The Magnificent Seven (2016) Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-Hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard Movie Review

The Magnificent Seven (2016)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Chris Pratt and Denzel Washington in The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Chisolm's Seven

The community of Rose Creek are now living in fear and misery thanks to the controlling Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard - Night Moves), an industrialist who takes what he wants and murders anyone who might even think of standing in his way. It is why after the murder of her husband that Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett - The Hole) has gone looking for some men willing to help them take back their town. It is how she meets Chisolm (Denzel Washington - The Equalizer), a lawman who initially isn't interested in helping Emma until he hears that it is Bartholomew Bogue she wants stopping. Having recruited the confident Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt - Jurassic World) along with some other fearless gun and knife men they head to Rose Creek to take a stand against Bogue.

I was going to start this review and tell you that this 2016 version of "The Magnificent Seven" is a perfect example of why you can't remake old westerns but as I looked through some other recent western remakes I realise that would be wrong as some have worked. But let me say that this version of "The Magnificent Seven" doesn't work or should I say only ends up a good movie rather than something special and certainly fails to surpass the original which is even more of a classic now following this version, although I suppose technically it is not a remake but more of a reworking.

As such the storyline whilst changed with different characters to those of the original runs to the same formula and as such tyrant making a town miserable and seven mercenaries led by a man in black come to help them take their town back. And that basic storyline still works in "The Magnificent Seven" as it builds to the action packed, frequently over the top, ending as bullets fly, dust rises and people die.

The trouble with this version of "The Magnificent Seven" is that the characters are simply not iconic enough. As such Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt simply don't have the coolness, coldness and chemistry which Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen had in the original. Don't get me wrong as both Washington and Pratt play entertaining characters but they are not memorable heroes. And as for the rest of the seven well we have a varied bunch of characters with their own skills be it martial arts style knife skills or being quick with the gun but again they are not that memorable. Having said that, Vincent D'Onofrio certainly gives his character some personality and a voice reminiscent of that of Andy Devine.

What this all boils down to is that this 2016 version of "The Magnificent Seven" is an entertaining western, a solid crowd pleaser for a modern audience. But that is all it is and it sadly doesn't come close to being as magnificent as the original "The Magnificent Seven".


LATEST REVIEWS