In this remake of the classic 1960 oater of the same name (itself a Western remake of Akira Kurosawa's masterpiece, The Seven Samurai), seven gunslingers join forces in order to protect a small town from a mining tycoon (Peter Sarsgaard) and his goons, who plan to seize the residents' land by force. The seven-man army is led by a mysterious bounty hunter (Denzel Washington), and also includes a sharp-witted gambler (Chris Pratt), a troubled ex-Civil War soldier (Ethan Hawke), a mountain man (Vincent D'Onofrio), an expert knife thrower (Byung-hun Lee), an outlaw (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and a Comanche warrior (Martin Sensmeier). Directed by Antoine Fuqua (Training Day). ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke,
Vincent D'Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun
Release Date: Sep
23, 2016
Rated PG-13
Runtime: 2 hr. 12 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure
Review:
I’ll start by saying that I’ve never seen the original
The Magnificent Seven film so I don’t have anything to compare it to. The plot itself has been recycled multiple
times so the story itself doesn’t hold much in the way of surprises. Antoine Fuqua seems to know this so he tries
his best to honor the classic westerns of yesteryear. As such, you get plenty of scenic
cinematography and high intensity shoot outs throughout. Ultimately, the only way this film would
maintain anyone’s interest would be because of the cast. Denzel Washington holds the entire film
together as the steely eyed bounty hunter.
The film is at it’s best during the first half as the team is assembled
and we get a taste of each of the characters being assembled. Some of which get more time than others but
in the end you can tell the actors are just having a blast. That keeps the film fun and interesting even
as we start heading into very well worn territory in terms of story. As such, The Magnificent Seven is an enjoyable
bit of entertainment that could have used a tad bit more depth to make it truly
standout.
B
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