The Magnificent 7 is a remake of an old western which is a remake of an old samurai movie. The original movie is considered a classic, and the new movie is quite long. The question is if the new movie is any good. The quick answer is: yes, it is really good.
For the sake of brevity I won't bother comparing it to the originals but let it stand on it's own merits. In this, Denzel Washington is a bounty hunter (warrant officer) who gets involved in a battle against a mining magnate who is trying to take over a town and killing people in cold blood. In his quest, he recruits 6 other highly-skilled men to help take back the town.
Of course this is achieved through violence. And the cast does not disappoint. All the seven are really good and get their own personality and style of fighting. They also all have their demons and pasts, but this movie doesn't make the mistake of dwelling on these. Instead, it simply alludes to them and keeps the movie going at a good pace.
The gun fights are where the movie is best, but the movie recognises that having weight behind each shot is what makes them stand-out. The only weak character is Chris Pratt, but this is because the writers rely on him to get by on his charm and maybe give him slightly too much screen time compared to the others. This is not the fault of the actor, but outside of one random line about being haunted (which isn't followed through by his actions), the character he plays is perhaps the weak link in the movie.
However, even with this weak link, the rest of the movie is exceptionally strong. This is definitely a movie worth checking out and not just another remake relying on nostalgia. Yee-ha.
4.5 out of 5 Gun-slingin' Waffles.
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