The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)

In 1879, robber baron and gold-mining tycoon Bartholomew Bogue, accompanied by an army of hired guns, seizes control of the frontier town of Rose Creek and forces the residents to work as cheap labor for his mine. Being denounced by the residents, Bogue has their church torched and several of the townsfolk, including farmer Matthew Cullen, brutally murdered in public view. Matthew's widow Emma and her friend Teddy leave in search of bounty-hunters to help liberate the town. Their first recruit is bounty-hunter Sam Chisholm, who expresses interest in Bogue's involvement. He in turn recruits six others: gambler and trick-shooter Joshua Faraday; pardon-seeking outlaw Vasquez; former Confederate sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux; his friend, assassin Billy Rocks; legendary mountain man Jack Horne; and Comanche warrior Red Harvest. The Seven enter Rose Creek and eliminate twenty-two Blackstone private detectives guarding the town. Chisholm apprehends the corrupt sheriff, Mr. Harp, sending him away to challenge Bogue. Chisholm tells the terrified townspeople that they have seven days before Bogue's army arrives. Although some flee, most are determined to fight. The Seven liberate the men held at the mine, take the explosives stockpiled there and spend the next week fortifying the town and training the townsfolk. Meanwhile, Bogue kills Harp and orders his Comanche enforcer Denali, and his right-hand man McCann, to assemble an army. Robicheaux, haunted by his experiences in the Civil War and fearing his own death if he kills again, leaves the town the night before Bogue's arrival. Emma volunteers to take his place. At dawn, Bogue's army attacks Rose Creek. A large number are killed by various booby traps and ambushes. Faraday is wounded by McCann, who is killed by Vasquez; the defensive line collapses, and Robicheaux returns to join the battle, warning the others of an incoming Gatling gun. The gun tears through both the townspeople and Bogue's men alike. Outgunned, the Seven evacuate the survivors to the burnt-out church and mount a last stand. Horne protects a wounded Teddy from gunfire, but is killed by Denali. Denali then prepares to kill Emma. An enraged Red Harvest kills Denali, calling him "a disgrace". Robicheaux and Billy are killed by a second round of Gatling gunfire while covering Faraday, who charges up the hill and destroys the gun with dynamite at the cost of his own life. Chisholm confronts and guns down the two remaining mercenaries before disarming Bogue. A wounded Bogue retreats into the church, where Chisholm reveals that his family was lynched by ex-Confederate soldiers whom Bogue hired to remove homesteaders. After imploring Bogue to repent, Chisholm begins to garrote him. Bogue tries to draw a hidden revolver, but Emma kills him. The townspeople do return to Rose Creek and thank Chisholm, Vasquez, and Red Harvest for their help as they ride off. Faraday, Robicheaux, Billy and Horne are buried near the town and honored as heroes. Emma, in voice-over narration, reflects fondly on the noble sacrifice that made them "magnificent". == Cast ==

The Seven • Denzel Washington as Sam Chisholm, a warrant officer from Wichita, Kansas, and the leader of the Seven. He shares similar character traits with the character Chris Adams (portrayed by Yul Brynner) from the 1960 original. He also bears some resemblance to real-life African American western lawman Bass Reeves. • Chris Pratt as Joshua Faraday, a gambler and rogue with a fondness for card tricks. He shares similar character traits with the character Vin Tanner (portrayed by Steve McQueen) from the 1960 original. • Ethan Hawke as Goodnight Robicheaux, a Cajun former Confederate soldier and sharpshooter who has PTSD. He combines aspects of two different characters in the original, Lee (Robert Vaughn) and Harry Luck (Brad Dexter). • Vincent D'Onofrio as Jack Horne, a devoutly religious mountain man and tracker. • Byung-hun Lee as Billy Rocks, a knife-wielding Chinese pit fighter and Robicheaux's traveling companion. He shares similar character traits with the character Britt (portrayed by James Coburn) from the 1960 original. • Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Vasquez, a Mexican outlaw who has been on the run for several months. • Martin Sensmeier as Red Harvest, an exiled Comanche warrior and the youngest of the Seven. Others • Peter Sarsgaard as Bartholomew Bogue, a corrupt industrialist. He takes the place of Calvera (Eli Wallach) of the 1960 original. • Haley Bennett as Emma Cullen, a young widow who hires the Seven. She takes the place of Hilario (Jorge Martínez de Hoyos) who asked Chris Adams to help assemble the 7 in the 1960 original. • Luke Grimes as Teddy Q, Emma's friend who helps her hire the Seven. • Matt Bomer as Matthew Cullen, Emma's farmer husband who is murdered by Bogue. • Jonathan Joss as Denali, an exiled Comanche warrior who works for Bogue. • Cam Gigandet as McCann, Bogue's right-hand-man. • Dane Rhodes as Sheriff Harp, Rose Creek's sheriff who defected to Bogue. • Sean Bridgers as Fanning. • Billy Slaughter as Josiah. • Mark Ashworth as Preacher, Rose Creek's preacher. He takes the place of the nameless Old Man (Vladimir Sokoloff) who was the village leader in the 1960 original. • Matthew Posey as Hank Stoner. • William Lee Scott as Moody. • Clint James as Fenton. • Carrie Lazar as Leni Frankel, another widow in Rose Creek with a baby. • Jody Mullins as Caleb Frankel, Leni's farmer husband who is murdered by McCann. • David Kallaway as Turner, the town blacksmith. • Chad Randall as Powder Dan, an outlaw executed by Sam Chisholm, who was wanted for murder. == Production ==

Development The film was reported to be in the planning stages in 2012, with Tom Cruise set to star, with Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon also up for roles. In December 2013, Cruise reportedly left the project, while John Lee Hancock was brought in to write a new draft of the script. In early 2014, MGM chairman Gary Barber and his cohorts approached Antoine Fuqua to read the script by Richard Wenk and Nic Pizzolatto, while Fuqua was making Southpaw. Fuqua has loved Western films since discovering the genre at the age of twelve, and said that his grandmother, with whom he would watch films such as Shane (1953) and The Searchers (1956), was a key inspiration during the remake. Fuqua also tried to stay true to the DNA of Seven Samurai, on which the film is based. It is a decision, Fuqua stated, that reflects historical reality more than it does any conscious attempt to update the story: "There were a lot of black cowboys, a lot of Native Americans; Asians working on the railroads. The truth of the West is more modern than the movies have been". The actors were cast between December 2014 and July 2015. At one point, Jason Momoa was in talks to join the project, but had to leave because he was already cast to play Aquaman. The cast were put through cowboy training before filming commenced, Denzel Washington's character, warrant officer and bounty-hunter Sam Chisolm, It is Washington's first Western film. Washington did not watch Western films growing up, as it was the end of the Western era in cinema. He and his siblings were not permitted to go to the movies by his father, a Church of God in Christ minister. They grew up watching biblical films instead, like King of Kings and The Ten Commandments, though he did watch portions of the Rawhide and Bonanza shows. As with his previous films, Washington would start off the day by kneeling down and praying, asking for forgiveness for all his wrongdoings. "For me," he said, "this is more than just making movies. It is a platform." Like Washington, it is also Pratt's first Western film. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo described his character Vasquez, a bandit on the run from the law, as someone who loves gunfighting. Martin Sensmeier auditioned several times to land the role of Red Harvest, a native Comanche warrior. Scotty Augere, who had previously worked on Dances with Wolves, taught Sensmeier how to ride a horse bareback and rode with him two hours a day. For the role, D'Onofrio developed a raw, high-pitched voice to give the impression of a man who has lived in the wilderness for years without speaking to people. When he asked to test the voice for Fuqua, the director refused to listen, instructing the actor to surprise him with it in his first scene, which resulted in a delighted Fuqua laughing so hard that he almost ruined the take. Filming Principal photography on the film lasted 92 days, from May 18 to August 18, 2015, in the north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Other locations include St. Francisville; Zachary, Louisiana; Jackson, Louisiana: Ridgway, Colorado; and New Mexico. The climactic battle between the Seven and a small army led by Bogue took three weeks to film. The weather was inclement. Horner's friend and score producer Simon Franglen co-composed the score afterward. It features an incorporation of Elmer Bernstein's theme from the 1960 film. It was released on September 16, 2016, by Sony Classical, and is the third Horner score released posthumously. == Release ==

The Magnificent Seven had its world premiere at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival as the opening film on September 8, and served as the closing-night film at the Venice Film Festival on September 9, 2016. The film was originally set to be released on January 13, 2017; however in February 2016, Sony Pictures Entertainment moved the release date to September 23, 2016. Marketing Sony kicked off its campaign on April 20, 2016, launching the first trailer, and the cast took to their social media platforms to reveal character-by-character. Television advertisement began during the summer, when the trailers were paired with the NBA finals and BET Awards, as well as the 2016 Summer Olympics. Sony rounded out the campaign with a presence in live sporting events, such as National Football League, NCAA Football and local Major League Baseball games, as well as highly anticipated fall premieres and original programming, like Empire, The Voice, American Horror Story, Fear the Walking Dead and Designated Survivor. == Reception ==

Box office The Magnificent Seven grossed $93.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $68.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $162.4 million, against a net production budget of $90 million. The film opened in 3,674 theaters, and had the benefit of playing in all IMAX theaters for one week, and in a number of premium large formats and D-Box screens. It made $1.75 million from Thursday previews and $12.7 million on its first day. The film grossed $34.7 million in its opening weekend, of which $2.9 million came from 372 IMAX theaters, and topped the box office. It scored the third biggest Western opening, not accounting for inflation, behind Rango ($38.1 million) and Cowboys & Aliens ($36.4 million). It is director Fuqua's second biggest opening and Washington's fourth biggest. According to the Los Angeles Times, the film was released in theaters at a time when the Western genre had been struggling to attract wide audiences and accrue lucrative revenues, as it has shown considerable downfall in interest among patrons since the 1970s. The genre has had several recent box office flops, such as Cowboys & Aliens (2011) and The Lone Ranger (2013), but has also found success in films like True Grit (2010) and Django Unchained (2012). and also to Fuqua's direction. Deadline Hollywood pointed out that the production budget also plays an important role in determining a film's success. By comparison to other recent Westerns, The Magnificent Seven cost $90 million to make, before promotion and marketing costs are included. The site pointed out that "the trick is keeping their budgets reasonable," unlike The Lone Ranger, which cost $215 million to make, and Cowboys & Aliens, which cost $163 million. Outside North America The film was projected to gross around $100 million, with foreign box office prognosticators expecting a total similar to The Hateful Eight $101.6 million. The following weekend, it opened in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Spain and Russia, It opened in first place in Russia ($1.8 million), Spain ($1.1 million) and Malaysia ($560,000), and second in the United Kingdom and Ireland ($2.6 million), Germany ($1.4 million) and Brazil ($1.1 million), China is not yet determined. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 64%, based on 315 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "The Magnificent Seven never really lives up to the superlative in its title – or the classics from which it draws inspiration – but remains a moderately diverting action thriller on its own merits." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a score of 54 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. IGN critic Terri Schwartz gave the film a 6.7/10, and summarized her review with: "The Magnificent Seven ends up being a bit too predictable to reach its full potential, but the fun the cast clearly had making it allows the movie to be an enjoyable ride while it lasts. Fuqua does his best to update the Western for the modern audience, but doesn't capture what made those films great in the process. The action is big and sleek, the characters are charismatic and the film looks beautiful, but this won't be a movie that stays with you long after you leave the theater". Chicago Sun-Times Richard Roeper praised the film, giving it a score of three stars out of four, and writing: "Overall, this is a rousing, albeit sometimes cheesy, action-packed Western bolstered by Denzel Washington's baddest-of-the-baddasses lead performance, mostly fine supporting work, and yep, some of the most impressively choreographed extended shootout sequences in recent memory." James Berardinelli of Reelviews gave the film a score of two stars out of four, writing: "The original The Magnificent Seven found a perfect balance between moments of grand triumph and the understated, solemn denouement. This The Magnificent Seven has the dour ending without the high points preceding it. With two better versions of this story readily available, why bother with this mediocre re-telling? 'Currently recognizable actors' hardly seems like a good justification." MTV's Amy Nicholson decried the film, writing: "Fuqua's made two clean piles separating good and evil, and in doing so, he's thrown away the film's point. Now we can trade our conscience for a bucket of popcorn. Today's The Magnificent Seven is just another superhero flick that spends half its running time assembling a band of bulletproof daredevils. Which makes sense — the original inspired The Avengers, which published its first comic three years after it was a hit." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film three out of four stars, saying: "The new Seven isn't aiming for cinema immortality. It's two hours of hardcore, shoot-em-up pow and it's entertaining as hell." Accolades == Future ==

In April 2023, after previously acquiring MGM, Amazon announced plans to expand the franchise with a television series adaptation in development through the company's Amazon Studios. == See also ==