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10/06/2016 12:01 AMRated PG-13
In one of the few compelling scenes in the re-make of The Magnificent Seven, Denzel Washington rides into view over the hazy horizon, looking suitably strong and grim on his horse. As Sam Chisolm, the “duly sworn warrant officer,” Washington dresses all in black and maintains his deadly determination, much as he does in The Equalizer and Training Day. He shares the screen with capable actors, but holds center stage while the others revolve around him. They all use their own brands of humor and eccentricity to offset his gravity, and leave him the crux of the blunt-edged drama.
Legendary Japanese writers/directors Akira Kurosawa and Shinobu Hashimoto created the now-classic Seven Samurai in 1954, from which The Magnificent Seven in 1960 starring Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen, and this current film, owe a debt. Seven Samurai’s characters harbored hidden psychological aspects that this rendition clearly lacks. Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World), seems to enjoy playing the rugged, wise-cracking Josh Faraday, Chisolm’s first recruit to help some villagers fight the mean old robber baron, Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard: Black Mass, Green Lantern), whose mine is blasting their livelihoods.
When Faraday trains the townspeople to take up arms against Bogue’s men, he jokes about their incompetence.
“Go home,” he says. “Polish your rifles. Maybe the glint will scare ‘em off.”
Chisolm’s other recruits form the soon-to-be magnificent seven. Vincent D’Onofrio (Jurassic World, TV’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent) plays Jack Horne, a scripture-quoting mountain man, who speaks in a high-pitched voice, pushing too hard to rise to the forefront of the action. Ethan Hawke (Training Day, Before Midnight) underplays Goodnight Robicheaux, a war-weary sharpshooter, who brings along his protective, knife-wielding companion, Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee: Terminator Genisys, Red 2). A steady, hardly noticeable character, Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo: Cake, 180°), joins the group, and Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier: Lilin’s Blood, FMS), is a comanche who slings target-perfect arrows.
One lone woman proves her worth with a rifle. Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett: The Equalizer, The Girl on the Train) is a villager who fights alongside the seven. Bennett looks like a portrait of a homesteader and is believable as a meek wife who transforms herself into a gun-toting heroine.
Director Antoine Fuqua has worked with several of the actors before, most notably Washington in The Equalizer and Training Day. He rolls out the scenery and juggles the characters smoothly, even during the lengthy preparations for the big shoot-out, also a focus in Seven Samurai. His characters, however, are paper thin and lost in the predictable proceedings. Horne, decked out in furs and a huge beard, throws hatchets. Billy protects Robicheaux. Robicheaux is reluctant to shoot and Faraday will shoot at anyone. Vasquez doesn’t have much to do at all. Chisolm has a reason to hunt down Bogue, but his agenda isn’t revealed until the last scenes and the viewer isn’t made curious about it beforehand. Even though Chisolm whispers to Bogue, his news drops like an dull clunk.
The Wild West looks authentic in The Magnificent Seven. It appears no one has bathed in months, and everyone sweats profusely, all the time. Silhouettes of the surviving horsemen trot into the sunset, and the familiar theme from the first film plays during the credits. If that’s enough to satisfy those desiring a solid western, then The Magnificent Seven is worth the ride.
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