The Magnificent Seven

As you may have read or experienced for yourself, this summer was, shall we say, lame as hell, all things considered. 

I don't need to beat a dead horse so I won't review all of this again, but suffice it to say we were bound to have a tentpole, or at least a "big"-ish movie that surprised rather than disappointed. 

It's too bad that The Magnificent Seven wasn't really a part of summer then because it's the "surprise" that it needed. I had substantially lower expectations for this one, despite the cast, mainly as an after effect from what we've seen during June/July/August. I also wasn't really digging the trailers that were both overplayed and pretty much revealed the whole plot. 

Turns out that a well organized, fun, and badass Western was waiting for us. 

As is the case with many films these days, Seven is a remake of sorts, based on a previous Western of the same title and Seven Samurai that all share similar stories and basic plots. This is the Suicide Squad of the 1800s and the one that actually resulted in a good film. When a town is taken over by a violent business man, Bartholomew Bogue (Sarsgaard) many of the townsfolk are slaughtered. One woman seeks help and enlists Sam Chisolm (Washington). From there, he gets a band of misfits together (Pratt, Hawke, and D'Onofrio among others) to take back the town and dig in for the retaliation. It's simple, sure, but a classic Western staple of heroes helping those whom need it against a group of bad guys. Luckily, our villain is one of the strongest of the year as Sarsgaard really taps into his dark, violent, and creepy side to portray Bogue. It's not a classic take on a villain by any means, but he emerges from the pack as much more memorable than most of the others we've gotten this year. 

"I like to dress fancy for fights. You know what they say! Dress for success!"

Similarly, our heroes are great too, and the band has a fun chemistry. Denzel is the clear leader with Pratt as the talented rogue, Hawke as the seasoned friend, and several others to round out the group. Each member brings their own specific talent and once the fighting gets started, it's a fun type of Avengers-esque battle of showcasing each and every member. And the action is pretty cool too. Director Antoine Fuqua keeps it PG-13 this time around, but it's still incredibly violent between the guns, explosions, knives, and arrows. There are moments of genuine, well-choreographed, action and a handful of cool stunts that are filmed with talent. My main complaint with the action is that it's just too much. At 132 minutes, I don't need to see each and everyone of the bad guys die, especially when the space between the cool stunts are filled with generic shooting. The final action scene could have been trimmed by 5-10 minutes and been just as awesome (probably better even) with the audience assuming some of the bad guys deaths rather than showing shot after shot after shot of Denzel and Co. firing their weapons. 

"I hold my gun this way because my wrists are weak." [sad face]

"Cause we're the seven best
friends that anyone could have!"

This need for trimming extends into the rest of the film too. For the most part, it's a story that moves at a brisk pace and stays light on its feet. As the final battle approaches however, the movie tries to give backstories to Washington and Hawke's characters that fall completely flat, mainly because it doesn't mean anything for the film. All things considered it maybe only wastes 10 minutes max, but along with the action trimming, I'd say that Magnificent Seven could have been nearly the same movie, just more streamlined, at 110 minutes or so. 

Everything else measures up as the cinematography is better than expected, the editing is appropriate and rarely holds back the action, the script is funny, and, perhaps most importantly, it features James Horner's third and final posthumous original score. The music is a lot of classic Western, but Horner's touch can be heard throughout and, at least for most scenes, it was an original score that was even better than the actual movie (more of a compliment to the music than anything). 

It's a bit of a bummer than The Magnificent Seven didn't come out during the actual summer because it would have been a very welcome good/great film in a sea of mostly disappointments. That shouldn't diminish the fact that it released in September though as it's a great way to kick off fall with a fun cast, some badass action, and just a classic Western feel. 

Maybe, just maybe, it will help wash away the sour taste of #SummerofBummers. Maybe.

CONS:

• Spends unnecessary time focusing on a backstory between Washington and Hawke's characters that never amounts to much or adds anything to the film
• Overlong final action scene that thinks it needs to show us everyone dying. Too many minutes of shoot-shoot-shoot between the cooler stunts
• Doesn't bring much new to this story or the Western genre

PROS:

• A great cast that has even better chemistry. This is the Avengers of the 1800s and it's a ton of fun. Each and every member has their moment to shine and make laughs
• Consistent cinematography with some fantastic shots scattered throughout
• Badass action scenes with horses, guns, dynamite, knives, and arrows. Not many special effects to be had here and the film is all the better for it
• Simple plot that's meaningful and tells a classic story
• Denzel, as we all know, can lead the hell out of a film. That's no different here
• Fantastic original score which is, unfortunately, the last one we'll ever hear from James Horner
• It's really a blast that doesn't disappoint even though it may be a remake

Rath's Review Score: 8/10