With a lot of last years ‘hits’ finally coming out on Blu-Ray the past month, I thought it might be worth checking out a movie I didn’t get a chance to see in the cinema last summer: The Magnificent Seven.
The Magnificent Seven is directed by Antoine Fuqua and stars: Denzel Washington (Training Day, The Equalizer) as Chisolm, Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World) as Josh Faraday, Ethan Hawke (Gattaca, Training Day) as Goodnight Robicheaux, Vincent D’Onofrio (Men In Black, Jurassic World) as Jack Horne, Byung-hun Lee (G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra, I Saw The Devil) as Billy Rocks, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (Cake, Bless Me Ultima) as Vasquez and Martin Sensmeier (Lilin’s Brood, False Memory Syndrome) as Red Harvest.
So the basic plot of this film is these 7 rag-tag ‘loners’ are brought together by Washington’s character in order to defend a small western town from a criminal and his army. A slight disclaimer, this is also a remake.
First of all, the cinematography in this film is stunning. The set design is beautiful. The costume and make-up is brilliant (how Suicide Squad was nominated for that Oscar over this I have no idea). The way this film looks is amazing, from the colour scheme to the camera movements, there is never a dull scene.
Secondly, the cast. The cast of this film do a masterful job. Pratt gives another charming performance, Hawke gives a powerfully emotional turn as Goodnight Robicheaux, Washington produces an immense display of acting in his lead role. This whole cast does a brilliant job that it is hard to fault them. (One criticism I do have however, is the voice D’Onofrio uses for his character, it put me off a little at first but eventually you get used to it).
Finally, another pro for this film is its action sequences. Each action sequence (especially the ones towards the end) are pulled off amazingly. If any CGI was used I couldn’t tell. Most of the shots and action looks real (and judging by the Behind The Scenes footage, it was). The stunts performed in this film were unbelievable intense and dangerous (or so they looked).
I can’t really fault this film. Admittedly I haven’t seen the original so I can’t compare the two films. But this film has really stood out for me. I regret not going to see this in the cinema, not only to help with the box office turnout but to also experience it’s glorious action set-pieces and sound in that huge cinema auditorium.
Honestly, I strongly recommend seeing The Magnificent Seven. I recommend going to buy the Blu-Ray/DVD (or Steelbook edition like i bought). Or if you wait for it to appear on an on-demand service then that’s fine. Either way please watch this film.
If this is a sign of high-quality Westerns returning, it’s safe to say that it will be a welcomed one.
The Magnificent Seven: 4.5/5
Connor Mountford 