The Magnificent Seven

It's one thing to remake a classic movie; it's another to remake a classic remake of a classic original. The Magnificent Seven, the old west transplant of Seven Samurai, is the film updated here. I haven't seen either original in their entirety to know if the new one lives up to them. But these new Seven get the job done.

The evil Tycoon Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) has the town of Rose Creek under his thumb. He and his hired thugs open the movie by burning a church and killing some naturally-angry townsfolk. One of said townsfolk was Matthew Cullen (Matt Bomer), whose wife, Emma (Haley Bennet), decides to stand up to Bogue. She just needs some hired guns.

Warrant Officer Sam Chisom (Denzel Washington) is the first of the seven. Gambler Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), Confederate Vet Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), Robicheaux's knife-throwing partner Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), desperado Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Ruffo), mountain man Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Comanche Brave Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier) are the other six. The Magnificent Seven prove themselves capable of handling Bogue's men the first round. They have to rally the townsfolk to join them when Bogue returns for round two.

The screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk was realized by director Antoine Fuqua. It's a script that knows how to introduce characters. You'll get the gist of a character within seconds. It's especially so with Bogue, who introduces himself immediately as the type of scum you want to throttle through the screen. The Seven, meanwhile, are a likable wild bunch. While the plot is relatively thin, these on-screen personalities make the 133 minutes worth it.

There's also great work behind the scenes. The production and costume design make this a suitably gritty western. The makeup effects render the actors into a variety of wild west types and give them creepy wounds. The sprawling cinematography of Mauro Fiore is as impressive as early widescreen works. The editing is great except in the final battle, where it was hard to process the images. There's also a good sound design. 

The score marks the final work of James Horner before his untimely death last year. The end result, completed by Simon Franglen, is an unforgettable soundtrack. It's both gritty and heroic at the same time. Its rendition of Elmer Bernstein's theme from the original film is a great way to start the credits.

The Magnificent Seven delivers some great Wild West action. Any cliches it employs don't overwhelm it. It's just a well-made summer blockbuster for Fall. This is the kind of movie worth seeing on the big screen. It stands proudly alongside its famous predecessors just fine.