The Magnificent Seven (2016) – Movie Review

The Magnificent Seven – PG-13
Release Date: Fri 23 Sep 2016

Antoine Fuqua directs this remake of the Akira Kurasowa classic of the same name. Fuqua’s frequent collaborator Denzel Washington (Training Day, The Equalizer) leads the cast of seven misfits tasked with taking back a town from the evil robber baron Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard.)

The Magnificent Seven remake is a well-made film, with solid performances and a respectable pace that tries to firmly establish itself as an epic. While it takes a great part of it’s 132-minute running time establishing the characters and stakes and setting up for the massive battle, it still feels light on character development. We know the most about Chisolm (Washington) of the Seven by the end, but much of it is alluded to rather than shown or told. Vasquez is a Mexican and Red Harvest is a Native American. There’s not much else in the way of information on them.

None of this ruins the experience, it just serves to keep it adequate and as broadly appealing as possible. Viewers with short attention spans need not apply, but pretty much everyone else will be entertained. Just don’t expect it to show up on anyone’s favorite westerns list or to remember much about it after a week.

Amber, Aaron and I saw it in the theater and had a discussion in the car: