The Western genre may not dominate Hollywood the way it once did, but every now and then, the genre saddles up for a comeback. Case in point: Antoine Fuqua’s The Magnificent Seven remake, which is currently enjoying a streaming resurgence on MGM+, where it dipped into the top 10 on the platform this week. Nearly ten years after its release, the star-studded Western is finding a new audience, and perhaps, it’s safe to say that Denzel Washington in a cowboy hat never really goes out of style.
This remake has the kind of Hollywood lineage most projects can only dream of. It’s a modern reimagining of John Sturges’ 1960 classic, which itself was an Americanized adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s seminal Seven Samurai. At the heart of it all is Washington, who reunites with Fuqua after their success on The Equalizer (2014). Washington plays Sam Chisolm, a lawman with quiet authority who assembles a ragtag crew of gunmen to protect a defenseless mining town from a ruthless industrialist.
The film had a strong launch back in 2016, premiering as the opening film of the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8 before galloping into U.S. theaters on September 23. With a reported budget of $90 million, it went on to gross over $160 million worldwide. While the critical reception was mixed with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 64%, the audience was more receptive with a rating of 71%. In a streaming landscape where catalog titles constantly jockey for relevance, The Magnificent Seven has found fresh legs on MGM+. The official synopsis reads:
“Looking to mine for gold, greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue seizes control of the Old West town of Rose Creek. With their lives in jeopardy, Emma Cullen and other desperate residents turn to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) for help. Chisolm recruits an eclectic group of gunslingers to take on Bogue and his ruthless henchmen. With a deadly showdown on the horizon, the seven mercenaries soon find themselves fighting for more than just money once the bullets start to fly.”
Who Else Stars in the Film Alongside Denzel Washington?
As iconic as Washington’s presence is, The Magnificent Seven works because of its stacked supporting cast, each bringing a distinct personality to the posse. Chris Pratt plays the blithe gambler Josh Faraday. Ethan Hawke, another Fuqua alum, portrays sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux, a haunted Confederate veteran. Vincent D’Onofrio shows up as the eccentric tracker Jack Horne, whose quirky mannerisms and brute strength make him one of the film’s most memorable characters. Byung-hun Lee delivers slick martial artistry as assassin Billy Rocks, while Manuel Garcia-Rulfo takes on the role of outlaw Vasquez. Rounding out the seven is Martin Sensmeier as Red Harvest, a Comanche warrior. On the other side of the battlefield, Peter Sarsgaard plays the venomous villain Bartholomew Bogue, a mining tycoon whose cruelty drives the townspeople to seek the Seven’s protection.
You can catch The Magnificent Seven on MGM+.
- Release Date
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September 23, 2016
- Runtime
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132 minutes
- Writers
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Richard Wenk, Nic Pizzolatto
- Producers
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Roger Birnbaum
