The New Seven Magnificence

Now it's time for the latest remake of this Japanese movie.

It doesn't get especially complicated with its story. We get the introduction of the bad guy, then the slow introduction of the good guys, then a lot of action scenes.

Which is where some of the problems reside. This is a very slow start. In the earlier version, we know they are good because they take non-white folk to be buried with the white folk despite what others think, but here it's just them going about their jobs. He's a bounty hunter and he collects his bounty, and that's all there is to it. Then once we've collected everyone, we get to town and have some action pieces. The first one is pretty good, but it's just the precursor to the main fight. And the main fight goes on for a long time. A very long time. So much so that I was getting fatigued by it and wanted something to break it up. Just shots of people shooting each other doesn't really make for great film-making, and there wasn't character progression either to keep narrative going.

Denzel Washington was largely playing the same character he usually plays, and does his usual acting with his tongue and mouth (ever watched that? it's moving like all the time). Chris Pratt doesn't feel like he's stretching either, and neither do the other characters. At least Vincent D'Onofrio put on an unusual voice. Haley Bennent actually puts on a performance, and as such does the best in the film.

Ultimately, it's just another remake, nothing spectacular for me here.

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