“Seeking
justice following the killing
of her husband, a young widow enlists
the help of a bounty hunter to take on
a cold-hearted land-grabber whose
gunmen are terrorising the town in this
creditable remake of the 1960 hit
western The Magnificent Seven...” RIDING HARD ON THE BACK OF the 1960s classic western The Magnificent
Seven, the remake of the same title has some subtle and agreeable changes
that make it a brilliant movie in its own right. For a start, the town that
is being terrorised by bad man Bartholomew Bogue (wickedly played by Peter Sarsgaard)
is an American, rather than Mexican, town; and the bounty hunter who brings
together the team of disparate men is black.
The town of Rose Creek in 1879 has been taken over by the evil Bartholomew Bogue
and his hired guns, who believe they can do what they like with the town and
its inhabitants. Bogue has a mining operation and is gradually forcing landowners
to hand over their property near the town, killing anyone who gets in his way.
“A
worthy tribute
to the original classic
film that it takes
its inspiration from,
The Magnificent Seven
is a brilliant movie in
its own right...”
When
Bogue orders the church set on fire and the Preacher (Mark Ashworth) is attacked,
it is a step too far for Matthew Cullen (Matt Bomer). He challenges Bogue, who
shoots him dead while his men kill another man and a woman.
A desperate and grieving Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) leaves with her friend
Teddy Q (Luke Grimes) to find someone who will help fight for the town. They
arrive in Amador City, where they witness a shooting involving Sam Chisholm
(Wesley Snipes), who is joined by ladies' man, gambler and card sharp, Josh
Faraday (Chris Pratt).
Emma begs Chisholm to help but is at first knocked back, until she mentions
Bogue's name. It seems Chisholm is seeking revenge for an atrocity Bogue and
his men committed in the past and is only too willing to settle the score.
Chisholm sets out to find extra hands and ropes in five more able men whose
pasts do not bear too close a scrutiny: Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke in
perfect form), who is haunted by his demons and dislikes himself; Billy Rocks
(Byung-Hun Lee), an expert knife-thrower; gunslinger and outlaw Vasquez (Manuel
Garcia-Rulfo); tough mountain man and legend Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio);
and loner Red Harvest (notable real life Alaskan Indian Martin Sensmeier), who
is estranged from his tribe.
All have been men of violence but now band together to help a town in trouble.
Bogue will resort to underhand tactics to keep his hold on the townspeople;
but this will be a battle to end all battles. The seven begin the gruelling
task of teaching the townsmen to fight; but they all know it is a dangerous
game and at the end of it all some of them are not going to come out alive.
A worthy tribute to the original classic film that it takes its inspiration
from, The Magnificent Seven is a brilliant movie in its own right with
the all main actors looking every inch the part.
Wesley Snipes slips neatly into the lead role with Haley Bennett as a suitably
gutsy grieving widow and real-life Indian Martin Sensmeier portraying a painted
and laid-back Indian. The film is absolutely terrific in the hands of the talented
director Antoine Fuqua. More, please.
The Magnificent Seven was filmed on location in the State of Louisiana
and the State of New Mexico and also features: Jonathan Joss as Denali; Cam
Gigandet as McCann; and Billy Slaughter as Josiah. In Memory of the late James
Horner and Nick Dashnaw.
Theme from The Magnificent Seven by James Horner from an original score
by Elmer Bernstein; Additional Music Composer is Simon Rhodes; Screenplay by
Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk; Director of Photography is Mauro Figre, ASC;
Produced by Roger Birnbaum, pga, and Todd Black, pga; and Directed by Antoine
Fuqua.
*The Magnificent Seven is out on 4K Ultra HD/Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray
Premium Edition, Blu-ray and DVD in the UK on 23 January 2017. Certificate:
12 | Running Time: 133 Minutes.
4K Ultra HD: Feature film in 4k resolution with High Dynamic Range (HDR) | Dolby
Atmos soundtrack (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible (extra equipment may be required
to experience Dolby Atmos at home) | Includes the film and special features
on high-def Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Bonus Materials Include: Vengeance Mode | Deleted Scenes | Six Featurettes:
Gunslingers | The Taking of Rose Creek | Magnificent Music | Directing The Seven
| The Seven | Rogue Bogue.
DVD Bonus Materials Include: Magnificent Music | Directing The Seven | The Seven
| Rogue Bogue.
"A worthy tribute to the original classic film that it takes its inspiration
from, The Magnificent Seven is a brilliant movie in its own right" ~
Maggie Woods
“Seeking
justice following the killing