A cowboy pub falling silent upon the entrance of a stranger, dueling gunslingers amid the tune of plucked banjo strings, and horses galloping across desolate deserts and mountains – there is a certain sense of gratification brought by Western films. One of the few Westerns this year is Antoine Fuqua's The Magnificent Seven, a remake of John Sturges' film of the same name, which in turn is a remake of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. The plot and formula is as vintage as it gets: it hearkens back to the dark history of western colonialism where pillaging, stealing and killing is at its peak. Corrupt industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) along with his immigrant crew lays siege to the mining town of Rose Creek, and slaughters any local who attempt to stand up against him. "I seek righteousness
but I'll take revenge," a vindictive Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) asks for the help of warrant officer Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) and together, they assemble a ragtag band of outlaws and transform their folks of farmers into fighters.
Seven should not receive any complaints from the "racial diversity council" (if there's such a thing) as minorities here are well-represented reminding Donald Trump that America was once founded upon immigrant spirit. Chisolm as the Seven's leader is a man of color and the rest is a rainbow coalition: pyromaniac/"world's greatest lover" Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), sharpshooter cleverly named as Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), grisly tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio), knife-wielding Korean Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and a Comanche warrior who calls himself Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). In favor of the big action sequences, the film does a grocery-shopping style of recruitment that character motivations are not properly fleshed out. Most characters get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to development that they remained to be an archetype all throughout: The Guy Who's Good at Knives, The Guy Who's Good at Bow and Arrow, The Mexican Guy, The Bear Who Wears Human Clothes, and so on. The film never really went deep on the psyche of these men – why did they decide to risk their lives over some random town, along with others which they may or may not get along with? The sense of brotherhood does not sell much as well in the rare scenes where they get to talk as a team. Hence, when the film needs to create a sense of loss in the end, there's little impression left.
Much of the character development went to Pratt's character and the actor who employs card tricks at one point, has a contemporary brand of humor to belong in the Western genre. This is basically Star Lord wearing a vest and a revolver. Still, he remains to be the most likable character in the film (though not as close as his role in The Guardians of the Galaxy). In his third collaboration with Fuqua after Training Day and The Equalizer, Washington donning an all-black suit and a bolero hat while sitting on his midnight steed has a commanding screen presence more fitting for this genre. His performance occasionally veers to dull nobility but when his twist is revealed, the character is given a new depth.
Fuqua does not need the trick of quick cuts and shaky cams (see every Jason Bourne movie made), to showcase firepower in broad daylight. Farraday remarks at one point, "I've always wanted to blow something up." This is perhaps Fuqua's directive vision in Seven – it is lock-and-loaded with impressive artillery to ratchet up on the exhibitionist and unceremonious kills done in an uncanny precision. This should make Rambo curl up in a corner. When it comes to its explosive finale, the irony befalls – the noble seven fights for the town's ownership but with all the bombing, stabbing, bow-and-arrow- ing and bullet-spraying done, half of it is reduced to flaming wood chips, there's practically nothing left. This over-extended gunfight can numb the senses and occasionally lose one's geographic bearings, but it is still extremely entertaining.
Expect no glorious road to redemption here like in Django Unchained, clichés are also abound, but Fuqua knows how to stage his crowd-pleasing action scenes, The film is highly aware on what it aspires to be – a wild western ride. By the end of the film, a voice-over declares the following sentiment with such grandeur and pride: "They were magnificent." Yeah, no. Frankly, this film does not live up to its name but entertaining, fun, or modest would be the more faithful representation to it.
Seven should not receive any complaints from the "racial diversity council" (if there's such a thing) as minorities here are well-represented reminding Donald Trump that America was once founded upon immigrant spirit. Chisolm as the Seven's leader is a man of color and the rest is a rainbow coalition: pyromaniac/"world's greatest lover" Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), sharpshooter cleverly named as Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), grisly tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio), knife-wielding Korean Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), and a Comanche warrior who calls himself Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier). In favor of the big action sequences, the film does a grocery-shopping style of recruitment that character motivations are not properly fleshed out. Most characters get the shorter end of the stick when it comes to development that they remained to be an archetype all throughout: The Guy Who's Good at Knives, The Guy Who's Good at Bow and Arrow, The Mexican Guy, The Bear Who Wears Human Clothes, and so on. The film never really went deep on the psyche of these men – why did they decide to risk their lives over some random town, along with others which they may or may not get along with? The sense of brotherhood does not sell much as well in the rare scenes where they get to talk as a team. Hence, when the film needs to create a sense of loss in the end, there's little impression left.
Much of the character development went to Pratt's character and the actor who employs card tricks at one point, has a contemporary brand of humor to belong in the Western genre. This is basically Star Lord wearing a vest and a revolver. Still, he remains to be the most likable character in the film (though not as close as his role in The Guardians of the Galaxy). In his third collaboration with Fuqua after Training Day and The Equalizer, Washington donning an all-black suit and a bolero hat while sitting on his midnight steed has a commanding screen presence more fitting for this genre. His performance occasionally veers to dull nobility but when his twist is revealed, the character is given a new depth.
Fuqua does not need the trick of quick cuts and shaky cams (see every Jason Bourne movie made), to showcase firepower in broad daylight. Farraday remarks at one point, "I've always wanted to blow something up." This is perhaps Fuqua's directive vision in Seven – it is lock-and-loaded with impressive artillery to ratchet up on the exhibitionist and unceremonious kills done in an uncanny precision. This should make Rambo curl up in a corner. When it comes to its explosive finale, the irony befalls – the noble seven fights for the town's ownership but with all the bombing, stabbing, bow-and-arrow- ing and bullet-spraying done, half of it is reduced to flaming wood chips, there's practically nothing left. This over-extended gunfight can numb the senses and occasionally lose one's geographic bearings, but it is still extremely entertaining.
Expect no glorious road to redemption here like in Django Unchained, clichés are also abound, but Fuqua knows how to stage his crowd-pleasing action scenes, The film is highly aware on what it aspires to be – a wild western ride. By the end of the film, a voice-over declares the following sentiment with such grandeur and pride: "They were magnificent." Yeah, no. Frankly, this film does not live up to its name but entertaining, fun, or modest would be the more faithful representation to it.