The Magnificent Seven might be the answer for those of us who weren't totally happy with The Hateful Eight, and while it's a hell of a ride, it's perhaps not as superlative as its title suggests.
I confess, I haven't seen the 1960 original, nor have I seen the Japanese film on which that was based. On its own terms, though, this film still manages to feel like a rehashing of old tropes and images. Westerns are a dying breed (if not dead since 1992's Unforgiven), and it was perhaps too much to ask for a novel Western that isn't paired with horror (The Walking Dead) or science fiction (Cowboys & Aliens). The camera pushes us into a realm of nostalgia with sweeping vistas of the dusty West and a sepia color palette. The story, too, is so simple that it reads more like a fable or tall-tale, which might have been just what writer Nic Pizzolatto (of True Detective fame) intended.
The real pleasure here is the cast, who are so well-suited for their parts that we don't doubt for an instant that any of them belong in their dirty world. Vincent D'Onofrio steals his scenes with humor and some surprising brutality. I was only a little annoyed by the casting of Peter Sarsgaard as the Big Bad, but then, every time he's on screen I feel a little annoyed. Maybe it's his voice. Everyone else was great in their motley crew of bizarre characters, and we even see, if too briefly, badass lone woman in Haley Bennett, heartthrob pioneer in Matt Bomer, and squinty-eyed henchman in Cam Gigandet.
It's a rousing, swashbuckling experience, and it serves as ample distraction for its over-two-hour running time. Explosive and fast, it features some of the better choreographed shoot-outs in recent movies (though nothing beats Anthropoid's climax), and it dishes out plenty of good humor and heart with the action. **SPOILER WARNING** Its surprisingly dour ending feels a bit out of place. It's good, mind, but the extended violent climax might have paid off a tad more had the film played up the camaraderie and humor earlier in the picture. As it is, the ending is moving and sobering; not so much to bring down your action movie high, but not enough to make the movie stick with you after you leave. With a little more heart earlier on, the ending could have been downright cathartic.
That said, the ending could easily set up a sequel. I, for one, would love to see more Red Harvest (and his biceps) on the screen.
IMDb: The Magnificent Seven
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