A nasty man named Bartholomew Bogue reigns over Rose Creek with an iron fist; the small town is unable to defend itself against this ruthless robber baron and his men. When Bogue kills her husband and several other men who try to intervene, Emma Cullen decides to seek help elsewhere. She finds Sam Chisolm, a bounty hunter who agrees to help when he hears Bogue’s name. Chisolm gathers together six talented gunman and prepares an offensive against the evil Bogue...

Picture gallery

First there was Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai in 1954, then John Sturges’ The Magnificent Seven in 1960 with Steve McQueen and Charles Branson, and now there is The Magnificent Seven with Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt and Vincent D'Onofrio. With Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, Olympus has Fallen, Southpaw) at the helm, the goal is simple: a clear, explosive show, uniting the audience for a bit of fun. There is no place for an in-depth relationship between the mercenaries, interactions between them and the villagers, or for any lost time with side trips into psychology. The story is neatly packaged, the characters are briefly sketched – and the show is ready to begin. At this level, The Magnificent Seven fulfills its contract with action that is put together and filmed well despite being a little sluggish (2:13). Nevertheless, it’s a good bet that this modern version will not be remembered.