The Magnificent Seven

From the very beginning I was against a remake, but in the end I took pity on it because Pizzolatto wrote the screenplay, although clearly some cuts have been made, some motifs are not developed at all and so it certainly isn’t one of the strengths of the entire project. Capitalism presented as a villain, gradual recruitment and even the diverse seven somehow work. But the massacre in the finale is this year’s action treat. The cast is pleasant, Pratt is really fine. It can’t compete with the original, but I understand the idea of giving the Magnificent Seven a modern overcoat. So far, so good. (2016-09-27)

The Equalizer times seven. Fuqua doesn't show off that much, and so he only pulls a truly sovereign treat out of his sleeve once. The rest of it is standard action routine that's hidden far below his directorial standards, making the central seven whine even more in their uninterestingness, where about 1.5 charisma works in the flatness of the coffin planks. I've managed to miss out on the original for years, so I was expecting more of a B-action orgy in a Wild West setting than a major creative comparison, but the rescue of the White House chief worked more sovereignly. (2016-09-22)

Although the original is a film of my youth, I was very pleased with the remake and can declare it a success! The Magnificent Seven is my very first movie in the cinema without any subtitle support, so I might have missed some of the jokes, but I still enjoyed it to the max. The cast is excellent, with the best being Denzel Washington, who enjoys the role to the hilt, he is natural and looks like he was born in Western, his ultimate mode in the finale is a joy to watch. Chris Pratt is a decent second to him, he is definitely a new star, a likable man guy full of charisma who entertains the audience with his humour and magic (we will see a lot more interesting things from him in the future). I personally enjoyed Byeong-heon Lee, he warmed my Asian heart with his knife tricks, which again was a joy to watch. Ethan Hawke and Vincent D'Onofrio didn't shine too much. In terms of action, there are only two major set-pieces, with the final one being perhaps half an hour long and the biggest roar in the wild west we've ever seen. Very intense, explosive, suspenseful, loud and emotional! I found the original better in story building and character introduction, but here the action was more polished and the visuals more stylish (which makes sense). I recommend it. Story 6/10, Atmosphere 9/10, Gore 3/10, Visuals 9/10, Action 10/10, Suspense 8/10, Humor 6/10. Entertainment 8/10, Scares 0/10. 85%. (2016-09-30)

The Magnificent Seven, a deep-rooted concept in the world of cinema, an immortal opus that became a benchmark of the genre. Remaking this legend automatically confronted the filmmakers with a problem, the failure of which I felt almost constantly throughout the film. The problem was to make it a dynamic western, complex enough to satisfy contemporary audiences spoiled by the golden age of film technology, that at the same time would be a little old-fashioned and not too auteur-driven to satisfy die-hard fans of the original and classic western as such. Its failure could be tolerated just fine under the right circumstances, especially considering my personal sympathies for the cast and crew, some of director Fuqua's earlier work, and the tragically deceased composer Horner, who managed to flesh out the original legendary melody into a rather impressive atmospheric medley of his tried-and-true themes from Enemy at the Gates and Avatar. What bothered me a lot, though, was the terribly predictable layout of the script, which, while trying to dress up the original story in an unadorned modern garb and give the characters different motivations for their impossible heroic act, repeatedly applies the cheapest adventure movie clichés and uses an utterly primitive development formula that could have gone something like this: A) sparking the conflict and motivating the handsome heroine to seek revenge; B) persuasion: first the heroine persuades the protagonist to protect the locals, and then travels the country looking for help; C) finding and training the villagers; d) the final battle. Four stages of the story and, unfortunately, nothing in between to highlight them in any way on an emotional, psychological or narrative level. The main villain just acts expediently to give the "good guys" as much motivation as possible, and the group of intrepid gunslingers agree without any hesitation to take part in a mission that means almost certain death. On top of that, the titular seven, who in the original film where made up of distinct and complementary characters, now suspiciously merge into one characteristically unidirectional, but ethnically well-mixed cultural stew, from which we remember in hindsight perhaps only the carefree grin of Chris Pratt or the nervous grimaces of the only potentially contradictory figure, Ethan Hawk. As expected, the only thing that really makes the film worth watching is the fantastic audiovisual aspect, which means the two central shootouts are a truly intoxicating western experience, while the trivial riding scenes across the typical Wild West landscape are also a feast for the eyes thanks to the beautiful photography, or, specifically, Denzel Washington's final mid-shot as he emerges from the house to meet his arch rival, shot from a majestic overhead and with dust swirling against a sunlit backdrop – certainly one of the freshest shots of the year. (2016-09-27)

I decided to watch this as a classic western and forget that it’s a remake, but it wasn't much help. As usual, the Americans made it politically correct, so the magnificent seven were missing only a Jew and an Arab to make them complete. The brave Indian doesn't hesitate to put his own life on the line so that the enemy doesn't take the land the settlers took from the Indians. In fact, the whole thing looked like a United Nations meeting. I did like the film quite a bit in the first two thirds, but it quickly lost momentum with increasing poignant scenes and booming epic music. I was only pleased with Vincent D'Onofrio, Ethan Hawke, and Haley Bennett. (2017-01-16)