There are inevitably going to be a fair few groans at the prospect of yet another remake in 2016, but whether you like it or not, we be got another bite of the hard-bitten western cherry that is The Magnificent Seven. The original movie came out in 1960 and featured Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Robert Vaughn, Horst Buchholz and James Coburn, so there was a lot to live up to for the reboot.
We’ve already had Dad’s Army, Point Break and The Jungle Book this year, along with Ben Hur, Ghostbusters and Pete’s Dragon, so it’s fair to say that the more discerning cinema goers will be feeling at least a little cheated on the originality stakes. However, it hasn’t all had a bad showing on the big screen, so clearly there are still plenty of people that do want to see an updated interpretation of classic movies.
The 2016 remake brought in some big guns in an attempt to pitch up to the heavyweight might of the original movie with Denzel Washington (The Equalizer) leading the fray. Chris Pratt (Guardians Of The Galaxy 2) and Ethan Hawk (Training Day) also took up ranks in the seven and you can see them all in action in the trailer below.
Release date
Cinema:
The Magnificent Seven (2016) had a US and UK release date of Friday the 23rd September 2016. It was only available to watch in 2D and with little else arriving on the big screen on the same weekend, the film had a pretty clear run at box office domination during its release weekend. However, with Bridget Jones’s Baby out the week before it in the UK and Deepwater Horizon the week after, it wasn’t completely free of external contradictions to success.
DVD, Blu-ray and digital download
As has become the norm these day, you’ll be able to buy the film first as a digital download on the 16th January 2017. The UK DVD release date has been confirmed for the 23rd January 2017 along with the Blu-ray and digital download rental.
Story
The takes its cue from the original, which was itself inspired by Japanese move, Seven Samurai, and sees seven hired guns coming together to save the little town of Rose Creek. When the townspeople become increasingly hemmed in by the vicious control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue, they turn to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Washington) to come to their rescue.
His solution is to string together a band of seven misfits to spearhead a revolt against the git, helping to prepare the town for the violece of the showdown that is about to descend upon them. While money starts out as the main motivational influence, their hearts begin to hold as the brutal Bogue begins to ratchet up his terror campaign on the town.
Cast
Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawk will be playing Sam Chisolm, Josh Farraday and Goodnight Robicheaux, three of the seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns that make up the fighting force on the town’s side of the battle lines. Vincent D’Onofrio (Daredevil), Byung-Hun Lee (Terminator Genisys), Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Martin Sensmeier complete the roster as Jack Horne, Billy Rocks, Vasquez and Red Harvest.
Peter Sarsgaard (Black Mass) plays the villain of the piece, Bartholomew Bogue and Haley Bennett (The Equalizer) stars as the hiring hand that sets the seven in motion for the town of Rose Creek.
Blu-ray and DVD special features
Blu-ray and Blu-ray 4K:
- “Vengeance Mode”
- Deleted Scenes
- Featurettes: Gunslingers, The Taking of Rose Creek, Magnificent Music, Directing the Seven, The Seven, and Rogue Bogue
DVD:
- Featurettes: Magnificent Music, Directing the Seven, The Seven and Rogue Bogue
Age rating
The film has been given an age rating of 12A by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) with just a little “moderate violence” to look out for.
Production
Antoine Fuqua has directed the film, having previously worked with Washington, Hawke and Bennett on Training Day and The Equalizer. Screenplay has been written by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk. Roger Birnbaum and Todd Black are down as producers and Walter Mirisch, Antoine Fuqua, Bruce Berman and Ben Waisbren are executive producers.
First impressions
While The Magnificent Seven (2016) has an impressive cast and strong director, we weren’t blown away by the trailer below. It’s packed with a lot of good old fashioned gun western fight scenes, but it lacks the tension that the original movie surrounded itself with so well. The score doesn’t sound like it’s going to have anywhere near as much impact as the 1960 movie, but if all you’re looking for is a light-hearted western with an emphasis on action then this might be one to catch. However, if you’re looking for a new take on the genre with as much tension as there is action then you might want to try out The Salvation instead. You can check out more images and more details on the film at the Facebook page.
