The Magnificent Seven - Special Edition [DVD]

My Daddy never missed a western. I'm sure I watched the original with him when I was a kid. I remember that rousing theme music! Can't remember details so many years later, although I thought Yul Brenner looked odd in a cowboy hat.Magnificent Seven 2016 with Denzel, Ethan and Chris does not disappoint. It's fantastic!!! I did not seek out this movie, it just came on because the movie I had just watched starred Chris Pratt. Something about this story feels current. I think it's empathy. You can feel the emotions of each character, even the bad guys. It has a "fly on the wall" quality, like you are really there living alongside them.Here's a funny fact: I notoriously fall asleep during fight scenes, they either don't interest me or maybe they bore me. However, the showdown in this film lasted for over 30 minutes and I was tense and riveted the entire time!!! This may be called a remake but it feels completely original and authentic. Daddy would have loved it!!!

This is a great film.

In the 1960’s this movie was first made. I watched it as a child. This new remake of an old classic is far superior to the original.

All good

Good story but OK movie overall

Better than the original - except not having Steve McQueen.

Right up there with "Quigley Down Under". I loved it!

"The Magnificent Seven" is an iconic movie that is much more than "just a Western."Starring Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen and a slew of other Hollywood notables - including Robert Vaughn in a wonderful portrayal as a gunslinger who has lost his nerve - it set the bar very high for those cowboy movies that would follow it in the Sixties.Not many were able to match it for great writing, wonderful cinematography, terrific performances, and a musical score that has stood the test of time.That said, when I heard that Denzel Washington was going to star in a remake I must admit that I had my doubts. Those doubts were not based on the fact that Washington is a black man cast as the leader of a band of gunslingers that rides into town to do battle with a ruthless land baron. History tells us that - despite Hollywood's best efforts in the past to paint the West lily white - there were many black cowboys and lawmen. Nor were my doubts rooted in any fear that Washington could not play the role effectively. He is, after all, one of the world's truly great actors.No, what had me worried was the fact that the original is pretty close to being a perfect film. I simply couldn't see how anyone could do it better.As it turns out, my worries were misplaced. This version of the story, first brought to the screen in the Fifties as "Seven Samurai" in Japan, is not a pale copy of the original directed by John Sturges. It is, instead, a re-telling of the story, not a simple remake.That is evident in the fact that, while it is even more violent than the original, this film gives viewers a much deeper look into the characters of the seven men who take a stand against a virtual army of bad guys. For example, Ethan Hawke's portrayal of Goodnight Robicheaux doesn't simply mimic Vaughn's portrayal of the gunslinger who has lost his nerve. Instead, Hawke's character is suffering from what we today refer to as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A Civil War sniper nicknamed "The Angel of Death," he can no longer face the prospect of taking more lives.Director Antoine Fuqua is a veteran when it comes to directing action films, though this is his first Western. Initially, there were doubters who did not think he could pull this one off given the legendary status of the original and the fact that he is working on a much grander scale than, for example, he did when he directed Washington in "The Equalizer." In my opinion, those doubts were unfounded. Throughout the film Fuqua demonstrates that he had a clear vision for what the movie should be and what it should say and that is evident in his staging of scenes and the portrayals of the characters.The casting for this film was first rate. Chris Pratt as Josh Faraday, for example, brought not only steely eyed menace to his portrayal but a touch of humor as well. Vincent D'Onofrio as Jack Horne was perfect in the role as a solitary mountain man who joins Washington's band. D'Onofrio is one of America's best character actors - his portrayal of the alien in "Men in Black" was, for example, Oscar worthy despite the Academy's refusal to recognize it as such - and he brought the full range of his talent to his role. Peter Sarsgaard as villain Bart Bogue was also wonderful in his role as the greedy land baron who has terrorized the town. Haley Bennett, as the young widow who convinces Washington's character to help rid the town of Bogue and his men, gives a strong performance as well. There are, in fact, no weak links in the cast.The late James Horner's score has some faint echoes of the original music but stands on its own, in my opinion. The script by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk is, I think, richer in tone than the original. Some critics have complained about the writing, though for the life of me I cannot understand why. The dialogue is crisp and the characters well drawn.The final verdict: An excellent movie that is well worth 5 stars.

Excelente producto, tiene doblaje y subtitulo en español

Edición alemana con audio castellano en el disco 4K

Remakes, like sequels, can usually be counted on to disappoint. Whatever the magic was that made the original great is generally lacking in any follow-ups. So, I am pleasantly surprised to be able to say that the remake of the Magnificent 7 is, in its fashion, every bit as good as the original, which is a classic. In this version, Denzel Washington leads a band of knight errants similar to those Yul Brenner led back in the day. There are some thematic changes however, which I'm again happy to report not only work, but make this movie one that can stand alone on its own merits. This time around, the action takes place in the U.S. at an earlier period in the Wild West. Instead of a group of Mexican bandits, Washington & his 6 compadres are tasked with ridding a U.S. town of a sadistic mine owner whose henchman terrorize & kill the townspeople with impunity. That conflict certainly has a more modern flavour to it, although the violence & depredations committed by the mining company were, in fact, more common in the Old West than most histories of that period acknowledge. The members of the group have been modernized as well. Washington's character, a Black man, is its leader, a leader who, as it turns out, has some personal reasons for wanting to confront the mine company owner. Ethan Hawke's character is suffering from PTSD occasioned by his service in the Civil War. As well, there's a hint that his relationship with his male Asian sidekick extends beyond the trail & into the bedroom. Chris Pratt is fast with his guns & with card tricks, abilities somewhat marred by his incipient alcoholism. Vincent D'Nofrio's quasi Mountain Man character made his reputation by collecting the bounty offered by various branches of the Federal & State governments for Indigenous scalps, another practice that many histories of the period tend to gloss over. Rounding out Washington's 7 are a Latino gunfighter & a young Comanche warrior. As well, & unlike many Westerns in this genre, there is also a strong female character, a woman widowed by the mining company's thugs who gets revenge by first helping to recruit & then fighting with the 7. Now, in less deft hands & less deft actors, this movie could easily have slipped into a parody constantly tripping over its "woke" conventions. Instead, the "modern" themes, when they're explored, are woven seamlessly into the story. You recognize them, but, because of the way they're presented, you accept them as a part of the tale & not an add-on.So, butter up some popcorn & settle in for a glimpse of the Old West as it most likely was.

A terrific all action western with a great cast. A brilliant addition to a western collection.

Cumple con todas las expectativas