Review :
The western genre has gradually been making its way back into the cinematic fold. Recent dusty trail ditties such as David McKenzie's modern-day _Hell or High Water_ or Quentin Tarantino's _The Hateful Eight_ have proven to be recent saddle-tested gems that enthusiastically put cowpoke enthusiasts in movie theater seats. Furthermore, what would Hollywood do if it did not predictably invite yet another remake of a classic film into the moviegoers' mindset? Hence, director Antoine Fuqua takes a challenging stab at generating interest in his latest workman-like western shoot 'em up in the millennium-made version of **The Magnificent Seven**.
Naturally, Fuqua's chaotic and calculating gun-toting actioner is an updated remake of director John Sturges's 1960 film that starred late iconic box office big stars such as Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and Eli Wallach. Of course in return Sturges's borrowed his artistic gun-for-hire gumption from legendary Japanese auteur Akiro Kurosawa's vintage and influential _Seven Samurai_. Fuqua, whose gritty urban police drama _Training Day_ secured a Best Actor Oscar for his **The Magnificent Seven** leading man in two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, takes on the retelling of his particular _Seven_ with feisty fury. One would not necessary anoint Fuqua's outlaw tale as a superior successor to Sturges's borrowed blueprint from Kurosawa. However, Fuqua's array of blazing bullets from his bunch of rag tag bad boys has its own distinctive sense of decorative dare and destruction that feels authentic.
Screenwriters Nic Pizzolatto ("True Detective")and Richard Wenk deliver an unapologetic script that calls for high body counts, old-fashioned showdowns and a wild west waywardness that swaggers courtesy of Fuqua's corrosive crew. The popcorn entertainment in **The Magnificent Seven** is strictly in guilty pleasure territory so there is no need to tighten up your holsters for all you little buckaroos that are eager to wallow in Fuqua's cutthroat corral of gunslingers.
Mustached bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Washington) is the all-dressed-in-black avenger whose mission is to provide protection for the town of Rose Creek, New Mexico. In his ambitious bid to save the jeopardized Rose Creek he must assembled a group of skilled gunmen able to stand up to the diabolical powers-that-be that look to foster the on-going havoc that prevails.
Specifically, Rose Creek is under the dastardly control of the diabolical Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) that rules the town with an iron fist. The opening scene demonstrates how nefarious Bogue is at heart because he has no qualms about seizing land from its vulnerable owners or quieting down his critics with intimidating force. Basically, Bogue and his hideous henchmen are not to be reckoned with at all--unless you are willing to match wicked-minded wits with the raw and rough Chisolm and his gun-wielding renegades.
Rose Creek resident Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett, "Music in Lyrics", "The Girl on the Train") steps up to the plate in her effort to confront the nasty Bogue the only best way she knows how--hiring the capable and crafty collection of the Seven to contain this intimidating menace.
Joining Chisolm in his bloody quest to rescue Rose Creek from Bogue's disturbing clutches are explosives expert gambler Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), and conflicted sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke reuniting with his "Training Day" director and co-star Fuqua and Washington). The rest of the tag-a-longs include the outlandishly bearded Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio from TV's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"), Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and Red Harvest (Martin Seinsmeier). Together, the anti-heroes known as the Magnificent Seven hope to meet the expectations of Emma's (and the town's) cause and eradicate the villainous Bogue by any means necessary.
**The Magnificent Seven** certainly does not have any pretensions about posing as a conscious-minded, revisionist western as it definitely does not have the prolific pedigree such as Clint Eastwood's _Unforgiven_ for instance. Nevertheless, the film does have a devilish impishness as its main function is to echo an exaggerated rustic feel to its throwback acknowledgement when westerns of yesteryear were just plain frivolous and furious without any particular rhyme or reason.
Sure, the characters have really no inside depth beyond their taste for roughshod recklessness and wild tumbleweed theatrics. This is not necessarily a bad thing to consider in Fuqua's **The Magnificent Seven** because the name of the game is serving up an escapist need for its giddy-up rush for the senses. Indeed, Washington and company will not make anybody forget the aforementioned Brynner and his squad from nearly six decades ago. Still, this particular _Seven_ has its own kind of favorable punch to savor.
The notable names in _Seven_ do rise to the occasion within the context of this otherwise basic story of the wannabe borderline good guys versus the bombastic bad guys. Washington's Chisolm is solidly smooth as charismatic as the leader of the pack. Pratt's Farraday is a charming hoot as the roguish gambling cad. Hawke's Goodnight does a decent job portraying the talented gun handler simply trying to get his groove back due to his shaken confidence from a prior incident (yes, the catchy movie moniker of Goodnight Robicheaux is a keeper to say the least). And D'Onofrio's amusing Horne is deliciously irreverent. The always adventurous Sarsgaard comes to life as the vile wonder whose presence inspires the Seven to tap into vengeance mode.
At the end of the roundup it is quite clear that **The Magnificent Seven** wants to lasso its penchant for resembling a showy Hollywood western even if it is at the expense of lifting its rowdy roots from the likes of its highly regarded predecessors from golden cinema's treasured past.
**The Magnificent Seven** (2016)
Sony Pictures
2 hrs. 12 mins.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Peter Sarsgaard, Haley Bennett, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Maunel Garcia Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre: Western/Drama/Action and Adventure
Critic's rating: ** 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars)
(c) **Frank Ochieng** 2016
In 1879, degenerate industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) blockades the mining town of Rose Creek, and butchers a gathering of local people drove by Matthew Cullen (Matt Bomer) when they endeavor to confront him. Matthew's better half, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), and her companion, Teddy Q (Luke Grimes), ride to the closest town looking for somebody who can help them and happen upon abundance seeker Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), who at first decays their proposition until he learns of Bogue's contribution.
Chisolm embarks to enlist a gathering of gunslingers who can help him, beginning with card shark Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt).Watch and download "The Megneficent Seven" here _**movies watch free**_ They are later joined by sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), blade employing professional killer Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), gifted tracker Jack Horne, Comanche warrior Red Harvest and famous Mexican criminal Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo).
Touching base in Rose Creek, the seven take part in a gunfight with Bogue's implementer McCann (Cam Gigandet) and his men and push them away with a notice to allow Rose Creek to sit unbothered. Construing that Bogue and his strengths will return in seven days, the seven and Cullen train the sportspeople to guard their home and become attached to them. Watch and download "The Megneficent Seven" here **movies watch free** Robicheaux, frequented by the abhorrences of the Civil War and dreading the unavoidable executing he will be a piece of, forsakes the gathering and is supplanted by Cullen.
Bogue touches base with his strengths and assaults the city, however the desperados are trapped by the townspeople, prompting a shootout amid which Robicheaux rejoins the gathering, McCann is murdered by Vasquez, and Horne is executed by Bogue's Comanche professional killer Denali (Jonathan Joss), who is later slaughtered by Red Harvest. Watch and download "The Megneficent Seven" here _movies watch free_. Bogue then divulges his mystery weapon, a Gatling firearm, with which he executes various innocents. Acknowledging they're outgunned, the seven push the townspeople away and mount their last stand.
Robicheaux and Rocks are killed by a second round of gunfire as Faraday penances himself to demolish the Gatling firearm and whatever is left of Bogue's men, riding up to them in a last charge and afterward exploding a stick of explosive right beside the weapon. Bogue escapes into town, where he is faced by Chisolm, who incapacitates and wounds Bogue. Watch and download "The Megneficent Seven" here movies watch free. As Chisolm is choking Bogue, he uncovers that Bogue and his men assaulted and killed his mom and sister amid an attack quite a long while prior, in which he himself survived being hanged. Bogue is then lethally shot by Cullen while going after a shrouded weapon in his boot.
In the fallout, Faraday, Robicheaux, Rocks and Horne are covered around the local area and respected by the general population of Rose Creek as saints, while Chisolm, Vasquez and Red Harvest ride off, with Cullen commenting that their gallantry made them legends. Watch and download "The Megneficent Seven" here _movies watch free_.
**The new seven, all unique and diversified!**
Basically, people watch it for either those actors and the director or for an entertertainment. But we all know the story, how it begins and how it ends, since it was the remake of the 1960 film. Actually, it was a successful remake, but not as magnificent as the original. Maybe the youngsters might like this one better.
The director's favourite, Denzel Washington in one of the main characters. Not much change in the theme, except the screenplay was little altered, especially diversity in the film characters and their developments. Because nowadays that's a big issue in Hollywood cinema. So it was led by Denzel and possibly there will be a sequel like the 'Ocean's' trilogy.
The people from a small mining town decides to hire men with guns to fight the villainous businessman who slaughtered their loved ones. The unusual seven men come together and form a team with a plan to defend the town. So what comes next is the battle between the good and the bad that lasts for the whole final act.
The setting was completely refreshing, but slightly disappointing action sequences. All the seven characters were unique and awesome, but the film lacked the great battle scene that defines each one of them. Surely I favour it just for once watch that told from the todays imagination of the 1870s era. Feels like it should have been better, but in the end it is a satisfying film.
_6.5/10_
I seek righteousness. But I'll take revenge.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk. Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett and Peter Sarsgard. Music is by Simon Franglen (also working from a James Horner template) and cinematography by Mauro Fiore.
Seven gunmen band together to aid the town of Rose Creek whose inhabitants are being driven out by ruthless capitalist Bartholomew Bogue.
We are now in an age of film making where "tagged classics" are no longer sacrosanct. Any number of these "tagged classics" have been and will become viable for remake - reboot - reimaging for newer audiences. It's here, it happens and really there's nothing we can do about it but moan amongst ourselves. John Sturges' 1960 The Magnificent Seven (itself a remake of Kurosawa pic Yojimbo) is a much loved film, and not just in Western lovers circles, it's a film that non Western fans are known to enjoy - and rightly so, it deserves its place as a "tagged classic" and still enthrals over 50 years since its release. So the big studio big wigs and Antoine Fuqua were taking a major gamble remaking a classic remake with their own remake!
Undeniably the shadows loom large over the 2016 version, so much weight of expectation, in fact to some it was a stinker of a film even before it was released! Well, as those who have seen it will attest, both the fans and the dissenters, it hasn't raised the bar for the "Seven" formula, but, and this is very key here, the makers wasn't setting out to make a film that down the line would be perceived as a "tagged classic", and this is evident in the ream of extras available on the Blu-ray releases. They achieved what they set out to do, to make a blunderbuss Oater for the modern era to sample, and they have done it with much love, much cool and lashings of technical greatness. Add in a cast clearly enjoying themselves and not letting anyone down, and it's a tasty plate of beans.
Fuqua updates things by having his seven as a row of differing ethnicities, which works a treat, and crucially he and his writers are respectful of those characterisations, even if a bit more fleshing out wouldn't have gone amiss. Yet nothing is at a cost to honouring the great Westerns of old. Beautiful landscapes envelope the players, the musical score bouncing around man and nature with homaged sweetness. There's closeups, silhouetted slices of panache, superb stunt work (man and beast), glorious set design, and then there's the action. The fight sequences are excellently constructed, a feast for the eyes and ears, death and slaughter unfurled in brutal but hunger appeasing strokes. There's comic relief about the place, and while much of the dialogue wouldn't have the great poets of yore troubled, there is deepness to be found. Intelligence, too, the addition of PTSD to one of the main players is a notable piece of worth, while how wonderful to find a Western lady character of great substance (Bennett excellent), so good in fact she could have been one of the seven!
It's a bare bones story, with a pointless motive revelation tagged on for the finale, while some anachronisms will irritate those bothered by such. But if you are able to judge it on its own terms, as a Western entertainment for this era, and to accept it isn't trying to outdo the source of its inspiration, then a good time can readily be had. 8/10
Ditches all the cerebral factors in favour of dumb fun, but hey, it works.
Final rating:??? - I personally recommend you give it a go.
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