[yasr_overall_rating]
Seven gun men in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.
Usually when word comes out of Hollywood that they are about to remake a classic, or reboot it, or reimagine it, or whatever sort of spin you want to put on it, we hear a collective sigh from around the world. “Why does Hollywood have to mess with perfection?” people say. “Who in their right minds would want their names attached to a terrible re-make?” Well, for the most part I agree. But, and this is a big but, every now and then, Hollywood actually gets it right. I am a huge John Carpenter fan and when they remade his classic “Assault on Precinct 13” back in 2005, I figured it would fall into the pantheon of bad John Carpenter remakes, such as “Halloween” and “The Fog” (burn in hell Rupert Wainwright) but lo and behold, Jean-François Richet actually achieved something almost unheard of in Hollywood, he directed a remake that actually rivaled the original. Actually, it was better, much much better. And the same can be said for “The Magnificent Seven” (ironically, both remakes starred Ethan Hawke).
While many claim that the original, directed by John Sturges, didn’t need to be messed with, having watched it not too long ago, it really didn’t age too well so when I heard about a remake being directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day,” “Shooter,” “Olympus Has Fallen,” and “The Equalizer”), and starring the always dependable Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, I actually began to look forward to it. And let me tell you, it was worth the wait. Antoine Fuqua and his exemplary cast, including Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Peter Sarsgaard and Haley Bennett, as well as the aforementioned Mr. Washington and Mr. Pratt, give exemplary performances that carry the movie from beginning to end. The film never loses momentum, from its shoot-’em-up introduction, to its tenebrous but expected finale, “The Magnificent Seven” is sophisticated and hugely entertaining.
Set during the 1870s not long after the Civil War has ended, the small town of Rose Creek is taken over by ruthless landowner and industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). As he and his men discover gold in the nearby mines, he informs the townsfolk that he will pay them pennies for their land, so he can develop it further but when they refuse to give up their homesteads, at any cost, he kills a group of them in cold blood in the middle of town, including women, to make an example of them. With no one brave enough to take on Bogue and his men, a young widow, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), whose husband was among the recently deceased, enlists the help of Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), a bounty hunter and peace officer, who has a personal agenda of his own, to help rid the town of Bogue and his accomplices.
He rounds up six more men and together, with Bogue in Sacramento on business for several weeks, they take over the town and start training every physically capable man and woman, for a battle they hope will rid the town of Bogue, once and for all. But when he learns of the town’s plans for him, he quickly leaves California with his army of men and heads back to Rose Creek and it is then that the seven must increase their preparations, if they, and everybody else, are to stand a fighting chance.
While “The Magnificent Seven” is nowhere near as gritty and realistic as other such westerns like “Unforgiven,” “Open Range,” and “True Grit,” it does nonetheless, employ a specific air of authenticity, one that works because of its charismatic and engaging cast. The good guys are good and the bad guys are despicable. Mr. Washington takes over Yul Brynner’s gunslinger with great ease and aplomb, building a character more complex and less wooden than Mr. Brynner’s interpretation, while Mr. Pratt delivers a sardonic performance, filled with a swaggering and overly-confident demeanor that would make Han Solo proud. “The Magnificent Seven” is going to be released in IMAX theaters for one week only and if possible, I would highly recommend seeing it in that format but that being said, it is one of the best movies of the year and an absolute joy to behold.
In theaters Friday, September 23rd
