Sep 23, 2016
As Hollywood seems to run out of its own original ideas, reboots and remakes are an increasingly big part of the release schedule – with "Ghostbusters" and "Ben-Hur" just two classics that were reimagined this past summer. Both failed to incite excitement among the new generations of moviegoers they were aimed towards.
Just a month after MGM foisted the new "Ben-Hur" upon the world, it is releasing a far more intriguing new take on its classic 1960 Western "The Magnificent Seven." Unlike the new "Ben-Hur," whose only big star was Morgan Freeman in a supporting role, the new "Seven" teams up superstars Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt with respected veteran actors Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio and Peter Sarsgaard.
The new movie alters the plot somewhat, shifting the locale from a Mexican village trying to defend itself from a Mexican bandido and his henchmen to an American mining town terrorized by a ruthless mogul named Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) who's determined to drive them off their land. When a federal warrant officer named Chisholm (Denzel Washington) rides into town in search of an outlaw, his African-American background draws mean-spirited stares until the townspeople realize that hiring him to take on Bogue and his men might be their only hope for survival.
Chisholm quickly assembles his titular team of heroes, including a Civil War sharpshooter (Ethan Hawke) who's too shell-shocked to shoot anymore, and a charming tough guy (Chris Pratt) who quickly endears himself to a pretty local woman who proves to be an ace with a gun herself. This time, however, the seven heroes include a more ethnically diverse bunch, with a Latino, a Native American, and an Asian man along for the ride and fighting in their own inventive ways in addition to teaching the town how to defend themselves in the eventual battle royale.
The fact that Washington is the lead hero in a traditional-style Western is drawing attention from some who claim that the new film's eclectic casting is merely Hollywood political correctness. But an actual viewing of the new edition shows that to be a pointless argument.
The broader range of backgrounds in the new cast comes off as a positive aspect, since Westerns were traditionally the film genre that seemed to use white actors most exclusively. There never seemed to be an attempt during the genre's heyday to reach out to any other audience demographic, leaving fans and kids of any other background without heroes they could call their own.
Aside from the ugly stares at the film's start, and the final rant he delivers to the villain near the end, the race of Washington's character Chisholm doesn't come into play – he just simply is a sharp-shooting representative of the law. And frankly, it's fun to see the team come together. Those pining for the days of all-white Western casting still have Pratt, Hawke and a stellar performance by Vincent D'Onofrio holding down the fort, yet director Antoine Fuqua has fashioned a movie that the whole world can now enjoy and relate to – which can only be healthy for this film's success and revive the genre as a whole.
Yet like the new "Ben-Hur," the new "Seven" is also an overt appeal to faith-based audiences, including a heavy reliance on prayer from not only the townspeople they're saving, but among the heroes themselves. Throughout the film, the townspeople rely on prayer in scene after scene, and D'Onofrio's Jack Horne in particular among the heroes is driven by a righteous fervor to help bring justice to the townspeople. Towards the end, Washington's Chisholm retreats to the candle-filled church for an intensive quiet moment of prayer, making it unmistakable that the movie's heroes are believers.
Thankfully, the film has plenty of action setpieces that deliver, and this "Seven" is certainly deserving of a viewing on the big screen for teens and adults (it's too violent for those under 13; its PG13 rating is well-deserved). Here's hoping it'll inspire some more adventures on horseback from Hollywood.