The Magnificent Seven is a remake of the old classic and its predecessor, The Seven Samurai, which I never got a chance to see so it was nice to know the story with this incarnation. It's a story about a rag tag team comprising of outlaws, sheriffs, rednecks, native-Americans and basically all ethnicities that comprise America and their path to avenge a widowed woman whose husband was killed and her town pillaged and destroyed by corrupt industrialist Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). This film was very entertaining to me and never felt dragged even with its running time. The acting, music and direction kept me engrossed from start to finish. Denzel Washington can do no wrong in any movie and portrays his role as the squad leader in this one excellently. Chris Pratt rises to the challenge of acting alongside him as well. Vincent D'Onofrio's character felt a little over done but I was ok with it because of the subtle performances from others. Haley Bennett could turn out to be a big star in the future. Every performance I have seen her in so far has been subtle and she has been unrecognizable in those. The shots of the western world filled with wide spanning fields with open sunsets were breathtaking to watch and the music complemented every scene. To think this was James Horner's final contribution to film a sad thought. He will be missed immensely. Simon Franglen, his friend, completed the film's score after his death.
The one thing I would have liked more is if the director had invested more time in the formation of this team as they are interesting bunch of people. It felt that the team of people with such diversity was arranged rather quickly.
Overall Rating: 7/10