By Elizabeth Smislova
As I took my seat in the Landmark Theatres Sunshine Cinema in the East Village and watched the lights go off and the show begin, the skyscraper-filled and fast-paced New York melted away and the Old West appeared. It was a screening for “The Magnificent Seven” and the audience (including myself) eagerly waited for its sneak peek of Denzel Washington’s performance as bounty hunter Sam Chisolm. Personally, I was not disappointed.
However, I felt guilty about not having first seen the original 1960 film, which has an excellent original soundtrack. Afterwards, you might feel a little better about spending the price of lunch on a New York City movie theater ticket for a remake of a classic film. After all, the chance to see Denzel Washington on the big screen is always priceless.
I am not a big fan of action movies, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Magnificent Seven. The film showcases Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), who takes it upon herself to save her mining town, Rose Creek, from the cruel industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). Bogue kills Cullen’s husband in cold blood after he tries to speak out against the corruption taking place.
This fuels Cullen’s thirst for justice and revenge. She then goes with her friend Teddy Q (Luke Grimes) to look for help. The two meet Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington), who rounds up six other men with outstanding fighting skills and incredible character. These seven — the Magnificent Seven — try to defeat the almost impossible odds and take on Bogue’s men and resources with just themselves and the farming people of Rose Creek.
The first in the group is Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), a gambler who provides plenty of comedic relief — something necessary in a death-filled plot. The next is an old friend of Chisolm, Goodnight Robicheux (Ethan Hawke), a renowned sharpshooter from the Civil War. With him is Billy Rocks (Byun-hun Lee), an assassin who is remarkably skilled with knives. Chisolm also recruits the hilarious tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio) and the Mexican wanted criminal Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo). The last of the magnificent group is Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), a Comanche warrior.
The dynamic of the diverse group make the movie worth seeing. Their personalities differ vastly, but when they come together to take down the common enemy, Bogue, their similarities outweigh all else. Suddenly, the fate of the little town Rose Creek comes before their own lives. The plot is simple but wholesomely American and feel-good. Plus, a strong female character who has more courage than most of the men in the movie is always something to celebrate.
“The Magnificent Seven” received a 7.2 out of 10 from IMDb and a 63 percent from Rotten Tomatoes. I think these scores accurately reflect the movie: entertaining and worth seeing, but not revolutionary or life-changing. That being said, as I left the theater and got on the busy subway for the ride home, I could not help but wish I was on a horse out in the Old West, riding along with the cowboy Denzel Washington (a girl can always dream).
