The Magnificent Seven (2016)

It’s easy to be cynical about remakes, but occasionally they do succeed in putting a new slant on an old story. Films like A Fistful of Dollars (1964), Scarface (1983), and Cape Fear (1991) are great examples of remakes that used the original films as a springboard for new ideas. This iteration of The Magnificent Seven is, interestingly, a remake of a remake, the 1960 version being an adaptation of the Japanese film Seven Samurai (1954). But I'm rambling: the point is, it’s perhaps best to think of remakes as being similar to the tradition of folk songs and stories, retellings for different times. But does this retelling of The Magnificent Seven have anything new to say?

The film opens with a small town being ransacked and taken over by the nefarious industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Tired of living in fear, the townspeople recruit nomadic warrant officer Chisolm (Denzel Washington) to help them reclaim their town. Aware that he stands no chance alone, Chisolm sets about putting together a miniature army of gunslingers, and then sets about readying the townsfolk for a showdown with Bogue’s men.

The story is simple and straightforward, but sadly the characterisation of the titular seven is somewhat lacking, and there are several members of the team who we don’t really get to know. However, the quality of the actors involved means that some of them are able to make an impression despite their underwritten roles. Denzel anchors the film as the mysterious Chisolm, one of those characters who is engaging precisely because we don’t know much about him. Vincent D’Onofrio, a great character actor, gets his teeth into the role of mountain-man Jack Horne, and Chris Pratt remains a charming and likeable screen presence as Joshua Faraday, although his character is very similar to his Guardians of the Galaxy role. Ethan Hawke has an interesting yet under-developed character arc as Goodnight Robicheaux, while Peter Sarsgaard’s Bogue is menacing but strangely absent for most of the film.

Despite the script issues, The Magnificent Seven benefits from spectacular American scenery which, although we don’t see quite enough of it, still provides a great backdrop for the action. Speaking of action, the action sequences are handled extremely well by director Antoine Fuqua (particularly the climactic shootout, which does a good job of keeping track of what all seven characters are doing), although the film could perhaps have done with one more action set-piece at some stage. The photography is done well without drawing too much attention to itself; I particularly like the contrast between the bright outdoor scenes and the shadowy interiors of log cabins and saloons, which are reminiscent of Clint Eastwood’s westerns.

So does this version of The Magnificent Seven bring anything new to the table? Not really, no. However, it’s very difficult to ruin a good story, and even if the telling of the tale is a little garbled this time around, it remains a good story, and one that I am glad to hear told one more time.