The Magnificient Seven 2016

     This film is a modern remake of the classic story in the original The Magnificent Seven of 1960.  In the year of 1879, the mining town of Rose Creek is under the control of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue.  He wants everyone in the town to leave and he will buy their property for minimal money.  He’s already killed several of the townspeople, including women.  Emma Cullen’s husband Matthew was killed and she rides to the nearest town.  She is searching for anyone who can help the people with Bogue and his threats.  She meets Sam Chisolm and he recruits gambler Joshua Faraday, sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux, knife expert Billy Rocks, Mexican outlaw Vasquez, tracker Jack Horne and Comanche warrior Red Harvest.

     Denzel Washington as the warrant officer Sam Chisolm pulls this film together.  He’s dressed all in black, riding a black horse and he recruits the other six men.  As soon as the group arrives in town they shoot 22 of Bogue’s men and drive away the corrupt sheriff.  This is just the beginning.  They prepare to use every strategy they know to try to keep alive when Bogue’s men come to the town again.  I thought this was good, entertaining, interesting, every man is a different and unique character.  Emma Cullen is as good with a gun as the men.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

132 min, Action directed by Antoine Fuqua with Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byng-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard, Luke Grimes, Matt Bomer, Jonathan Joss, Cam Gigandet, Emil Beheshti, Mark Ashworth.

Note:  Imdb 6.9 out of 10, 63% critic 72% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 2*, Amazon 4.1* out of 5* with 3980 reviews, Rolling Stone 3* out of 4*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; San Francisco Peaks and Coconino National Forest, Arizona; Abiquiu, Santa Fe, Valles Caldera and Galisteo, New Mexico.  The horse that Chris Pratt rides is the same horse from the film War Horse of 2011.  Antoine Fuqua also directed The Equalizer and Southpaw.  Martin Sensmeier was cast as the Native American Red Harvest and the reason he was cast was because he had almost knee-length hair.  He wasn’t told anything about his hair so he cut it off.  Sensmeier decided Red Harvest would have his hair cut into a Mohawk and this was historically accurate.  The Magnificent Seven is based on the Kurosawa film Seven Samurai from 1954.  The actors in the original Magnificent Seven were Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, James Coburn, Horst Buccholz, Charles Bronson, Eli Wallach.  This film grossed $93.4 million in the US and Canada plus $68.9 million in other countries. The total earned was $162.4 million and the budget was $90 million.