I must confess that I’ve never seen 1954’s Seven Samurai (the first time this story was turned into a movie) nor have I seen 1960’s The Magnificent Seven. I know that the former is highly regarded as a classic while the 1960 film is frequently ranked as one of the best westerns out there. I’m pretty happy that I went into The Magnificent Seven without preconceived notions because I left the theater feeling highly entertained. The film may begin on uncertain footing but it gets better as it goes along and serves up a climax that is truly thrilling.
The movie opens with a thrilling, albeit unsettling, opening sequence that proves to be one of the best scenes of the film. A ruthless capitalist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), comes into the church of a small 1879 frontier town and declares that he will pay $20 per parcel of land and anyone who doesn’t like the offer can suffer the consequences. There’s a three-week ultimatum involved threatening to turn several citizens into widows and orphans if they don’t comply.
One of the widows, Emma Cullen (Hayley Bennett), decides she’s not going to passively accept Bogue’s demands and she decides to travel to other towns to recruit a fighting force who can oppose the aggressors. She finds bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), who brings on board the booze-loving-but-deadly Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), the wanted Mexican gangster Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), the former Civil War sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke) and his Asian compatriot, Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), the famed tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), and the Comanche exile Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). These seven are all who stand between Bogue’s ruthless greed and the peaceful men and women of Rose Creek.
I have to give director Antoine Fuqua credit for making this a multicultural cast. It’s not really a necessity but having some of the would-be heroes be individuals with different nationalities the audience can relate to is something that you don’t see a lot of in mainstream studio movies. Each of the characters is given a moment to shine in their right and even though Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt are essentially the stars, they are provided with competent support from their co-stars.
Some critics have dismissed the style of the film, with some even calling it generic, but I beg to differ. I thought Fuqua infused the film with a visual style that gives it a classic western feel while not making it feel dated. The western genre isn’t my genre of choice so a lot has to be in play to keep me visually stimulated and I thought he did an admirable job. Fuqua has proven himself to be a capable director of action and he has moments here that show off his skill. There is a bit of a slow burn quality to the film which makes it drag just a tab in the beginning but there is always this sense of mounting tension, especially as we reach the final conflict.
Denzel Washington has worked with Antoine Fuqua three times (the other two being Training Day and The Equalizer) and it’s clear that Fuqua has found the right elements to make Washington a true bad ass on screen. This isn’t going to go down as one of his greatest performances but he has a quiet confidence here that truly resonates. Much like the film itself, his performance is a bit of a slow burn that gains resonance in the final ten minutes of the movie. His subdued approach makes those moments all the more fun to watch. Chris Pratt proves his comedic chops are still intact despite some big screen successes that have turned him into a box office star. The other five members of the group are mostly character actors who are consistently reliable (Ethan Hawke is another Fuqua alum from Training Day). As the villain of the film, Peter Sarsgaard honestly steals the show. He gives us a big guy that makes us beg for his gory end and it’s definitely a performance that sticks with you.
The Magnificent Seven is highly entertaining and deserves more than the “meh” reception it has received from a lot of mainstream critics. Again, I’m judging it on its own merits without having seen the films’ that inspired it, but I think it holds its own during a month that usually delivers mostly stinkers to the movie going public.
Reel Talk gives The Magnificent Seven 3 Reels
