The Magnificent Seven - 4K + Blu-ray + Digital

"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.

Excellent movie

This is an awesome movie

Magnificent cast, script, and performance. Well worth the watch.

What can I say about the Magnificent Seven. Yes, the original was a classic masterpiece. but if you talk to people in the 60's they would say that it couldn't hold a candle to the movie it's based on "The Seven Samuri" I've tried to watch that version many times over several years and just could not get into it . I though this "reimaging" of this story was very well executed. If you like westerns ..and there are so few these days you'll really appreciate this movie . Denzel Washington is solid as the Black Clad cloths leader of this new seven. With Chris Pratt essentially taking on the Steve McQueen ( The Original 7's Vin) Robert Fuller ( Return of the 7's Vin) Monte Marham ( Guns of the 7s Keno) and Ralph Waite( Rides 7 Jim ) . as the leaders# 2 . all of the seven in this movie seem like composites of several characters from the original 4 movies with one nod to The Seven Samuri with the addition of Byung-Hun-Lee as a expert knife fighter . Peter Sarsgaard makes a comprable villian, His indian Henchman is a standout of his villinous crew. Don't want to spoil the fun here. The story is essentially the same with a few tweeks. Town of good folks being terrorized by a group of bad guys, the town hires seven gunslingers and outlaws to help. and the rest is a thrill ride that will be a great companion piece to the original.

DVD works and great movie

Love it and can’t stop watching it.

Great movie, action packed. . . If you like westerns.

Good movie, good actors, but no "essence"... The delivery, the price and amazon service was great, that's my 5 stars...

Top demais ótimo produto, qualidade de imagem impecável, mas a amazon deveria embalar melhor o produto por ser um pouco fragil..

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.

Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk. Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett and Peter Sarsgard. Music is by Simon Franglen (also working from a James Horner template) and cinematography by Mauro Fiore. Seven gunmen band together to aid the town of Rose Creek whose inhabitants are being driven out by ruthless capitalist Bartholomew Bogue. We are now in an age of film making where "tagged classics" are no longer sacrosanct. Any number of these "tagged classics" have been and will become viable for remake - reboot - reimaging for newer audiences. It's here, it happens and really there's nothing we can do about it but moan amongst ourselves. John Sturges' 1960 The Magnificent Seven (itself a remake of Kurosawa pic Yojimbo) is a much loved film, and not just in Western lovers circles, it's a film that non Western fans are known to enjoy - and rightly so, it deserves its place as a "tagged classic" and still enthrals over 50 years since its release. So the big studio big wigs and Antoine Fuqua were taking a major gamble remaking a classic remake with their own remake! Undeniably the shadows loom large over the 2016 version, so much weight of expectation, in fact to some it was a stinker of a film even before it was released! Well, as those who have seen it will attest, both the fans and the dissenters, it hasn't raised the bar for the "Seven" formula, but, and this is very key here, the makers wasn't setting out to make a film that down the line would be a perceived a "tagged classic", and this is evident in the ream of extras available on the Blu-ray releases. They achieved what they set out to do, to make a blunderbuss Oater for the modern era to sample, and they have done it with much love, much cool and lashings of technical greatness. Add in a cast clearly enjoying themselves and not letting anyone down, and it's a tasty plate of beans. Fuqua updates things by having his seven as a row of differing ethnicity's, which works a treat, and crucially he and his writers are respectful of those characterisations, even if a bit more fleshing out wouldn't have gone amiss. Yet nothing is at a cost to honouring the great Westerns of old. Beautiful landscapes envelope the players, the musical score bouncing around man and nature with homaged sweetness. There's closeups, silhouetted slices of panache, superb stunt work (man and beast), glorious set design, and then there's the action. The fight sequences are excellently constructed, a feast for the eyes and ears, death and slaughter unfurled in brutal but hunger appeasing strokes. There's comic relief about the place, and while much of the dialogue wouldn't have the great poets of yore troubled, there is deepness to be found. Intelligence, too, the addition of PTSD to one of the main players is a notable piece of worth, while how wonderful to find a Western lady character of great substance (Bennett excellent), so good in fact she could have been one of the seven! It's a bare bones story, with a pointless motive revelation tagged on for the finale, while some anachronisms will irritate those bothered by such. But if you are able to judge it on its own terms, as a Western entertainment for this era, and to accept it isn't trying to outdo the source of its inspiration, then a good time can readily be had. 8/10