Hi —
You may know that i once had a regular movie review blog with quite a nice following. This was before i became a full-time romance author and now i don’t have time. But I still like to review the occasional film. Today’s review is Magnificent Seven.
Like many of you, I’m a huge fan of the old original American version of the film with Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen. I also love the original Kurosawa movie, the Seven Ronin or various other translations of the title. When i heard they remade the movie, i was skeptical. While the old movie has many flaws for today’s viewers, not the least of which is its racism, it’s still a classic and the characterizations are hard to beat. Well, they’ve been beaten.
All i had to know was Denzel Washington played the lead in the new version and i was in. Everyone else was just icing but oh man what icing it is. The heart of the film, of course, is the individual introduction of each of the seven men, lingering over their unique skills, foibles, personalities and weaknesses. I think, if anything, this version does that even better than the original.
Before all, we meet the villain played by the snaky Peter Skaarsgard and he is fabulously evil. Great villains make great heroes, so the stage is set for the introduction of our boys. First Denzel. We gradually learn that this is more than a chance encounter for him, but from the beginning he is steely-eyed, incredibly capable and smart. Then his dour character is contrasted by the wise-cracking, braggadocio Chris Pratt who we love on sight. Ethan Hawke, all craggy faced and dissolute looking, plays an ex-confederate officer who they call the Angel of Death. The marvelous Vincent D’Onofrio takes on an amazing role as an old Indian fighter who Pratt’s character describes as a bear in human clothes.
Next come the men who we don’t know as movie stars but whose portrayals of the most memorable characters will stay with you just as Charles Coburn and James Coburn did in the original. Byung-hun Lee plays a Chinese knife fighter who makes James Coburn look like a piker! And he’s definitely eye candy. More eye candy in introduced in the form of Manuel Garcia-Rulfo who plays Vasquez and finally Martin Sensmeier who plays the Native Red Harvest. All of these roles are unforgettable and, as you can see, a true symphony of diversity. To top that off, the villager who seeks them out is played by a woman.
The final confrontation battle literally had me sweating. It’s a huge fight scene with the villain being tremendously villainous as today’s special effects make possible. Be prepared, it’s just as violent as it sounds and the body count is huge.
I expected to like the movie. I actually loved it. I read one reviewer who said it wasn’t innovative. True. But when you’re dealing with tropes as powerful as the American western, a director can only innovate so far without turning his blockbuster into an art film. I saw the movie at noon on Sunday and the theater was full. I expect the word to spread even more.
Thanks for coming by!