It should come as no surprise that Denzel Washington’s latest film, a reimagining of the 1960’s classic western “The Magnificent Seven,” was a hit. Its opening weekend brought in $35M in domestic ticket sales. Alongside Washington, the film boasts a cast of Hollywood favorites that include, Ethan Hawke, Chris Pratt, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Peter Sarsgaard. There are even a few new faces in Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Martin Sensmeier.
Notice how I used “reimagined” instead of “remake” because that is exactly what Director Antoine Fuqua did. (Fuqua is known for directing films like The Equalizer, Training Day, Tears of the Sun, and the list goes on…) The reimagining includes a deliberately diverse cast which sits at the helm of most critics’ grievances with the film. To that, I say, if Denzel Washington wants to be a cowboy, he’s cowboy. Just deal with it. The film is chalk full of loaded glares, measured walking, monologues…you know…all of the classic Denzel Washington elements. This man can do anything.
I am now looking forward to his next project Fences, in which he will star (alongside Viola Davis) and direct.