The Magnificent Seven
Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and a handful of other recognizable faces saddle up for Antoine Fuqua’s version of the Western classic The Magnificent Seven. Given the 1960 film was itself a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, the redemption tale is extremely familiar.
After a small town comes under control of an evil industrialist named Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), it enlists the help of a lone gunslinger (Washington) and his motley crew of killers to defend and restore freedom to its innocent residents. These rogues include a hard-drinking gambler (Pratt), a sharpshooter harbouring a secret (Ethan Hawke), and a grizzled mountain man (Vincent D'Onofrio).
The film’s adapted screenplay from Richard Wenk and Nic Pizzolato is lacklustre to say the least. The townsfolk spout numerous clichéd lines uttered in dozens of similar period movies. There is also a generous supply of heavy-handed foreshadowing and a healthy amount of predictable twists. The Magnificent Seven’s story and dialogue are admittedly bland but the movie makes up for these tiresome tropes with plenty of well-staged action and impressively-choreographed stunt work.
Despite the runtime of over two hours, the flick manages to coast on the charms and chemistry of a strong ensemble cast. Washington and Pratt’s charisma is passable but Hawke offers some scene-stealing depth and Native American actor Martin Sensmeier is genuinely thrilling to watch. Unfortunately, Sarsgaard’s Bogue is relegated to an undercooked antagonist with no real intrigue.
It may not break new ground but The Magnificent Seven should satisfy genre lovers just enough.
