By Bernie ‘The Movie Guy’ Ment
Contributing Writer
Remakes can be great. They can also fall far short from the original to the point where the story is poorly updated or perhaps even unrecognizable from the original. This is one of those plots that fall somewhere in between.
This story has been remade and transformed many times for the screen, starting with the Japanese film The Seven Samurai in 1954. That was the basis for the original western version made in 1960. That film starred such iconic big screen staples as Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and James Coburn.
For the most part, the premise is the same, although it’s been updated for today’s movie going crowd. The basic story, though, is there, with an oppressed western town seeking the aid of the seven heroes to defend against ruthless thieves who want to chase everyone out of the area for their own nefarious purposes.
So here are my seven reasons to recommend this remake of The Magnificent Seven if you’re looking for a fun diversion over the coming week at your local theater.
- Denzel Washington – Let’s face it. The man is a paragon of what it means to be a leading man in Hollywood today. He’s a terrific actor. He picks the scripts and stories he wants to tell very carefully. And even when a film is a total bomb, his performance always seems to stand out.
Washington plays Chisholm, a veteran lawman seeking justice in this small community when he’s recruited by the heroine to battle the bad guy who just shot her husband in his bid to oust the townspeople so he can steal their dream of independence while he lines his own pockets with the proceeds of the local mine.
Chisholm’s a good judge of character and he recruits the other members of the team that, on first appearance, seem to be just a motley crew of society’s flotsam. They manage to prove their mettle as the story unfolds.
- Chris Pratt – This kid is shaping up to be Hollywood’s greatest action hero since Harrison Ford. Already he has a number of great franchises under his belt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic Park’s resurrection, The Lego Movie and possibly the next Indiana Jones installment). Here he provides not only the back bone of the group, but a sizable chunk of the humor to boot.
As Faraday, Pratt seems to be having a lot of fun with this movie. He’s part gambler, part distractionist and all humorist. When the group recruits Vincent D’Onofrio (almost unrecognizable due to his massive bulk and thick beard), he casually remarks about ‘a bear wearing human clothing’.
- Director Antoine Fuqua – Known for directing powerful action dramas including Training Day and The Equalizer with Denzel, he was an ideal pick to create this updating, given the incredibly choreographed battle scenes. With just the right amount of violence, humor and pathos, this film could have turned out entirely different with the wrong director at the helm.
- The music of James Horner – This was the last score he composed before the plane crash that prematurely ended his life last year. His music helps pace the film nicely and periodically, the underlying beats are strongly reminiscent of the classic 1960’s movie theme which was beautifully re-rendered for the end credits.
- Peter Sarsgaard – He may not be a household name like Washington and Pratt, but he manages to play the sinister villain in this and other films with gusto and the chilling demeanor necessary to convince us that his heart is really blacker than Hades.
- The battle scenes – This movie is a stuntman’s dream opportunity, with numerous scenes of death, destruction and carnage. Horse falls, high falls and explosions predominate the final 20 minutes of the film and it just looks like everyone on screen is having a blast (pun intended).
- The story – The classic tale of good guys versus bad guys to defend the helpless has been retold time and time again, and this story is no exception. It’s been updated, traditionalized, modernized, futurized and pasteurized, but it always remains the same. Every generation deserves a retelling and this one is very good. I recommend it.
Okay, so the film probably won’t win any awards and most people will probably forget about it five minutes after leaving the theater, but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining. I give the remake of The Magnificent Seven four out of five stars.
