The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven

Rating 7.5 out of 10

I like any movie with Denzel Washington.  I feel he has been in a few bad movies, but has rarely been bad in a movie.  The casting for this film besides Denzel is mostly spot on.  Vincent D'Onofrio, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke and even Haley Bennett is pretty good.

This is a remake of a remake.  I remember the last one.  A good western classic staring Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Yul Brynner.  I am an old timer that enjoys westerns.  A small town of Rose Creek is being taken over by very bad guy Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard).  He wants the town so he can mine out the large gold deposit he has found.  He offers the locals less than half what it's worth and shoots anyone that stands up to him.  The wife of one of the men he murders goes out and finds a bounty hunter (Denzel) with a history with Bogue.  He recruits six more to battle Bogue and his hundred henchmen he is sure to bring.  Some of the townsmen stay and fight while some flee.

There are some pretty dramatic and even comedic parts to the movie.  It's predictable even if you haven't seen the original.  Probably too many of the good parts are in the often played trailers and commercials.  I think they could have found someone much better than Sarsgaard for the heavy.

While this won't go down as a classic it is entertaining.  You don't have to love cowboys to enjoy this one.