‘Masterpiece’ Western hailed ‘greatest ever made’ airs on BBC tonight | TV & Radio | Showbiz & TV

This legendary Western is still adored by fans worldwide and its back on the BBC tonight. The 1960 offering was remade in 2016 but the original is still highly regarded as best version of the screenplay. The Magnificent Seven features a star-studded cast with Yul Brynner as Chris Adams, Charles Bronson as Bernardo O’Reilly, Steve McQueen as Vin and James Coburn as Britt.

It’s a Western remake of the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai, which itself drew inspiration from historical situations but wasn’t a direct retelling of specific events, with characters inspired by archetypes like real-life Mexican bandits.

A Mexican village is at the mercy of Calvera, the leader of a band of outlaws. The townspeople, too afraid to fight for themselves, hire seven American gunslingers to free them from the bandits’ raids. The professional gunmen train the villagers to defend themselves, then plan a trap for the evil Calvera.

The beloved movie has received an impressive score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and is still being praised today.

One audience reviewer gushed: “My favorite movie of all time. Classic Western – good versus evil and helping the weak. Great character actors, unbelievable ensemble and some terrific lines.”

Another remarked: “This film is a must-see! The cast delivers brilliant performances, with each character showing a genuine passion for the cause they’re fighting for.”

“Solid western feature,” a third penned, while a fourth penned: “One of the greatest Westerns of all time! its a must see!”

A fifth commented: “A great western that still holds up to this day, outshining in every way the 2016 remake.”

While a sixth added: “Great movie, great cast, great message, great soundtrack!”

The Magnificent Seven did not win an Oscar, but it received one Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score, composed by Elmer Bernstein.

The Magnificent Seven airs tonight on BBC Two at 6.30pm.