Director Antoine Fuqua
Genre Action | Western
Cast Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett, Vincent D'Onofrio
Rating PG-13
Release Date September 23rd, 2016
“Seven gun men in the old west gradually come together to help a poor village against savage thieves.”
The Magnificent Seven is a remake of the hit 1960 western of the same name which starred western action hero Steve McQueen. McQueen was one of the most popular actors in the world during his heyday, and his untimely death in 1980, due to a large tumor he attempted to have removed at a low-rate clinic in Mexico, served as quite a shock. Even though I was born 4 years after his death, his name has come up quite often and hopefully they continue to remake some of his old classics, if for no other reason than to remind people of the late star. The Magnificent Seven is directed by Antoine Fuqua, and stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and Haley Bennett.
The Magnificent Seven is a well-acted, impressively shot, western style shoot-em-up theater experience, with a surprisingly big heart. I went in to the theater expected a somewhat corny action comedy which would have been more than okay, but instead I was treated to a film with substance, not to mention a tug at the heart strings here and there. The Magnificent Seven reveals a strong backstory as the plot unfolds, which I felt helped to add significance to the story as a whole. One of my primary concerns was the fact that all too often a stellar cast is assembled and the final product is a convoluted mess, big egos getting in the way of hard work. With The Magnificent Seven, that is far from the case. Director Antoine Fuqua made the most of his cast and ensured that each and every actor invested in their characters, with no actor or character bigger than the overall greater good of the film. Fuqua has quite the impressive resume having directed hit films like Training Day, Shooter, and The Equalizer, just to name a few. Don’t let the runtime of just over 2 hours scare you, trust me when I say it will feel more like a quick hour and a half.
Quality acting is a key component in The Magnificent Seven but the best part is simple, it all looks fun. The stellar cast clearly enjoyed the making of this film and it shows. With stars ranging from Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett, and many others, acting talent is evident in spades. The script ensures that each character comes to life on screen which is sometimes difficult to do with such a wide range of characters. Denzel Washington easily makes the biggest impact in his role but Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke do a phenomenal job earning the love and admiration of the audience. Haley Bennett makes quite the impact in her role as a woman wronged who makes it very clear that even though she requires some help, she is more than capable of holding her own. Also, and more importantly, I am really digging her with red hair. Vincent D'Onofrio plays a very ridiculous role and will definitely have you chuckling. I feel bad leaving out the others because this film really does have a stacked cast, but trust me when I say they all more than earned their paycheck.
The Magnificent Seven is a damn fun time at the movie theater, and ends up being much more than what most would consider a popcorn flick. Simply put, it is well worth the price of admission. Unless of course you hate western themed action comedies with an A-list cast. I grew up watching bits and pieces of westerns with my dad who was a huge western fanatic, primarily anything with Clint Eastwood or John Wayne. He would always tell me that they were the biggest "badasses" around and people knew better than to mess with them. I thought that was pretty cool. My youth may have something to do with my appreciation for the remakes of old western classic's, and as far as quality goes The Magnificent Seven is up there close to the 3:10 To Yuma remake from 2007. Do yourself a favor and check this one out before it leaves theaters. Recommended.
