"The Magnificent Seven" has it's roots in the fifties and sixties, first with Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and the Yul Brynner classic from 1960. This latest is a lesser, more modern, more violent version, and yes, Denzel Washington riding tall in the saddle is an impressive image.
"The Magnificent Seven" is star-powered, modern day entertainment filled with macho images and guns-a-blazing.
A wild west shoot-em-up with a high body count and a serious inonic actor, Denzel Washington, on a mission as a bounty hunter to assemble human firepower and protect a small town from a land grabber, played with sweaty cruelty, by Peter Sarsgaard.
Denzel's gathering of diverse vigilantes includes a Korean knife specialist, a Comanche bow & arrow artist, and a Mexican gunslinger.
The group also includes some accomplished actors with a talkative Chris Pratt and a post combat stressed out Ethan Hawke. This is a popcorn movie, with little character development, and a screen load of ammunition.
"The Magnificent Seven" is directed with a "slick and quick" style by, Antoine Fuqua, he directed Denzel to an Oscar in "Training Day." His movie plays like a "cliff notes" version of a classic rather than the real thing. It's also highly entertaining, and when the good guys and bad guys face off, it's a cinematic adrenalin rush.
"The Magnificent Seven" is rated an uneven PG-13 for violence and won't win any awards for subtlety.
It's a good film but never great and what holds it all together is the rare and powerful image of Denzel Washington, elevating everything around him.
