Review #1,143: 'The Magnificent Seven' (2016)

Movie fans were predictably up in arms when the announcement was made that John Sturges' beloved 1960 action western The Magnificent Seven was to be remade by Antoine Fuqua, a director who has arguably only made one decent film in his career. Familiar claims of Hollywood running out of ideas and calls for the 'classics' to be left well and truly alone echoed across internet message boards, despite remakes having existed since cinema began and the fact that Sturges' film was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa's samurai masterpiece Yojimbo (1961). The resulting movie is a perfectly enjoyable and action-packed couple of hours, although ironically lacking in magnificence. The Adequate Seven would have been a more appropriate, albeit less catchy, title.

Fuqua's film treads much of the same ground as Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughan et al did fifty-odd years ago. Denzel Washington takes on the role Brynner previously embodied, and he strikes a cool and formidable figure as Chisolm, despite sticking out like a sore thumb in the post-Civil War Wild West (although nobody brings it up). He is approached by the beautiful widower Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) to help save her town from feudal landowner Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) and his small army of enforcers, who have just murdered Emma's husband. Either for the bag of gold on offer or just for the sake of doing the right thing, Chisolm agrees to take the job, and begins recruiting his own gang of former acquaintances, lovable rogues and dangerous outlaws.

Hollywood finally seems to be catching up with the ethnic diversity so prominent in the U.S., and The Magnificent Seven reflects this wonderfully. As well as casting a black lead relatively unheard of in the genre, Chisolm rounds up Mexican Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), Korean knife-expert Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee) and, after befriending him by eating the heart of slain beast, also brings in Native American Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). Making up the rest of the group are Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt doing his best impression of Star Lord), a cocky gambler with the gift of the quick draw; Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), an alcoholic former soldier with a shaky hand and shakier nerves; and Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio), the hulking, grey-haired, God-fearing frontiersman who is given the role of comic relief.

For most of its 2 hour 13 minute running time, The Magnificent Seven struggles to decide what kind of film it wants to be. On one hand, it's a western in the classic mould, all thigh-slapping and talkin' tough. Yet with the many over-the-top set-pieces on show, it also seems to have aspirations to be a shut-down-your-brain blockbuster, even pitting Red Harvest one-on-one against the bad guys' Native American in what is the movie's most ridiculous scene. It also hints at deeper ideas, and touches on themes of race with the lightest of brushes, just enough to make you ponder how good this film really could have been given the cast at the director's disposal. If it's an entertaining slice of action complete with strong performances across the board, then this certainly delivers. However, if you're looking for an absorbing genre piece and one that justifies its own existence, then you may become frustrated with Sargaard's sleepy-eyed scenery chewing. Insert pun on title here.

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Haley Bennett, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard
Country: USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie