The Magnificent Seven: Movie Review

"The Magnificent Seven" was magnificently efficient. What it lacks in terms depth and originality, it heavily makes up with a lot of hefty gun-slinging action. Be prepared to see bodies upon bodies pile up especially with that glorious final battle.

With the town of Rose Creek forcibly taken by deadly industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), the desperate townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns – Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), Goodnight "Angel of Death" Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), Billy Rocks (Byung-Hun Lee), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). The band of misfits are an odd mix but they are the only hope for Rose Creek. As they prepare the town for the violent showdown they know is coming, the odds are stacked against them and find themselves fighting for more than money.

If you have seen Akira Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" or the 1960 version of "The Magnificent Seven", it's pretty clear that this modern rendition doesn't really change the formula. It's pretty much has the same structure. But here's the thing, it doesn't mean that this remake won't be interesting. We could say that the opposite mostly rings true. Yes, the film had its faults - one of the bigger ones was it feeling a little on the long side while lacking much needed character development. But with its flashy visuals and stupendously thrilling fight scenes, the film was fun even refreshing. Partly, this is also due to the all-star cast that delivered. Vincent D'Onofrio was our favorite out of the bunch but everyone else wasn't far off. Even Billy Rocks' (Lee Byung-hun) quiet demeanor turned out to be interesting.  "The Magnificent Seven" presented characters that had much personality and actors that portrayed each well. It just sucked that not all had equal time. But minor quibbles aside, "The Magnificent Seven" was enjoyable and that's the simple truth. Nothing more, nothing less.  

Rating: 3 and a half reels





Why you should watch it:
- bodies pile up quickly with each battle
- characters have a lot of personality

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- lacks originality
- seemingly long while lacking in character development