A story that has been retold in various versions and backdrops across the world makes its way back to Hollywood again with Antoine Fuqua at the helm. He brings together the stars from his smash-hit debut 'Training Day' hoping for a box office miracle that has eluded him. Easily one of the best looking westerns you would come across especially going by Fuqua's technical abilities, aesthetics and attention to detail. But sadly that's all there is to it.
Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) is a ruthless business man using intimidation and graft to convert a settlement into a mining yard oblivious to its settler's woes. When he takes a step too far by burning down the local church and killing some innocent civilians who revolted against him, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) who is widowed from the incident vows revenge. She recruits a Warrant Officer Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) to help her exact revenge who in turn has a bone to pick on Bogue. Knowing Bogue's ego, his love for power and his assets, Chisolm needs an army to stand a chance.
Right from the word go, it is driven by a template featuring all the stereotypes of a western world. Its as if he has made a list of such and stuffed them up into this wafer thin script. The way the town looks, characters of inhabitants, introduction to its protagonist, antagonist, period jokes everything you can think of has been done many times before. As the movie progresses, it becomes utterly predictable voiding it of any thrill or suspense throughout. The characters of the magnificent seven are not well etched out making them just caricatures who would react in a pre-programmed manner to a given situation. The background score is passable, the screenplay is so by the book might well has been written by a film student as part of an assignment, editing department could have worked a little harder to chop off some extra lengthy dinner scenes. But the background locales and the cinematography stands out making it a visual treat. To conclude, I felt that there were moments in the movie which were not seized leaving it underwhelming at the end.
Coming to performances starting with Peter Sarsgaard, his character as a baddie in the movie can be defined in like just 3 words. Denzel Washington does shows some moves as a gunslinger but I couldn't buy into his western act. Chris Pratt has been giving the exact same performance since his breakout role as Peter Quill and just serves as a comic relief. Ethen Hawke, the returning star from Training Day and a veteran of unconventional roles bows out here to play the silliest character (in a bad way) written in recent times. Only actor who makes something out of this venture is Haley Bennett - especially because of my lack of expectations on her. She definitely had her moments and her plight and grit looks believable in parts.
Unrealized moments and desperately lacking innovation leaves it underwhelming.
Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) is a ruthless business man using intimidation and graft to convert a settlement into a mining yard oblivious to its settler's woes. When he takes a step too far by burning down the local church and killing some innocent civilians who revolted against him, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) who is widowed from the incident vows revenge. She recruits a Warrant Officer Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) to help her exact revenge who in turn has a bone to pick on Bogue. Knowing Bogue's ego, his love for power and his assets, Chisolm needs an army to stand a chance.
Right from the word go, it is driven by a template featuring all the stereotypes of a western world. Its as if he has made a list of such and stuffed them up into this wafer thin script. The way the town looks, characters of inhabitants, introduction to its protagonist, antagonist, period jokes everything you can think of has been done many times before. As the movie progresses, it becomes utterly predictable voiding it of any thrill or suspense throughout. The characters of the magnificent seven are not well etched out making them just caricatures who would react in a pre-programmed manner to a given situation. The background score is passable, the screenplay is so by the book might well has been written by a film student as part of an assignment, editing department could have worked a little harder to chop off some extra lengthy dinner scenes. But the background locales and the cinematography stands out making it a visual treat. To conclude, I felt that there were moments in the movie which were not seized leaving it underwhelming at the end.
Coming to performances starting with Peter Sarsgaard, his character as a baddie in the movie can be defined in like just 3 words. Denzel Washington does shows some moves as a gunslinger but I couldn't buy into his western act. Chris Pratt has been giving the exact same performance since his breakout role as Peter Quill and just serves as a comic relief. Ethen Hawke, the returning star from Training Day and a veteran of unconventional roles bows out here to play the silliest character (in a bad way) written in recent times. Only actor who makes something out of this venture is Haley Bennett - especially because of my lack of expectations on her. She definitely had her moments and her plight and grit looks believable in parts.
Unrealized moments and desperately lacking innovation leaves it underwhelming.