The Magnificent Seven is Antoine Fuqua’s retelling of the 1960 classic; A western set in post civil-war times, when a town calls for the help of seven men to fight an army of violent, greedy industrialists who want to burn their town down for profit. Let’s look at what worked and didn’t work in this star powered remake.
Positives:
The Star Studded 7:
One of the best things about this remake are the performances from the Magnificent Seven themselves. Denzel Washington is absolutely electric as the leader of the seven, providing a very cool, yet absolutely badass Chisolm, while Ethan Hawke and Chris Pratt are absolutely electric and energy filled supporting members, who bring a much needed jump start to some slower scenes in the film. Two standout supporting characters are Billy Rocks and Jack Horne, played by Byung-hun Lee and VIncent D’onofrio respectively. Both characters strengths rely on their melee weapon of choice and it is an absolutely blast to see.
The Action Sequences:
The best thing about this film are the stellar action sequences. Sequences that smartly knew how solid and tracking shots are what make action scenes great, avoiding the shaky cam and multiple quick shots that many action films try to do these days. Specifically the big shootout scene towards the end is one of the most epic sequences I’ve seen this year. Every character gets to shine, and every death and kill leaves impact.
The Cinematography and Production Design:
It’s obvious that much work was put into this film to give it the ultimate grainy and rugged western look. From the small rusted town buildings and saloons, to the shots of the landscape and horizon overshadowing the small towns, Fuqua and company did their homework into giving this film a classic, yet original look.
Negatives:
The One Big Negative:
The biggest weakness in most action films is the lack of a compelling villain. Unfortunately, this film suffers from that heavily. Besides not being in the film much at all, Peter Saarsgard’s performance is lackluster at best, and is too cartoony to belong in such a film as this. He was never much of a threat, let alone had any big moment that was memorable.
The Bigger Picture:
The film never really explored the depth of the situation nor the background of any of the seven. We understand that money is the reason for their fight, but we don’t get much else as to why or how it affects any other character besides Chisolm. There’s no real purpose that brings all of them together besides maybe a few filler scenes of drunken bonding that doesn’t show who all these characters truly are and were.
Final Verdict:
Magnificcent Seven is a fun western action picture with fun performances and terrifically executed action pieces. However, the film’s heart is missing throughout the film and we don’t feel the potential tragedy or sorrow until the very end, something that could’ve been reached in depth earlier. However, still check this one out.
Grade: B