That Kurosawa spirit

Film review: The Magnificent Seven

MANILA, Philippines – In his interview with Ricky Lo, director Antoine Fuqua spoke about how he was overwhelmed by Akira Kurosawa’s 1956 film, Seven Samurai, and saw the film more as his guiding light as he helmed the remake of the 1960 Western classic, The Magnificent Seven.

That 1960 film was one of my all-time boyhood favorites, and I still vividly remember the grim humor and fun chemistry that punctuated the scenes of the seven, amidst the action and gunfight sequences. In the case of Kurosawa’s version, there was more interaction between the samurai and the villagers, with a strong, serious mien surrounding the nobility of the desperate mission.

In Fuqua’s version, the by-now classic storyline of a persecuted small town seeking the help of a band of hired guns to rid themselves of a greedy mining baron, takes on a mythic dimension and makes for a great summer popcorn action flick. It may not be destined for greatness as a remake, but for a generation that may have never watched the original or Kurosawa’s film, it will entertain and suffice.

Fuqua regulars (remember Training Day?) Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke portray bounty hunter Chisolm and Civil War veteran Goodnight Robicheux, respectively, and are joined by gambler/magician Faraday (Chris Pratt). Rounding off the seven are bulky Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), oriental martial arts expert Billy Rocks (Byung Hun-Lee), a Mexican gunslinger (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and a renegade Comanche (Martin Seinsmeier). The villainous Bart Bogue (Peter Saarsgard) and the young widow Emma (Haley Bennett), who seeks help from Chisolm, are the other significant members of the cast.

Given the ethnic diversity of the seven, I first felt that other than a few asides, there was a lot of missed opportunities in the screenplay. While Washington and Pratt obviously have the most scenes, it is only Hawke whose character has some arc and piques our interest.

Onofrio is obviously having the most fun as a character described in the film as “an animal who is wearing people’s clothes” — like a human version of the bear that mauled DiCaprio in The Revenant. Here in Asia, Hun-Lee will certainly be a favorite, as he does his best Korean Johnny Depp impression. As for Seinsmeier, before we say he suspiciously looks more Filipino than American Indian, he actually hails from Alaska.

While Training Day will still stand as my favorite Fuqua film, and the remake will not make us forget the original or Seven Samurai, there still is much to commend the film as a diverting Western action film. It may be late summer, but this is still one enjoyable, potential summer blockbuster.