Four stars. Rated PG-13, and somewhat generously, for relentless violence and dramatic intensity
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 9.23.16
This premise has been bulletproof
ever since Akira Kurosawa introduced it, back in 1954.
It’s not merely a great set-up for
an action epic; it also plays to our idealistic belief that everybody — no
matter how bad their behavior — yearns for an opportunity to become heroic in
the eyes of people not familiar with their past deeds. A chance at redemption,
and generous self-sacrifice.
Can’t miss.
Nor does it, in director Antoine
Fuqua’s muscular remake of 1960’s American adaptation of Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai. With Denzel Washington
top-lining a cast of scene-stealers every bit as engaging as the characters
they play, and some narrative tweaks that make their shot at moral salvation
virtually impossible — or is it? — this new Magnificent
Seven delivers on the promise of the adjective in its title.
That said — and acknowledging the
narrative adjustments made by scripters Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk, in keeping with 21st century
sensibilities — all concerned should be ashamed of themselves, for failing to better
acknowledge the core story concept by Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto and Hideo
Oguni. Pizzolatto and Wenk didn’t concoct this concept out of thin air, and
it’s annoying to see them claim sole screen credit during the opening titles,
as if the entire inspiration were theirs, and theirs alone.
Humph.
(But I digress...)
The story begins in the tiny
post-Civil War community of Rose Creek — a truly stunning set built by
production designer Derek Hill and his crew — where the townsfolk have been
invaded by ruthless carpetbagger Bartholomew Brogue (Peter Sarsgaard), who has
established a destructive gold-mining operation only a few hundred yards from the
local church.
Brogue and his hired thugs have
made life unbearable, but that isn’t sufficient; he has decided to destroy the
community in order to expand his mining efforts ... and he couldn’t care less
that this means driving hard-working farmers off their properties. In a prologue
that sets new standards for heinous behavior, Brogue and his men hijack a town
meeting and make their point brutally clear.
Do we loathe Brogue, in the space
of a few swift minutes? Oh my, yes; rarely will you find a villain played with
such callous élan. Sarsgaard is coldly, chillingly vile: a truly memorable
performance.
Some of the townsfolk depart, for
uncertain futures. Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett), made of sterner stuff, rides
off to nearby communities, in search of “good men” who might rally to Rose
Creek’s aid. She lucks into Sam Chisolm (Washington), a calm, capable
peacekeeper who always establishes his law enforcement bona fides, reassuring
people that he’s a “duly sworn warrant officer from Wichita, Kansas, and a
licensed peace officer in Arkansas, Indian Territory, Nebraska and seven other
states.”
Washington’s dry delivery of that
line, upon repetition, always draws a knowing smile. Today’s audiences can
readily appreciate why a lone black man, in frontier days, would hasten to
establish such credentials.
Chisolm clearly has a back story
— we see an occasional flash of something
in Washington’s cold eyes — but such details are withheld until the moment of
maximum dramatic impact.
And although Chisolm initially
rebuffs Emma’s request, he’s unexpectedly moved when — by way of payment — she
offers a satchel that contains “everything we have.”
Nobody’s ever offered everything, Chisolm repeats,
reflectively ... and we see that this, somehow, evokes memories of that same
something.
Emma has chanced upon Chisolm while
he conducts his sworn duty: a “routine” event that involves minor assistance
from gambler Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), a good-natured braggart with trickster
instincts and a deceptively fast draw. It’s pretty much Pratt’s Peter Quill,
from Guardians of the Galaxy, albeit
with a gun belt and a horse. No problem: Pratt is as smoothly entertaining
here, as he was there.
Between them, during the next few
days, Chisolm and Faraday gather the rest of their motley crew:
• Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan
Hawke), a sharpshooter and Civil War veteran left psychologically scarred by
those experiences, and haunted by the demons of the people he killed;
• Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), Goodnight’s
friend and confidant, and gracefully lethal with an arsenal of knives and other
sharp weapons;
• Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo),
a career outlaw who genuinely loves gunfighting, and accepts this offer as a
means of removing himself from Chisolm’s bounty list;
• Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio),
an immense mountain man who’ll grab anything at hand, to batter an opponent,
but who also possesses an oddly spiritual soul; and
• Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier),
a lone Comanche estranged from his tribe, who regards this opportunity as a
means of regaining honor. (In that respect, Red Harvest is closest in spirit to
the samurai warriors in Kurosawa’s film.)
They’re all well-sculpted
characters, although I must confess a particular fascination for Red Harvest,
played with quiet dignity by Sensmeier. He brings noble sensitivity to the
archetype of displaced warrior.
Pizzolatto and Wenk shape their
storyline with the traditional three acts: introducing the Seven; bringing them
to Rose Creek, where they face the uphill struggle of mobilizing the community;
and — of course — the final battle royale. The first act is confined mostly to
spotlighting the skills that attract Chisolm to each man, but the film’s heart
comes with the middle chapter, as they all interact with the townsfolk.
Fuqua takes his time, his
132-minute film allowing for lengthy character development in this middle
portion. Pratt has the best one-liners, but each of these men — even Red
Harvest — gets a chance to display some gallows humor. Horne is an amusing
puzzle, given to quasi-mystical declarations and non-sequiturs; Billy Rocks’
apparent inscrutability is at odds with the attentive compassion he exhibits
with Robicheaux.
Then there’s Emma, handled with
such pluck by Bennett (who also teamed with Fuqua and Washington in 2014’s The Equalizer). Emma is an inspiring
character — literally — and Bennett plays her with persuasive conviction. She’s
the sort of woman who must’ve been present in the wild West: as strong,
stubborn and spirited as any man.
Cinematographer Mauro Fiore
frames the story’s various tableaus for maximum impact, whether working inside
a darkened saloon, within Rose Creek’s short but canyon-like streets, or
conveying a sense of unspoiled grandeur to the surrounding countryside. A few
traveling tracking shots are literally breathtaking, as when we swoop alongside
a massive line of galloping horses and riders.
As far as the film’s exhilarating
soundtrack is concerned, well, therein lies yet another tale. Celebrated
composer James Horner was working on the score — having completed seven key
themes — when he died, quite unexpectedly, in June 2015. The work was completed
by Horner’s friend and colleague Simon Franglen, and the collaboration is
seamless; the sweeping orchestral anthems are powerful throughout, as are the
quieter, tender cues reserved for poignant moments.
No lie: Fuqua builds his film to
an impressively emotional climax.
But the big issue, at least in
minds of older viewers, concerns the iconic main theme that Elmer Bernstein
wrote for the 1960 film: a piece of music as essential to this mythic saga as Lalo
Schifrin’s title theme for Mission:
Impossible, or Henry Mancini’s droll swing theme for The Pink Panther, or ... well, you get the idea.
And so, the question: Do Fuqua,
Horner and Franglen reference Bernstein’s theme?
You betcha. And at just the right moment.
Between this new Magnificent Seven and Quentin
Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight,
perhaps we can hope for a greater revival of Westerns. That would be nice; it
remains a (currently) undersung genre that provides an excellent backdrop for
all sorts of stories.
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