising people in the crossfire. Bringing the sun down on the series,the screenplay by Arthur Rowe gets some Western grit under the gun by firmly pulling Chris from the straight and the narrow back to the path of the outlaw. Clearly inspired by The Dirty Dozen (a film I've not yet seen!) Rowe fails to give the other six members of the gang "their moment" and instead leaves them to fade into the background,and stops The Magnificent Seven from going out with all guns blazing.

Gunfighting maverick Chris Adams is now happily married and has settled into his mundane life as a lawman in a small Texas town. However his hopes of retirement are dashed after his wife is kidnapped and brutally murdered by a trio of young thugs. Chris sets out on their trail and tracks them across the border where he takes his revenge. Although it turns out that our hero will have to go back to doing what he does best after he stumbles upon a town that has been left at the mercy of outlaw Detorro and his vicious band of killers. The men have been massacred and it is only the women and children who are left, prompting Chris to assemble five convicts, a newspaperman and a deadly arsenal of dynamite and long range rifles to do battle with the bandits one last time.Lee Van Cleef took a break from the Sabata trilogy to film The Magnificent Seven Ride!, the final movie in the Seven Samurai inspired quadrilogy. As always , Van Cleef brings his sardonic Colonel Mortimer-esque charm to the role and executes his portrayal with chilled assurance. After his work with Leone, the in-and-outs of the western became second nature to him, he seemed like a cool guy to have around and the western was his genre. The other actors that the seven comprised of, with the exception of Luke Askew, were pretty nondescript to me, therefore I wasn't too bothered when some of them were killed off in the huge action sequence at the end. It's easy to find oneself yawning or looking at their watch throughout the middle of the film, with the obligatory dry dialogue making the it feel longer than it is. we learn little about the members of the seven and the villain Detorro is rarely seen. Also the one factor that sets Ride! apart from the other three movies is the dark revenge plot, but it's quickly forgotten about at the film's halfway mark. The director could have done more with it and transformed the movie into something else entirely. However, the one thing that The Magnificent Seven movies were always er, magnificent at was showcasing a darned amazing action scene. Ride! is no exception as the bullets scream and the bodies fly, particularly during the fantastic climax where we are treated to an explosive shoot-em-up in the desert(which was gloriously chaotic)followed by a cracking shootout in the town's street. Some complimentary blood spatter is even thrown in alongside the explosions and stuntwork to crank the violence up a notch or two. Although these spectacular action scenes do not mask the predictability of the climax....And so The Magnificent seven series ends deservedly with a bang. Just bear with Ride! as it's a lot of fun with a few brilliant action scenes. 9/10

Despite sporting "The Magnificent Seven" in it's title, this is basically a B-movie with a budget, albeit a very good B-movie. This throws in revenge elements and a little Dirty Dozen style criminal recruitment to spice up the usual heroics of the title protectors.After seven or so years of mainly spaghetti westerns, it's nice to see Lee Van Cleef (taking over hosting duties from Yul Brynner and George Kennedy) headlining a major American western.It's also a lot of fun to see a slew of familiar faces sharing the screen with Van Cleef, like Gary Busy, Luke Askew, Ed Lauter, and William Lucking (who's finally getting some recognition as a co-star on "The Sons Of Anarchy") among others.It's too bad that second-billed Stefanie Powers isn't given anything much to do besides looking good and kissing Lee Van Cleef, who's wife has been dead less than a week!Another Dirty Dozen western knock-off, this one being Italian, is Massacre At Fort Holman, also known as A Reason To Live, A Reason To Die, starring James Coburn, Telly Savalas, and Bud Spencer. If you liked this, then that one is highly recommended too.