Lucky Seven: Review of The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven

Director: Antoine Fuqua

By Alex Watson

The odds were stacked against Antoine Fuqua almost from day one when he announced his remake of The Magnificent Seven. Though there are sporadic moments of entertainment, this remake fails to even touch upon the cool or classy nature of either of the two originals. At points, Fuqua does manage to conjure a gold ol' western gunfire in the vein of Sam Peckinpah, but this remake runs out shells pretty fast.

The town of Rose Creek has been constantly bullied and robbed by rich businessman Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard). After the death of her husband (Matt Bomer), widow Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) convinces bounty Sam Chisholm (Denzel Washington) to help defend their town. Faced with a monumentally difficult task, Chisholm seeks out Civil War hero Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D'onofrio) and drunken gunslinger Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt) alongside three more killers to keep the villains at bay.

While it has a slick delivery and an impressive cast, The Magnificent Seven is not a movie that will break any real boundaries. It is a fun experience, but there is little in the way of gritty or memorable in this desert. Starting with a gutsy entrance by Bogue who corners the village's population in a church and then burns the building to the ground, we at least get a nasty villain for the seven to play off against. Peter Sarsgaard is wonderfully nasty at this part but never gets to fully expose this evil at its fullest. Fuqua seems in a hurry to get the gang together and we never really get to learn anything of our heroes. Goodnight Robicheaux gets the deepest backstory as a Civil War sharpshooter nicknamed 'The Angel of Death' for his 23 kills. Suffering from PTSD, Robicheaux is a man who has become a toothless bear in the heat of battle.

The Seven each have their merits, Chisholm is a man looking for justice for something close to home, Faraday is cheeky chappie with a penchant for magic tricks, Horne is a gentle yet brutal tracker that looks like Santa Claus went rural. Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier), Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee) are just good at killing stuff. There are the obligatory montage sequences as the men train the town to defend itself while picking off the corrupt lawmen that have allowed Bogue to run riot. Being denied a chance to really know or understand these characters leaves a flat aftertaste and they seem like seven guys are just doing this deed because they have nothing better to do. While both John Sturges and Akira Kurosawa dedicated more time to allow their audience to know their heroes, this remake feels worst off without it.

When the big showdown hits, Fuqua does raise the film's thrill levels and as the body count stacks up. Sadly we have no heroes we are really rooting for and our interest in who lives or dies is long gone by this stage. Wanting to reenact grizzly finales like The Wild Bunch, Fuqua is left with a more family friend scenario and what could have been a gutsy display of iron will is just dull and uninteresting. Missing the presence of men like Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen, this seven bonds well together on screen but we never sense there is much comradery among them. Fuqua did a good job resurrecting The Equalizer with Washington, but lightning fails to strike twice.

Denzel Washington is cool as Sam Chisholm but his character depth is barely a foot deep. We know he has his own motives for going after Bogue, but we never really feel the heat or anger coming off them. A frequent collaborator with Fuqua, this movie will not go down as one of his more memorable efforts. Chris Pratt is also stranded in what is essentially a one-note role as Josh Faraday. Given little to do other than giving the same kind of lovable guy persona we've seen in all his recent movies, Pratt feels wasted in what could have been a good redoing of Steve McQueen's Vin. Ethan Hawke has some fine moments as Goodnight and is perhaps the one character that truly stands out, mainly because we actually know more about him.

The Magnificent Seven is another Hollywood classic given an inferior remake, all film fans can do is wonder what this could have been in better hands. Seven Samurai fans beware of future remake attempts.

The Land Before Time: Review of Jurassic World

Jurassic World

Director: Colin Trevorrow

By Alex Watson

After Jurassic Park III underwhelmed fans back in 2001, Colin Trevorrow's Jurassic World re-ignites  Michael Critchton's franchise in great style. The dinosaurs both new and old still are as thrilling today as they were when T-Rex first thumped his way onto the screen. On a character level, they might not be the same involvement or interest that Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler or Ian Malcolm was able to bring. But aside from that one minor flaw, this is one attraction still designed to thrill.

22 years after the disaster of Jurassic Park, Isla Nublar has once again been re-opened for business. Today it is a futuristic amusement park named Jurassic World which genetically engineers new dinosaurs to spike attendance figures. Park Operator Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is excited about revealing new super-dino Indominus Rex to investors more than her nephews Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) visiting. When disaster strikes, the park must turn to dinosaur expert, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) to save the day. 

While it may lack the same dramatic tension that the first installment so wonderfully provided, Jurassic World still succeeds well on its own merits. The return to this world is still an eye opening experience and Trevorrow although an unexpected candidate, is one that sports a great visual eye. The argument about pushing the boundaries of science is still very much alive. Grady, an expert raptor trainer has learned to control the once feared enemy but is still skeptical about the effects of dino creation. He warns throughout that these creatures are still sharp teethed predators with killer instincts. Claire makes a sly hint towards the bored modern day audience who want more than average dinosaurs. Indominus Rex is a creature specifically designed to cause nightmares to children and adults. 

But what makes the new threat stand out alongside so other many new creatures, is that not only are its origins a mixture but it is also a creature who thinks almost like a human. Up its sleeves are any number of dubious tricks and unlike its original species mates, it is not hunting for food. For what is perhaps the first occasion, we have a dinosaur that qualifies as a villain. On scene sees a team of special operatives torn to shreds in nano seconds by I-Rex!  Things are also not helped by the emergence of enemy corp In-Gen led by shady businessman, Vic Hoskins (Vincent D'Onofrio). Their hazy agenda is one that causes nervous glances from the outset.

However, aside from the great visual effects, the story and characterization in Jurassic World feels underdeveloped. Grady as a character is one that evolves little outside of being cool and heroic. Claire is the buttoned down, career woman who seems to give little thought towards her family. By the films end though she is a fearless, flair wielding lady who doesn't give a second thought about jumping into harms way. Hoskins is nothing more than a second rate villain and his band of In-Gen buddies feels like a forced inclusion. Where original characters of Spielberg where ones always evolving, this new batch fails to grab our hearts.

This may not be the best character that Chris Pratt will ever play, but once again he proves himself to a good leading man. Sporting the right amount of charisma along with a brave side, Owen Grady is solid enough hero material. Bryce Dallas Howard also rings in a good leading turn as careerist Claire, a woman more concern with profits and losses than peoples well-being. As Trevorrow's picture continues she thankfully sheds her old skin and begins to develop a heart and soul which carries things well. Also look out for BD Wong as Dr Henry Wu, who marks the only original character returning from Jurassic Park.

Jurassic World is one of the first really fun blockbusters that we will see this summer. Colin Trevorrow emerges as a budding talent and once more he has made dinosaurs one of the must see attractions!

Against The Clock: Review of Run All Night

Run All Night

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

By Alex Watson

Although it is entertaining and at points even thrilling action, Jaume Collett-Serra's Run All Night is a little too inconsistent throughout. Marking the third collaboration between actor Liam Neeson and Collet-Serra, this movie is in a similar vein to the previous adrenaline packed flicks Non-Stop and Unknown. Though the story has some interesting marks to it, it just doesn't feel meaty enough to raise this movie to where it needs to be.

Alcoholic mob enforcer, Jimmy Conlon (Liam Neeson) is a man who has made a mess of his life and alienated his relationship with his son Mike (Joel Kinnaman). But when his son witnesses a murder committed by Jimmy's bosses son, Danny (Boyd Holbrook) he forced into killing him to protect his life. Swearing vengeance, his former boss/friend Shawn Maguire (Ed Harris) declares open season on Jimmy! Forced into a corner, the old gunman will have one night to come out swinging to help his kid survive.

Many will no doubt assume this will be yet another Neeson effort where he simply shows up looking tough. Well the early part of Run All Night is a thankful departure from tried and tested material. We first meet Jimmy groggily waking up from another hard night drinking and being mocked by his mob comrades. His life is in a shambles and his son looks upon him with scorn- not only that by former nemesis Detective Harding (Vincent D'Onofrio) is still keeping a close eye on his former killings! The initial bonding exercise between father and son is one that is at first encouraging, but quickly burns out of fuel after a bright start.

The moment that the killing occurs, the movies tone takes a sharp turn into more formulaic action territory. Although there is an icy and memorable showdown seen between former buddies Shawn and Jimmy, the rest of the film lacks the needed ice cold formula. The introduction of fellow assassin Price (Common) fails to really add any real spice to proceedings. Possessing what appears to be his one vengeful look, this guy seems to stalk them like some kind of human terminator. Collet-Serra tries his hardest but unfortunately he cannot help the movie slip off the rails.

Sadly from here we witness what could have been a decent and hard edged crime drama descend into an action and bullet packed action flick. Jimmy is a character that although appears familiar, had the potential to be developed into something interesting. But by the finish he reduced to the typical Neeson staple of simply being handy with a fire arm. Though the finale shootout and his actions that go with it are surprisingly poignant. Just a shame that the rest of movie wasn't in keeping with this type of emotion.

Liam Neeson as usual provides great screen presence and this proves to be some of his best work in quite some time. Jimmy is a man who inside lament his lost life of being married to the mob and secretly yearns to be reunited with his son. Neeson smartly invests a great degree of warmth mixed with his usual killer edge to raise it above Bryan Mills territory. Ed Harris feels underused as the main villain which is tragic when he promises his usual hard eyed brilliance. Also look for a brief but barnstorming cameo from the great Nick Nolte- who proves he has not lost that presence in years gone by!

Run All Night is a movie that wants to be more than it really offers us, but it is a decent and predictable ride all the same. Many will always wonder how long Neeson will keep up his tough guy act? But one thing is for sure- he is pretty good at it so far!

In The Name of the Father: Review of The Judge

TIFF EXCLUSIVE

The Judge

Director: David Dobkin

By Alex Watson

Returning home to your old surroundings is always a hard thing, because it always stirs up emotions and memories (sometimes even regrets) that you thought you had once left behind. We are never sure of the reactions that will have when we see our loved ones, but we hope they are pleasant. For my first Toronto International Film Festival, I was lucky enough to catch a gala screening today of the Robert Downey Jr starring The Judge (complete with an introduction by director David Dobkin) at Roy Thomson Hall. This has opened to some mixed yet positive acclaim, but will this be a TIFF 14 darling?

Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr) is a successful Chicago attorney who is forced to abandon an important case to attend his mothers funeral in Carlinville, Indiana. For Hank, this means having to re-establish contact with his father Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall) whom he loathes. But when he arrives in town, a major bombshell is dropped when his father is charged with first degree murder! Forced to defend his fathers honor and reputation, slowly a variety of bombshells will hit Hank and he soon learns the man he hates could well be a very different man than he imagined.

The Judge is a movie that while very heart rendering and emotionally prominent, isn't quite the sturdy drama that we were hoping for. At the centre of the film, the father and son relationship is one that is very strained from years of disconnection. Hank is a character that has to fight to win our respect because when we first meet him, he is an arrogant hot-shot attorney who defends the guilty and is preparing to face a bitter divorce with his cheating wife. Joseph, a man of honest integrity openly scorns the man his son has become and rejects his help at every turn. Both men are equally as stubborn and bitter as each other, but now they are forced to work together and they resent it!

David Dobkin is a surprise choice for this type of film given his more comedic roots, and in places his lack of confidence handling this type of drama shows through. Our characters are never given the space they need to flourish and while tempers are frayed and tears are wept, it cannot help escaping the fact that Dobkin hopes we will look past this and be swayed by the heart melting content such as Hanks reconnection with old flame Sam (Vera Farmiga). I admire Dobkin for his efforts, and he his showing signs of moving forward and perhaps being a solid director. But this effort just feels too drawn out  to really be a contender for the big prizes.

Family matters play an important part of this movie and each member of the Palmer household is suffering individually. Older brother Glen (Vincent D'Onofrio) was robbed of a baseball career by a rash act by Hank, and quietly has suffered in silence ever since. Joseph however, is a man who mind and body are starting to betray him and his claim of having no memory of the night of incident, only fuels Hank's belief that the recovering alcoholic has fallen off the wagon. But as we frequently learn, things are not so straight forward and secrets will come to light that threaten to make Joseph's defense sink or swim.

While The Judge has its moments of great laughs and humor, such as Hank's excellent put downs on three hard drinking locals, it is the courtroom scenes that provide the real fireworks. The relationship between the two men is literally being put on trial and this is the ground they will use to make or break things. The introduction of vengeful prosecutor Dwight Dickham (Billy Bob Thornton), who drinks from his own retractable silver cup gives the proceedings the gripping feel it requires. The finale though, will melt even the toughest of hearts as Hank grills Joseph on the stand. What comes next is truly earth shattering! Prepare your bottom lip for severe shaking.

The element that keeps this film alive however, is the electric chemistry between Downey Jr and Duvall. Currently stepping out of his Iron Man suit, Downey Jr shows just what a versatile actor he can be as Hank. Thankfully, it is his underplaying of any number of emotionally charged moments that make his performance so memorable and he succeeds in winning over a once skeptical audience that Hank is worthy of our love and attention. Duvall, in his strongest and most featured performance in some time is a revelation. Joseph is a sour and miserable old coot, but the 83 year old finds the ground the work with to raise him up to a level that we can appreciate. A once proud man, Joseph has now been reduced to a decaying wreck that is on his last legs. Through Duvall, we feel this pain thoroughly.

While we had hoped that The Judge would be an affair to remember, it slightly misses the mark needed. The performances of Downey Jr and Duvall are most certainly award worthy. But it is let down by a rather formulaic direction and script. But on the affecting scale, this scores very highly and gives us hope for Dobkin's future in film.