The Magnificent Seven - directed by Antoine Fuqua
Remake of a Remake time again.....
In this case there are probably more than just two or three versions of this movie from the original "Seven Samurai" in 1954 to the Steve McQueen / Yul Brynner re-imagining as a western six years later.
I usually don't mind remakes and in this case it feels about time for another Mag 7 flick.
The bunch of guys on a mission plot has been used innumerable times and it's no surprise - it's a great setup for a story.
We've seen it in everything from "The Dirty Dozen" to "Inglorious Basterds" and of course in the aforementioned Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven flicks.
It allows for a lot of scope in terms of characters and setting and I welcome movies using the men on a mission routine.
Plus - there aren't enough westerns these days by a long shot.
It scarcely needs explaining but the plot here is that a small town has been taken over by a greedy land baron who has killed a chunk of the residents to show them that they'd better not get between him and his desire for gold.
One of those killed was the husband of Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) and she is pissed about it.
So pissed that she wrangles every cent that the townsfolk have and sets off to find some men for hire to spend it on.
So a bounty hunter, a gambler, an outlaw, a sharpshooter, an assassin, a Comanche warrior and a tracker is what she gets for her cash.
The process by which this happens is a little fuzzy however.
Six of the Seven are motivated by money but beyond the first dangle of the cash bag it isn't mentioned again.
The Comanche who is met along the way doesn't even know about the money when he decides to join and even though he had around five nervous guns pointed at him somehow decides to become involved.
The motivation of this character is a complete mystery and it's an issue shared by others.
Ethan Hawke's notorious sharpshooter and his partner Billy (Byung-Hun Lee) are earning money by shilling Billy's mad assassin skills against all comers when we meet them.
Hawke's Goodnight Robicheaux has some sort of issue that prevents him from using his gun so his joining seems odd to say the least.
Chris Pratt's gambler Haraway has easier to explain motivations.
He is the Han Solo devil may care smart-ass of the piece so whatever he does makes some sort of sense because hey- he's that kind of guy.
But otherwise I cannot tell you what the motivation was for any of the rest of the seven in joining a mission that presumably pays a lot (it is never revealed) but has a high chance of death given that they are up against an army of more than 200 men.
By the time the credits rolled I still had no idea how much money was at stake or even if any of the seven received any!
On the other side of the fence the bad guy characters don't fare much better.
Peter Sarsgaard's villainous Bartholomew Bogue is a cliche in black who does everything short of twirling the his moustache and a revelation about him and one of the Seven comes far too late in the film to have any real impact.
There is a Comanche bad guy who has zero explanation as to why he is there and then there is Cam Gigandet who is just nasty because I guess that is what we expect from Cam.
So there are issues with the screenplay and the series of events that result in us getting our titular band of men might best be described as clumsy or lazy if you prefer.
But one thing helps make this less of an issue.
The cast.
This is formula filmmaking and I don't mean that as a criticism.
The formula here is create a diverse bunch of characters and have them played by pretty much the first people you would think of because it is what they are known for.
It also doesn't hurt to hedge your ethnic bets.
Chris Pratt is far and away the best choice to play a smart mouthed gambler so it is a no-brainer.
Ethan Hawke as a battle weary soldier with issues.... of course - he's a master at emotional scars.
Byung-Hun Lee is pretty well known to Western audiences and since Chow Yun Fat is now too old he's a fine choice (and he is really good)
Looking for a big, rugged guy with character? Vincent D'Onofrio.... sorted.
And of course there's Denzel Washington because it's a Fuqua movie and Denzel is his boy.
I don't know a lot about Martin Sensmeier or Manuel Garcia-Rulfo but they do fine work as the Comanche warrior and the Mexican outlaw.
So- a great cast to the last and the International flavour is refreshing.
The banter that results from the interplay as histories are revealed does much to make the first half of the film so entertaining.
Upon seeing Vasquez (Garcia-Rulfo) Pratt's character declares - 'Oh good, we got a Mexican'
Hawke gets some good banter related to the Alamo with Vasquez too and an eating the heart of a deer moment draws a good laugh from Washington and Sensmeier.
D'Onofrio seems to be channelling Michael Parks for much of the time and utilises a slow, soft spoken delivery of his dialogue.
It slips for the latter stages however along with a romantic subplot and a bunch of other plot devices that seemed to be heading somewhere but don't.
The whole thing moves at a fair clip and contains an abundance of well created action and there is no denying that this is a fun movie.
It is also genuinely a Western as opposed to an action movie in cowboys clothing.
With the announcement of Antoine Fuqua as director my enthusiasm for this film waned some.
I think he's a decent director but he favours a shooting method that is overly stylised and often too reliant on colour filters.
You get away with it when you are portraying modern day Los Angeles in "Training Day" and it is fine for an over the top tech action thriller like "Swordfish" but a Western with graduated blazing orange skies, flashy camera angles and slo-mo and fast cutting?
Not so much.
But the good news is Fuqua has tempered his normal style and my concerns that this film wouldn't feel (or look) at all like a Western are completely (well - almost completely) unfounded.
While very definitely a big budget studio Western with all of the polish that you would expect this film still looks and feels the part.
A lot of time and money has been spent on the sets, costumes and props.
There is a sense of heat and dirt about everything- of this being set long ago in a lawless land not yet fully explored.
The costumes looks well worn and the town in which most of the action takes place has been very nicely detailed when it was created.
Likewise there is an almost complete lack of the usual over-stylised shots and edits that Fuqua has employed in pretty much every movie of his that I have seen.
He does employ some classic Western shots - the figure in the doorway, the pan across a row of buildings revealing bad men through the gaps and of course the occasional close up of faces to heighten tension as we wait for the first bullet to be fired.
All in all Fuqua does a great job here.
By the time the big showdown comes around the movie has already entertained very well.
The finale comes at around the time most feature length movies are closing but I wasn't bored for a second.
The arrival of the big finish is perfectly timed.
While much of the character development is half-assed, confused or even non-existent the enjoyment in spending time with this cast is undeniable and makes up for quite a few sins.
Haley Bennett in particular is magnetic.
No mere damsel in distress she gets a lot to do and much of it involves a gun.
Bennett has been great in a bunch of movies including the underrated "Music and Lyrics" and this film along with the upcoming "The Girl On the Train" should thrust her career into the stratosphere.
She has a big part to play in the finale here which is long and remarkably violent for an M rated flick (PG-13 in the US)
The body count is high and there are even some headshot blood splatters if you look closely.
The MPAA must have come very close to slapping an R on this I would think.
The violence sits uncomfortably with other aspects of the film though.
Tonally Fuqua lets this movie wander all over the place.
There is abundant humour and even deaths are handled with a lightness indicating that the whole thing is meant to be just a bit of fun.
That's fine but late in the piece the tone goes dark and there is a narration and a shot that belongs in a completely different movie.
Imagine going to see your favourite standup comedian and he closes with a story about how his Grandmother just died and you'll get the idea.
It's a strange choice for a movie that has gone out of its way to be light and fun up and even stranger placement.
All criticism aside there is no way that this movie won't make a bunch of cash.
I enjoyed it quite a bit and I imagine multiplex audiences will soak it up.
I was pretty excited to see it and my excitement proved justified.
It is an unapologetically big budget action heavy flick and I am thrilled to see a Western released as such.
"The Magnificent Seven" has some sparkling dialogue, great humour and the action is plentiful and very nicely directed.
This might be my favourite Fuqua movie to date and while this might seem faint praise from someone who doesn't rate him highly normally it isn't intended as such.
I recommend this movie without reservation.
RATING: 78 / 100
CONCLUSION: A genuine western and a genuinely fun couple of hours. Some lazy scripting and a bizarre tonal shift don't hurt it too much, Great casting and a proven plot see this one through.
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Haley Bennett, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-Hun Lee, Peter Sarsgaard, Martin Sensmeier, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luke Grimes, Matt Bomer, Cam Gigandet, Billy Slaughter, Jody Mullins, Carrie Lazar, Vinnie Jones
Screenplay: Richard Wenk & Nic Pizzolatto
Music Score by: Simon Franglen & James Horner
Cinematography: Mauro Fiore
Cinematography: Mauro Fiore
Edited by: John Refoua
Running Time: 133 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - A lot of violence that pushes the rating
Running Time: 133 minutes
Language: English
Rated: M - A lot of violence that pushes the rating
Remake of a Remake time again.....
In this case there are probably more than just two or three versions of this movie from the original "Seven Samurai" in 1954 to the Steve McQueen / Yul Brynner re-imagining as a western six years later.
I usually don't mind remakes and in this case it feels about time for another Mag 7 flick.
The bunch of guys on a mission plot has been used innumerable times and it's no surprise - it's a great setup for a story.
We've seen it in everything from "The Dirty Dozen" to "Inglorious Basterds" and of course in the aforementioned Seven Samurai and Magnificent Seven flicks.
It allows for a lot of scope in terms of characters and setting and I welcome movies using the men on a mission routine.
Plus - there aren't enough westerns these days by a long shot.
It scarcely needs explaining but the plot here is that a small town has been taken over by a greedy land baron who has killed a chunk of the residents to show them that they'd better not get between him and his desire for gold.
One of those killed was the husband of Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) and she is pissed about it.
So pissed that she wrangles every cent that the townsfolk have and sets off to find some men for hire to spend it on.
So a bounty hunter, a gambler, an outlaw, a sharpshooter, an assassin, a Comanche warrior and a tracker is what she gets for her cash.
The process by which this happens is a little fuzzy however.
Six of the Seven are motivated by money but beyond the first dangle of the cash bag it isn't mentioned again.
The Comanche who is met along the way doesn't even know about the money when he decides to join and even though he had around five nervous guns pointed at him somehow decides to become involved.
The motivation of this character is a complete mystery and it's an issue shared by others.
Ethan Hawke's notorious sharpshooter and his partner Billy (Byung-Hun Lee) are earning money by shilling Billy's mad assassin skills against all comers when we meet them.
Hawke's Goodnight Robicheaux has some sort of issue that prevents him from using his gun so his joining seems odd to say the least.
Chris Pratt's gambler Haraway has easier to explain motivations.
He is the Han Solo devil may care smart-ass of the piece so whatever he does makes some sort of sense because hey- he's that kind of guy.
But otherwise I cannot tell you what the motivation was for any of the rest of the seven in joining a mission that presumably pays a lot (it is never revealed) but has a high chance of death given that they are up against an army of more than 200 men.
By the time the credits rolled I still had no idea how much money was at stake or even if any of the seven received any!
On the other side of the fence the bad guy characters don't fare much better.
Peter Sarsgaard's villainous Bartholomew Bogue is a cliche in black who does everything short of twirling the his moustache and a revelation about him and one of the Seven comes far too late in the film to have any real impact.
There is a Comanche bad guy who has zero explanation as to why he is there and then there is Cam Gigandet who is just nasty because I guess that is what we expect from Cam.
 |
| The cast is superb with Washington, Pratt and particularly Haley Bennett doing great work |
But one thing helps make this less of an issue.
The cast.
This is formula filmmaking and I don't mean that as a criticism.
The formula here is create a diverse bunch of characters and have them played by pretty much the first people you would think of because it is what they are known for.
It also doesn't hurt to hedge your ethnic bets.
Chris Pratt is far and away the best choice to play a smart mouthed gambler so it is a no-brainer.
Ethan Hawke as a battle weary soldier with issues.... of course - he's a master at emotional scars.
Byung-Hun Lee is pretty well known to Western audiences and since Chow Yun Fat is now too old he's a fine choice (and he is really good)
Looking for a big, rugged guy with character? Vincent D'Onofrio.... sorted.
And of course there's Denzel Washington because it's a Fuqua movie and Denzel is his boy.
I don't know a lot about Martin Sensmeier or Manuel Garcia-Rulfo but they do fine work as the Comanche warrior and the Mexican outlaw.
So- a great cast to the last and the International flavour is refreshing.
The banter that results from the interplay as histories are revealed does much to make the first half of the film so entertaining.
Upon seeing Vasquez (Garcia-Rulfo) Pratt's character declares - 'Oh good, we got a Mexican'
Hawke gets some good banter related to the Alamo with Vasquez too and an eating the heart of a deer moment draws a good laugh from Washington and Sensmeier.
D'Onofrio seems to be channelling Michael Parks for much of the time and utilises a slow, soft spoken delivery of his dialogue.
It slips for the latter stages however along with a romantic subplot and a bunch of other plot devices that seemed to be heading somewhere but don't.
The whole thing moves at a fair clip and contains an abundance of well created action and there is no denying that this is a fun movie.
It is also genuinely a Western as opposed to an action movie in cowboys clothing.
With the announcement of Antoine Fuqua as director my enthusiasm for this film waned some.
I think he's a decent director but he favours a shooting method that is overly stylised and often too reliant on colour filters.
You get away with it when you are portraying modern day Los Angeles in "Training Day" and it is fine for an over the top tech action thriller like "Swordfish" but a Western with graduated blazing orange skies, flashy camera angles and slo-mo and fast cutting?
Not so much.
But the good news is Fuqua has tempered his normal style and my concerns that this film wouldn't feel (or look) at all like a Western are completely (well - almost completely) unfounded.
While very definitely a big budget studio Western with all of the polish that you would expect this film still looks and feels the part.
A lot of time and money has been spent on the sets, costumes and props.
There is a sense of heat and dirt about everything- of this being set long ago in a lawless land not yet fully explored.
The costumes looks well worn and the town in which most of the action takes place has been very nicely detailed when it was created.
Likewise there is an almost complete lack of the usual over-stylised shots and edits that Fuqua has employed in pretty much every movie of his that I have seen.
He does employ some classic Western shots - the figure in the doorway, the pan across a row of buildings revealing bad men through the gaps and of course the occasional close up of faces to heighten tension as we wait for the first bullet to be fired.
All in all Fuqua does a great job here.
 |
| The Magnificent Seven |
The finale comes at around the time most feature length movies are closing but I wasn't bored for a second.
The arrival of the big finish is perfectly timed.
While much of the character development is half-assed, confused or even non-existent the enjoyment in spending time with this cast is undeniable and makes up for quite a few sins.
Haley Bennett in particular is magnetic.
No mere damsel in distress she gets a lot to do and much of it involves a gun.
Bennett has been great in a bunch of movies including the underrated "Music and Lyrics" and this film along with the upcoming "The Girl On the Train" should thrust her career into the stratosphere.
She has a big part to play in the finale here which is long and remarkably violent for an M rated flick (PG-13 in the US)
The body count is high and there are even some headshot blood splatters if you look closely.
The MPAA must have come very close to slapping an R on this I would think.
The violence sits uncomfortably with other aspects of the film though.
Tonally Fuqua lets this movie wander all over the place.
There is abundant humour and even deaths are handled with a lightness indicating that the whole thing is meant to be just a bit of fun.
That's fine but late in the piece the tone goes dark and there is a narration and a shot that belongs in a completely different movie.
Imagine going to see your favourite standup comedian and he closes with a story about how his Grandmother just died and you'll get the idea.
It's a strange choice for a movie that has gone out of its way to be light and fun up and even stranger placement.
 |
| Martin Sensmeier, Ethan Hawke, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Byung Hun-Lee and Vincent D'Onofrio |
I enjoyed it quite a bit and I imagine multiplex audiences will soak it up.
I was pretty excited to see it and my excitement proved justified.
It is an unapologetically big budget action heavy flick and I am thrilled to see a Western released as such.
"The Magnificent Seven" has some sparkling dialogue, great humour and the action is plentiful and very nicely directed.
This might be my favourite Fuqua movie to date and while this might seem faint praise from someone who doesn't rate him highly normally it isn't intended as such.
I recommend this movie without reservation.
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