Many people who go to see this star-studded western will have no idea this is a remake of a movie from about 50 years ago of the same name. Same basic premise, but not the same movie.
The M7 from the 60's was even more star-studded at the time than this one, and was a big hit. But this time Denzel Washington leads a strong cast, in this really well done remake directed by the ever improving, Antwon Fuqua.
Sadly, for some reason westerns in this era don't do the box office they should. Yes, this did open number one but this is certainly a hit, and absolutely very good. This is far more like Tombstone (1993), True Grit (2010), and Unforgiven (1992) than the original M7 in its feel, look and overall presentation. Our stars are great, and Washington continues his march on, as a reinvented tough guy in his second career.
This stars Washington, also Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, and many others, in this story of revenge and redemption. A poor western city is being taken over by a horrible bunch of terrible people for profit and a few members of the town hire a few strong gunmen to push back. It's a classic formula, and it works. It pits really tough, and bad men, against really tough worse men. A feel far more authentic than the 1960's John Wayne classics of simply good versus bad.
This is very well done, with incredible character development, and a story that is timeless. This is also filmed beautifully in the wonderful mountainous backdrop of the American west. The music soundtrack is strong and our performances same. This is also shot in the classic western style of Clint Eastwood style of westerns. Many very tight facial shots, with strange characters to showcase the tension in the room. This technique was certainly researched before shooting, and works very well still. Tombstone used the same formula and was great there too.
Yes this is violent, but not bloody or gratuitous. This is powerful, and exciting with a strong plot, and a very nice payoff. Kudos to our supporting cast, sets and costuming, all extremely good and really adds to the entire project.
The Magnificent Seven. Terrific!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment