The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Review

133min

Genre:     Action, Western

Director:  Antoine Fuqua

Cast:       Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett…and more

Writers:   Richard Wenk, Nic Pizzolatto, Akira Kurosawa… and more

-Synopsis-

Antoine Fuqua (Southpaw, Training Day) reboots the 1960 classic western remake of the Akira Kurosawa masterpiece; a late 19th century tale set in the old American West, following 7 disparate gunslingers and outlaws as they come together to protect a small Californian mining town from a ruthless industrialist and his men.

It’s fair to say that despite an impressive cast, our expectations weren’t exactly high for yet another in a long line of recent Hollywood remakes; as studios double-down on an addiction to risk-aversion and maximising profit, squeezing every last drop of juice out of recognisable titles and satisfying the hunger of an ADHD generation with flashier and more dynamic versions of existing movies.

But the ‘The Magnificent Seven’ marks a newer trend of re-working established absolute classics which revolutionised genres and defined generations, a riskier endeavour perfectly illustrated by the recent box-office flop and critically panned ‘Ben-Hur’ remake.

Director Antoine Fuqua lends his tough urban drama credibility to what is a grittier and more graphic version of a classic Western, with a larger scale but less sense of adventure. He teams up with star Denzel Washington for the third time as the leader of this motley crew “Chisolm”; a state bounty-hunter who recruits a bunch of skilled misfits on a mission to drive invaders out of a small town, and train the locals to defend their home from the inevitable reprisal.

The large eclectic cast includes the likes of Chris Pratt as one of the roguish “Magnificent”, essentially rehashing his “Star Lord” persona while strapping on a pair of six-shooters and a cowboy hat. They’re hired by Haley Bennett as “Emma”, the gutsy damsel-in-distress who’s certainly not helpless and brings some much needed oestrogen to this testosterone party; determined to avenge and protect her town from Peter Sarsgaard’s cruel “Bogue”, who ends up being a disappointingly one-dimensional villain despite the efforts of a talented actor.

In an effort to try and make ‘The Magnificent Seven’ their own and a 21st century version of a timeless story, Fuqua and the writers make some narrative changes and a few principal story tweaks which stray from the John Sturges version and indeed the Kurosawa original. Perhaps the biggest change is in the makeup of the seven; rather than white men portraying Americans and a Mexican, Fuqua casts a multi-ethnic group of actors with Washington as the lead, which on this occasion adds to the interest of the narrative rather than looking like a Hollywood diversity box-ticking exercise.

The other big difference comes in the core message of the film and its depiction of the villain, which is clearly political in nature and reflects the rise of “socialist” sentiment on either side of the pond. Instead of marauding Mexican “bandidos” who ravage the village for its resources; Fuqua’s “Seven” are up against a powerful and callous American industrialist eyeing-up the town for gold, in a clear anti-capitalist narrative within the classic “David & Goliath” parable.

Fuqua’s effort is the latest in a long line of movies about a group of misfits grudgingly coming together as a team to complete a mission; from Kurosawa’s ‘Seven Samurai’ to classic Westerns and World War II pictures, all the way through to modern heist thrillers and action adventures. So you can expect the accompanying humour and banter between characters who go from adversaries to friends, plus loads of shootouts and plenty of action.

It’s probably too much to expect anything fundamentally original from a remake, and ‘The Magnificent Seven’ unsurprisingly relies on traditional Western tropes while failing to add anything new; unlike recent unconventional Westerns like ‘Slow West’, ‘Bone Tomahawk’ and ‘Django Unchained’, not to mention Clint Eastwood’s 1992 masterpiece ‘Unforgiven’ which added a grit and pathos that arguably resurrected the entire genre.

With a big budget, flashy visuals and huge action set-pieces; ‘The Magnificent Seven’ is every inch the modern blockbuster, but there’s something missing in terms of a genuine Western. There’s a distinct lack of grime and it just doesn’t feel down and dirty, and a cast which almost unanimously could’ve stepped out of a fashion catalogue doesn’t help either.

Ultimately this feels like a run-of-the-mill modern action movie dressed up in period clothing, albeit a very well-crafted one. For us it has more in common with the ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise than it does with most Westerns, but just about manages to convince thanks to a talented cast and an accomplished director. But if Fuqua’s remake manages to get a new generation interested in a dead but not buried genre and harking back to its origins, it’ll be worth the price of admission.

The Bottom Line…

Antoine Fuqua wrangles together a talented cast, a big budget and plenty of action into a slick and entertaining if unoriginal package; ‘The Magnificent Seven’ is not the most groundbreaking proposition nor the most convincing Western, but as far as recent remakes go it’s up there with the best and a decent introduction to a rarely seen genre for a new generation.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Seven Samurai (1954)

With their home ravaged by pillaging bandits; residents of a small Japanese village turn to a disparate, rag-tag group of hungry and unemployed Samurai for protection in this classic and hugely influential epic from iconic filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

Directed by Akira Kurosawa and Toshirô Mifune,Takashi Shimura and Keiko Tsushima among others.

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