The Magnificent Seven (12A)
All those screaming foul over this reboot of the classic 1960 western would do well to remember that the original was itself a remake – of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.
And in a movie landscape where remakes are arriving in ever closer proximity to the originals, at least director Antoine Fuqua and company waited 56 years before presenting their modern take on the time-honoured tale.
Screenplay writers Richard Wenk and Nic Pizzolatto – the latter making his film bow after his quality work on TV shows True Detective and The Killing – don’t deviate too much from the original’s plot.
Denzel Washington’s bounty hunter Chisolm leads a septet of outlaws and gunslingers into defending a small town from evil industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard).
Fuqua directs Washington for a third time after Training Day and The Equalizer and his leading man proves to be much more than racedefying gimmick casting.
Strapping his side-arms in the role Yul Brynner so memorably filled in the original, Washington is a roguish delight as he sports allblack attire, effortless cool and a penchant for lines dripping with grit and determination.
The cast in general may fall just short of the 1960 flick’s crew, but all make lasting impressions. Chris Pratt ( Josh Faraday) continues his ascent up the Hollywood ladder,