I finally got around to seeing this and I have to say that it's pretty good. I had seen the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and expected it's predecessors (still haven't seen For a Few Dollars More) to be less evolved versions of the same concept. Fortunately it had it's own unique tale and nuances. Spaghetti westerns may not be everyone's cup of tea but I found this to easily surpass most modern cinema fare.

I know it's based on this old Japanese movie called Yojimbo, which I've yet to see. I saw a movie by the same director(Akira Kurosawa) recently called Seven Samurai. It was really good and the soundtrack was awesome. I feel the same way about all of those Sergio Leone spaghetti westerns. Cool movies, awesome soundtracks. Clint Eastwood was a badass....Almost more of a badass than Christopher Walken.

Yup, Americans cast in Italianized versions of Japanese stories equals MAGIC. Oh, and I'm pretty sure the Magnificent Seven is a direct Westernization of Seven Samurai. Haven't seen either though.

i didnt really like seven samurai, but i loved kumonosu jo, aka throne of blood, which is kurosawas (loose) version of macbeth.

seven samurai was just too, well, ok ill say it, long- which i know is a terrible reason not to like a movie, but it was over 3 hours long and really repetitive. ran is good (and long) too, if you can stay awake.

That's wild, I just watched it for the first time the other night (pretty funny, huh Keith?). Did you watch it on TCM friday night?

I have to say I thought it was a bit overhyped. A lot of folks have been talking about how amazing Leone's work is (especially GBU), but I just thought it was alright. I felt the same way about Seven Samurai.

I try hard to appreciate the classics for how well they've stood the test of time and how revelutionary they were when they first came out, but it just seems like standards were much lower back then to qualify a movie as great. Two exceptions I can think of would be Cool Hand Luke and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Those are great fucking movies.

I have a lot of patience for certain things....like Yes "Close to the Edge", Dr. Zhivago, etc. I recently watched Master & Commander and liked it. I like attention to detail in sets and scenery. If it's done right it's as entertaining as good dialogue....I tend to have to watch movies like that by myself though. Kind of like I have to listen to Captain Beefheart by myself.

Wow, you're not the least bit pretentious are you?