Clicky

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN – Review – We Are Movie Geeks

Review

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN – Review

By  | 

(l to r) Vincent D'Onofrio, Martin Sensmeier, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ethan Hawke, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Byung-hun Lee star in Columbia Pictures' THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN.

There’s the saying that they don’t make them like they used to. Often this is referred to classic styles of storytelling. The western is one of the oldest film genres, practically synonymous with names like John Ford, John Wayne, and Clint Eastwood. Over the past decade there have been filmmakers that have saddled the genre and kicked a modern twist into it. Films like SLOW WEST, THE THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD, and MEEK’S CUTOFF have reflected more of the struggles – both internal and external – of life on the American frontier.

However, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016) falls more in line with traditional westerns than the modern; it harkens back to the “us vs. them” dynamic. There’s a classic approach to this remake of the 1960 film that shows Antoine Fuqua understands that sometimes you don’t need to mess around too much with a good thing. He has delivered the same guns-a-blazing underdog story that fans of the original will recognize. And yet, he also knows exactly how to update the story so that it feels fresh and relevant for modern audiences.

Sam Chisum (Denzel Washington) is a bounty hunter hired by Emma (Haley Bennett) to rid her town of the money-hungry land tycoon, Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Her husband is shot dead during Bogue’s takeover and so she gathers her savings to pay for Chisum to serve a healthy dose of “righteousness.” Chisum then goes about and hires six other men for the job based on his previous encounters and some that he meets on the way (including the incomparable Vincent D’Onofrio, the rugged Chris Pratt, and the always scene-stealing Ethan Hawke).

Given that this is the third incarnation of the story following Akira Kurosawa’s THE SEVEN SAMURAI and the original THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, those that are familiar with the story will find plenty to tip their hats to and maybe a little more depending on their knowledge of the genre. Screenwriters Nic Pazzalotto and Richard Wenk pay respect to the 1954 Japanese film by having one of the seven wield a bow and arrow as his weapon of choice, just as a character did in that classic film. Composers James Horner and Simon Franglen get in on the fun by playing around with the classic theme by Elmer Bernstein throughout the film, acting almost as a tease of what’s to come in the closing credits. However, it’s Mauro Fiore who has the most fun with camera shots that recall everything from the low angle shot of figures standing like chess pieces ready to attack in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST to the silhouette of John Wayne in the doorway of THE SEARCHERS.

Donning a Melvin Van Peebles mustache (SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG), Denzel Washington plays the stoic leader with a level of restraint that isn’t always showcased by the actor. Peter Sarsgaard is appropriately ruthless even if he plays it like a sweaty drug addict on a bender. And then there is Chris Pratt playing to his strengths as the comedic relief with confident bravado. He’s not stretching his limits, but then again, this isn’t the type of film that’s asking much more from him than to aim and fire one-liner after one-liner. Who is the knock-out champion is Haley Bennett as the woman who provokes the men to fight. Notice as I did not say she is the reason that they fight because the film doesn’t position her as a prize to be won. She, in fact, becomes much more of a strong helping hand in the fight to the extent that the film could very well be renamed.

Amidst all the rampant gunfire in the long final battle, things get a little hazy. The sense of space and who’s shooting at who (you don’t have a red team fighting a blue team) gets a little lost in the dust. However, there are moments of calm before the storm erupts again so that audiences can catch their breath and figure out where all the good guys now stand. Even with a little bit of confusion, Fuqua still stages a dazzling action spectacle that doesn’t end till the remaining guns twirl back into their holsters.

It’s refreshing not to see a bunch of middle-aged white guys playing hero on screen. Producers have recently gone to great lengths to inject some well-needed diversity in terms of sex and race into the great white west. Fuqua intentionally fills out his cast with a wide variety of colors and ethnicity, reflecting an early American frontier that didn’t just have one identity. This MAGNIFICENT SEVEN may not have the prestige as the original, but it might be a more accurate portrait of what the west truly looked like. They may not make them like they used to, but sometimes that’s not entirely a bad thing.

 

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN opens in theaters September 23

magnificent-seven-dom-mag7_dig_dom_payoff_1sht_imax_4_rgb

I enjoy sitting in large, dark rooms with like-minded cinephiles and having stories unfold before my eyes.