A Sad Tale Of A Mining Disaster

 

Despite all logic, they never do give up, do they? No, of course not. We couldn't be that lucky. They infest our blogs with random crap and comments that prove they didn't read what we wrote. They send us emails with get rich quick schemes that surely can't backfire (spoiler: they will). They just can't figure out a way to make an honest living, and so they continue to strike from the dark corners of the web and spew their nonsense. I speak, of course, of the all too common homo sapiens spammeritis irritatingus. Otherwise known as the internet scammer. The following nonsense came through my email recently.

Hello Frand,

Thank you for accepting my friend request, I don't know if you speak or understand the English language,  that is why I am using google translator to write to you because I do not understand nor speak your language either.

I have been in search of someone with this name. I was pushed to contact you to see how best we can assist each other. I am Mrs. Luis Gerald, working as an Audit Manager here in Garanti bank Turkey. I believe it is the will of God for me to come across you now. I am having an important business discussion  I wish to share with you which I believe will interest you because it is in connection with your last name and you are going to benefit from it.

A citizen of your country named Daniel, has a fixed deposit with my bank, valued at US$8,200,000.00 (Eight million two hundred thousand United State Dollars) . The due date for this deposit was last year. Unfortunately Gabriel was among the death victims of the 11th day of May 2012, after a heavy explosion in Turkey, where 78 miners were killed.

The management of my bank is yet to know about his death. I knew about it because he was my friend and I was his account officer when the account was opened before my promotion. However, Mr. Daniel did not mention any Next of Kin/Heir when the account was opened and he was not married and had no child. Last week my Bank's Management requested that I should give instructions on what to do about his funds if I were to renew the contract as his account officer.
 
I knew this would happen and that is why I have been looking for a means to handle the situation, because if my Bank Directors happen to know that Daniel is dead and does not have any Heir, they would claim the funds for their personal use, so I don't want such to happen. That was why when I saw your name I was happy and I am now seeking your cooperation to present you as Next of Kin/Heir to the account since you have the same last name as him and my bank headquarters will release the account to you. There is no risk involved, the transaction will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of law.
 
It is better that we claim the money than allowing the Bank Directors to claim it, they are rich already. I am not a greedy person, so I am suggesting we share the funds equally, 50/50% to both parties, my share will assist me to start my own company and use the proceeds for charity, which has been my dream.
 
Let me know your thoughts about my proposal. Please, do treat this information as confidential as I have more to write to you about his details once I receive your urgent response strictly through my personal email . 

Thanks and God bless you. Anticipating your urgent response.
Kindly write/reply through my email for more details.
 
Best Regards
Mrs. Luis Gerald.

Sigh. You'd wish that at some point they'd grow a conscience, but that's clearly asking too much. This has all the hallmarks of the standard internet scammer. The overly formal wording mixed with the poor spelling. I mean, frand? How hard is it to write friend?

They claim to be using a translator app to be writing this, but first, English is my first language, and regardless of where you are in the world, if you are a banker, you would bloody well have a solid grasp of English. But this person is not. All while claiming to be from Turkey, and in possession of a name that is not Turkish.

No, this person is a scammer.

And they can't even keep their 'facts' straight. They identify their non-existent client, who died in a mining disaster no less, as Daniel or Gabriel. Make up your mind when you're committing yourself to a scam story.

They make up the usual story about wanting to hide the money after he died in a mining disaster (how this guy had eight million dollars to his name is beside the point) from their corrupt colleagues, and so want to split the money fifty fifty with a random stranger on the far side of the world. So they can start their own company and do charitable things and all that rubbish.

Nice try, numbskull.

In an ideal world, they'd give up and just find an honest occupation, but that just isn't going to happen. So they cast this story out to hundreds of thousands of random emails praying that someone is dumb enough to believe it, and wind up losing a few thousand in administrative fees while they disappear into the night.

Come on, pal. Wake up.

Or we we start using you as target practice for one of these things.

A Pleasant Excursion To The Island

“These creatures were here before us. And if we’re not careful, they’re going to be here after. Life cannot be contained. Life breaks free. Life… finds a way.” ~ Ian Malcolm

“The man who proved raptors can follow orders. You never thought how many millions a trained predator might be worth?” ~ Eli Mills

“Do you remember the first time you saw a dinosaur? First time you see them, it’s like… a miracle. You read about them in books,  you see the bones in museums, but you don’t really… believe it. They’re like myths. And then you see… the first one alive.” ~ Claire Dearing

“If I don’t make it back, remember, you’re the one who made me come here.” ~ Owen Grady

The fifth film in the Jurassic Park franchise, and the second in a planned Jurassic World trilogy, has hit theatres. The film series, about science stepping over a moral line in resurrecting dinosaurs through cloning, has been a thrill ride ever since, weaving between reptilian terror and the ethical question of where the line between right and wrong is. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom reunites the stars of the previous film for another round of dinosaur mayhem, while bringing in a fresh director to handle the project.

Three years after the events of the previous film, Senate hearings are underway, as the abandoned Isla Nublar is facing impending destruction because of volcanic activity, and the question remains- should the dinosaurs be rescued? Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum, reprising his role) feels that nature is correcting the mistake made in cloning the animals. Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), former operations chief at Jurassic World, has founded a group called the Dinosaur Protection Group and is advocating saving the animals. She is contacted by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) and his assistant Eli Mills (Rafe Spall); Lockwood was once partners with the late John Hammond, and offers a new island as a sanctuary for the animals. Claire must bring in Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), the former raptor wrangler, to aid in the efforts to save the dinosaurs. It doesn’t take long for volcanic eruptions and hidden agendas to assert themselves.

Director Colin Trevorrow took writing duties this time out, due to return for a final film in the trilogy as director. The story, crafted with Derek Connolly, who worked with Trevorrow and others on Jurassic World, continues the tradition of the franchise’s mixing of wonder, terror, and the ethical debate of science. It’s familiar ground by now, this being the fifth film of the series, and while it might seem dinosaurs living in the present might well have lost their sense of wonder by now, the story still maintains the tension and dread when things go inevitably wrong (as they always seem to do when you’ve got a plan involving dinosaurs).

Trevorrow and Connolly’s script not only works off that tension, but it uses the characters to frame that ethical debate. Just because we can do something, does that mean we should? Some of the characters are quite firm in their moral code on the matter, while others only see their own ambitions, driven by their own greed and self-interest. Those are qualities that often come back to haunt the individual in these films, and that certainly applies here. One might even say it’s a statement at the state of the world today.

Spanish director J.A. Bayona has come on board to helm this film. He would best be known to American audiences for his disaster film The Impossible, and some of his work at home includes horror. He has the experience then for something on this scale, an epic that still grounds itself in its characters. The CGI mix of dinosaurs with locations has already been well established in the franchise; the animals have a real look that makes them blend seamlessly in with everything else. We are a long way past the stilted awkwardness of Ray Harryhausen effects, and this franchise has been a big part of that push forward. Bayona paces the film well, with the first half coming across as a disaster film before weaving into what feels like a haunted house scenario with the second half.

The cast is diversely chosen, some returning from previous films, others new to the franchise. B.D. Wong has previously appeared as the geneticist Doctor Wu, the man most responsible for the cloning of dinosaurs in the first film. The actor plays the role as cold, clinical, detached, and amoral, a scientist who’s more concerned with his ego and his accomplishments than the wisdom of whether or not something should be carried out. Justice Smith makes his debut as Franklin Webb, a computer technician for the old theme park who’s become a specialist for the Dinosaur Protection Group. He is brought in on the endeavor, and the actor gets some of the comic relief of the story. Daniela Pineda plays the capable Zia Rodriguez, a former Marine who’s become a paleoveterinarian for the group. She’s tough and resourceful, and the actress plays to that in her performance. Isabella Sermon appears as the pre-required kid (there's always a kid in these films) in peril- Maisie Lockwood, granddaughter of the benefactor, and keeps her cards close to the proverbial vest in her performance, as there is more to her than meets the eye.

Rafe Spall is an English actor, the son of Timothy Spall, and he’s done work in television and film on both sides of the Atlantic. He gets to play the villain this time out, the ambitious executive with plans of his own and little in the way of ethics. Seemingly pleasant at first, he’s of the sort who keeps his agenda hidden and his malice concealed, but it’s there. The character seems to think he’s doing the right thing, which is an interesting angle in a movie. James Cromwell, the well-known character actor, appears as Benjamin Lockwood, a former associate of John Hammond who’s seemingly benevolent in his intentions, but hides secrets of his own and ignores the dark side of his associates. Cromwell has played both good and bad people before- this is a mix of both elements. Ted Levine, who's played many a nasty person in his career, gets to chew the scenery as the mercenary team leader Wheatley, throwing his weight around and serving the interests of his employer. And Toby Jones, the character actor, plays an unscrupulous auctioneer.

Jeff Goldblum, who appeared in the first two films of the franchise, isn’t as heavily involved this time out, but is still a welcome sight to see (perhaps Sam Neill might reprise his Alan Grant one more time?). Ian Malcolm is of course a chaos theory academic with some personal experience with dinosaurs from the first two films, and Goldblum’s take is much the same. Ian is older now, but still as charming, still as irreverent, and still as principled- he draws a line in the sand, adheres to an ethical code, and expresses most strongly the moral dilemma of the story.

Bryce Dallas Howard has already played Claire Dearing in Jurassic World, and returns with the character in a very different place. She has gone from being operations manager in a dinosaur theme park with all the responsibilities therein to seeing that all come apart in the previous film. The character has learned lessons from that, and changed her world view, heading a group dedicated to protecting the animals. She plays Claire as sympathetic, having had taken hard lessons to heart, and become more of a principled person because of it.

Chris Pratt returns as the affable, capable Owen Grady, once a trainer to the velociraptors in the theme park. Having had managed to establish a working relationship with the predators, the experience also taught Owen respect for their nature, and it’s that previous relationship that drives him to join the rescue effort. Pratt plays the character with a combination of laid back humour at times, focused dedication at others, but always resourceful. He and Howard have an easy going chemistry that builds on their character’s established histories, and the two make for likable leads.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom appears to be the second to last of the franchise, with one more film coming. It certainly leaves things off in a way that points to the future of the films, though I do think the studio would be wise to leave it at that afterwards. We’ve gotten ourselves so used to the wonder of the dinosaurs brought back to life onscreen that it all seems quite familiar. The film maintains that ethical debate of the morality of generating life without heeding the consequences, framing that debate with the terror of plans gone terribly wrong and the mayhem of dinosaurs on the loose. All in all, it’s an entertaining new chapter for the series.

Bickering Out In The Cosmos

Today I have a movie review. And for another take on this one, check out Norma and Collin's reviews and Mark's review.

“Just who do you think you are?” ~ Ayesha

“All you do is yell at each other.  You’re not friends.” ~ Nebula

“You need to find a woman who’s pathetic. Like you.” ~ Drax

“The fate of the universe lies on your shoulders. Now whatever you do,  don’t press this button, ‘cause that will set off the bomb immediately and we will all be dead. Now repeat back what I just said.” ~ Rocket 

“I am Groot.” ~ Groot

“Can we put the bickering on hold until after we survive the massive space battle?” ~ Gamora

“Sometimes the thing you’ve been looking for your whole life is right there beside you all along.” ~ Peter Quill

After the success of 2014’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, of course a sequel would be in order. The comic book adaptation of cosmic Marvel characters bickering with each other and dealing with galactic level threats proved to be popular with audiences, opening up new parts of the Marvel cinematic universe. Now the cast and crew have returned for the second film in the series, helmed once again by director James Gunn, in a story that maintains the banter, humour, and cosmic scope of the previous film, while opening up new horizons.

In the wake of the previous film, in which the rag tag band of misfits called the Guardians of the Galaxy brought down the Kree accuser Ronan and his schemes to destroy Xandar, the team find themselves dealing with Ayesha (Elizabeth Debickie), the somewhat cranky leader of the Sovereign, after a job doesn’t go quite according to plan. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and the sapling version of Groot (Vin Diesel) encounter a mystery man called Ego (Kurt Russell), who promptly reveals himself to be Quill’s biological father. Meanwhile, Ayesha hires Yondu (Michael Rooker, returning from the first film) and his rogue crew of Ravagers to track down the Guardians. It doesn’t take long before things get complicated.

Gunn wrote the story, having had co-written the original screenplay. The tale is largely based on the status quo of the team as brought together in the comics by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who assembled a motley assortment of cosmic characters together to face dire threats in the universe. There’s an older version of the Guardians in the comics, from a thousand years in the future, and some of those characters show up here as well as the story goes along, albeit in a different context. Gunn’s story continues the funny, space meets swashbuckling tone of the original, blending in the personal- the search for answers about a person’s heritage and just what family really means- with the large scale in the form of a dire threat to galactic peace.

Along the way there are some character developments woven into the narrative- Nebula’s change of allegiances is a welcome one, while Yondu’s motivations for taking the young Quill from Earth in the first film become clear, and having Groot remain pint sized through the bulk of the film is a creative contrast from the first film, where the three word speaking walking tree was the biggest member of the ungainly team. In fact, the little Groot's status quo provides quite a laugh early on while he dances during the main titles- with a massive battle taking place in the background behind him, establishing the irreverent tone of the film.

The story also presents a new character, Ego, in pretty much the only way he’d work in a live action movie. In the comics, Ego is a living planet- when one approaches him, you see a planet, and facial features on that planet. Trying to transfer that over to live action, you’d wind up with something out of the original Star Trek television series- if all we saw was a floating head in space, it would end up coming across as very cheesy. Instead we have a Celestial being who can present himself as a human being, but is deeply connected to the planet he calls home, and it’s a good work around of where the character came from.

Gunn takes all of these elements and weaves them into the film, which his directing style is well suited for. As previously shown, Gunn has a good touch for the comic book adaptation, particularly the cosmic level of it all. He can give us a scene set in the midst of chaotic battle and ferocious fighting, and keep track of what’s going on. We see fantastic worlds, distant stars, and strange looking alien beings, and while a lot of that comes down to CGI, it all blends well in with what the actors do. This is probably best manifested in Ego’s planetary form, which winds up being perhaps the biggest visual effect in movie history, but it also shows earlier on, giving Russell a younger look in the opening sequences set in 1980.

The cast are all well chosen in their roles. There are a multitude of cameos- Stan Lee gives one of his funniest yet, and actually kind of feels like a connection to all of his other cameos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Michelle Yeoh, best known to American audiences for her Chinese spy protagonist in the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies turns up as Aleta, one of Yondu’s old crew, while Sylvester Stallone joins the MCU as another former friend of Yondu, Stakar, suitably grumpy but principled in the role. There’s a moment between his character and Rooker’s Yondu that’s a good reversal of roles the two actors played in terms of an estranged friendship in Cliffhanger.

This isn’t the first time I’ve seen Elizabeth Debicki in a film- she appeared briefly in the 2015 Everest, but this time she makes more of an impression as Ayesha, a long time presence of the comics. The character is a high priestess and leader of her people, and the actress plays her as someone devoid of humour, pompous, and not to be trifled with. Pom Klementieff appears as Mantis, a character well established in the comics with ties to the Guardians, the Avengers, and others. She’s an empath, with connections to Ego, and her encounters with the Guardians brings out a new aspect to the character. Lacking social interaction throughout her life, she’s something of an oddball, curious about what she encounters, and the way she plays off of Drax, who’s an oddball himself, is particularly fun to watch. Karen Gillan returns from the original film as Nebula, where she was an antagonist. She’s a sister to Gamora, and the film touches on the darkness in their backgrounds. Gillan takes what was an unsympathetic character and makes her someone the audience can empathize with- we see the emotional cracks in her armour as the story goes along.

Kurt Russell turned out to be an inspired choice for Ego. In the comics, Peter Quill’s father is a ruthless bastard and ruler of an alien race called the Spartax. It was clear that the cinematic version would not be that character, but it was hinted in the first film (courtesy of Yondu) that Quill’s father had that same quality. Ego is welcoming and friendly at first, but he’s hiding a whole lot of secrets from everyone, and Russell plays the character in a way that’s close to the vest- we’re not really getting inside his head. He might seem friendly, but there’s more beneath the surface, which is fitting, considering he’s a planetary being.

Michael Rooker returns as Yondu, the hardass alien with a rather handy fighting style from the first film. He was less sympathetic last time out- after all, he came to Earth, kidnapped a child and took that child out into the stars for an unclear reason, and was generally hesitant to get involved and do the right thing at first. The reason he didn’t bring Quill to his father plays out here in this film, and Rooker retains the hardass aspect of the character while becoming the third element of a story of a son and the two father figures in his life. His character rises to the occasion as things go along, and the actor makes it the best performance of the film.

Bradley Cooper does voice duty as Rocket, the genetically engineered cranky alien mercenary who happens to look a lot like a raccoon. He complains, he wonders what his place is among the Guardians, and he takes care of Groot (whose same three words over and over again he understands perfectly well). Rocket’s a formidable character, largely CGI, but Cooper, whose work in live action I generally avoid, gives the voice of the character the right amount of grumpiness (and even poignancy) it requires.

And speaking of vocal roles, the same applies to Vin Diesel, who returns to voice Groot, the walking tree who’s more of a sapling this time out. All we ever hear him say is “I am Groot”, even though in each instance, the meaning of the words are vastly different. The CGI of the sapling Groot (or Baby Groot if you will) renders the character as oddly cute, where the full sized version of the first film was formidable. For Diesel, the challenge would have been in the nuances of a line recorded in post production- what context are those three words used in at any given moment- and in giving Groot a vocal sound that’s quite different from what the actor actually sounds like.

Dave Bautista returns as Drax, and again, proves to be hilarious to watch as he goes along. The character is a warrior sworn to revenge against Thanos (who will eventually turn up big time in the cinematic universe). He’s a formidable looking wall of alien muscle, the sort you wouldn’t want to pick a fight with, which works well for the actor, who comes from that kind of background as a wrestler. Bautista adds into it a certain obliviousness, socially speaking, to personality interaction (Drax can make the whole room feel awkward), and a hint of innocence and heartbreak- there’s a moment when he’s speaking of his late wife that plays to that. He’s also become more invested in the idea of the Guardians as a family.

Zoe Saldana returns as Gamora, the fierce warrior without much of a sense of humour, drawn out of a dark background. She’s resourceful and cunning in a fight, but keeps her guard up, particularly with Nebula (until the walls come down for both of them), but also in a different way with Quill. The actress gives the character a sense of tough fortitude, and a yearning for redemption from her own past. As much of a force of nature as she is in combat, she’s also the voice of reason in this motley team of misfits at times, which is a refreshing touch, and she and Pratt give their characters just the right touch of chemistry.

Chris Pratt reprises the role of Peter Quill, the human who’s spent most of his life out in the stars, abducted in the wake of his mother’s death from cancer, not knowing who his father was, and growing up among inter stellar mercenaries. It’s made him something of a swashbuckler, a dashing charmer who’s trying to be more responsible now. Finding his father- with the mixture of emotions that has to bring- doesn’t quite lead to what he might have expected, which Pratt plays off of. Learning that his half-Celestial side gives him access to great power might seem ideal at first, but ultimately the character’s humanity serves to be his anchor.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 2 serves up more of the irreverent, adventurous tone of the first film, while addressing the idea of what family really means. While its protagonists might bicker endlessly, we can see the informal family they have become, and the story, cosmic in scope but quite personal too, plays to that. It opens new horizons in the Marvel cinematic universe, presents a threat of a formidable scale, and proves to be a thrill ride that mixes together humour and poignancy- sometimes in the same conversation. 

Seven Gunslingers And One Good Cause

Back in 1960, The Magnificent Seven hit theatres, a remake of a Japanese film, Seven Samurai, with a group of unlikely heroes coming to the aid of those in need. The American western was marked as a classic early on, with Yul Brynner leading a group of gunmen and fighters against a brutal bandit and his gang. That film spawned several sequels and a more recent television series. These days director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day, King Arthur) has brought the concept back to the big screen in a new western with strong character actors and a nasty antagonist.

In the West of the years after the Civil War, industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) has his sights set on a small town. The townspeople call for help, and the call is heeded. Bounty hunter Sam Chisholm (Denzel Washington) enlists a group with various talents- gambler Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), gunman Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D’Onofrio), outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), assassin Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier).

The film’s been in development for years on end- at times there were rumours of Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, and Tom Cruise attached at one time or another, the last of those actors being a horrific choice, so fortunately that didn’t happen. The screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk revisits the idea of a disparate group coming to serve a better cause, and blends in themes of standing up to tyranny and terror, certainly things that resonate in this current day. While the script features clear differences between the protagonists and antagonist, with a strong ethical line the former do not cross, the story also touches on something that wasn’t addressed in classic Westerns- that there was a rich diversity of society in the West, with black cowboys, Asian immigrants, and outspoken women. Beyond that, the story doesn’t really build on what’s come before, though it does entertain.

Fuqua himself has a fondness for Westerns, and it shows in the way he directs this. A good part of his past work goes into the urban thriller or drama sort of category, such as Training Day, The Equalizer, Olympus Has Fallen, or Brooklyn’s Finest, but there are exceptions, such as the war drama Tears of The Sun and his take on the Arthurian legend in King Arthur. A Western is a new concept for him, but he handles it well, particularly in terms of action set pieces and use of the land as a character in and of its own right. Which is surprising, when you learn that a good part of the filming was done around Louisiana, with more in New Mexico. While the latter state is definitely Western country, the former doesn’t seem to fit that mold, and yet the film feels set in the West.

There’s a lot to the details, small and large, that I liked, that gave the film more of an authentic touch. The actors come across as if they’ve been in the saddle for a long while, with the accompanying dust for good measure- that’s what cowboy boot camp will do for you. Each of the Seven- as well as other members of the cast- have their own distinctive look, a nod to makeup and costuming that serves the story well. Sets feel drawn right out of the past, with dusty towns and shops and windswept landscapes letting you think you’ve dropped in on the latter half of the 19^th century.

Usually with a film, one of the last things completed is the music score, done after editing is finished. That’s not the case with this film, though. James Horner was brought in to compose the score early on- and he composed music for it before his accidental death in 2015. This represents the final of Horner’s posthumous scores since then- with additional music composed and the complete work orchestrated by Horner’s producer Simon Franglen. It’s a fitting finale for the composer, true to Western tradition and his own style as a composer.

The cast are all well chosen, starting with the antagonist. Sarsgaard is an actor who can disappear into a role- he’s been in films as diverse as Jarhead, K-19 The Widowmaker, The Man In The Iron Mask, Kinsey, and Flightplan. The last project I’ve seen him in was the unfortunate Green Lantern, but that wasn’t his fault. Here he plays the ruthless Bogue, a man driven by greed, callous and disregarding of anyone but himself, a cruel and heartless man, thoroughly corrupt. There’s nothing at all to like about the character, but Sarsgaard makes him compelling to watch.

Haley Bennett appears as Emma Cullen, one of the townspeople who bring in the Seven. The character is a widow, having had lost her husband in a horrible way, which gives her all the more reason to want some serious payback. The story gives her a good deal to do- she’s not the typical Western damsel in distress, but a strong minded person with opinions and reserves of strength all her own, and before the film is done, one might have called the film The Magnificent Eight.

In going with a rather diverse cast, Fuqua made a wise choice as opposed to just going with seven white guys, some of whom would fade into each other (this was more problematic in the original film’s sequels). Byung-hun Lee is a South Korean actor whose American work includes Red 2 and Terminator Genisys. His character’s name doesn’t reflect the character’s ethnicity, but is one of those easily overlooked aspects of Western history- plenty of people from around the world sought opportunities in the West. Billy Rocks, as he’s known, is someone not to be crossed, and very good at what he does. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo is well cast as Vasquez, the Mexican outlaw and bandit. The character is a tenacious gunfighter, one who has nothing to lose. Martin Sensmeier’s Native roots actually come from up north in Alaska, but he plays the Comanche warrior Red Harvest with authority and strength.

Vincent D’Onofrio is one of those character actors who can be good in pretty much anything he does, hence he’ll never run out of work. The actor plays the tracker Horne, a shambling wreck of a man who provides some of the humour of the film. He gives the character a gruff, rough and tumble sensibility, and a down to earth personality. Like his counterparts, Horne is not the sort of person you want to get on the bad side of.

Ethan Hawke has worked with Fuqua before, on Training Day and Brooklyn’s Finest. His character, Robicheaux, is a former Confederate veteran, haunted by his past, a broken man in some ways. He’s also deadly at what he does- namely sharpshooting- and driven by the ghosts of what’s come before him. It makes for a compelling performance as the character finds himself drawn into fighting for the right cause.

Chris Pratt gets the bulk of the movie’s charm as Farraday, the gambler handy in a gun fight. He’s a smooth talker and sly trickster, and in many ways is occupying the same position as Steve McQueen in the original film. Smooth talker though he might be, he’s a calm head in a fight, and the actor plays to those qualities through the film. It’s a role with humour to it as well, something that the actor is particularly gifted at.

How do you follow up Yul Brynner in the original film and its first sequel? By bringing in a lead actor with that level of personal fortitude and strength. Fuqua had worked with Denzel Washington on Training Day and The Equalizer, and wanted him for this role. Fortunately Washington agreed, and this marks the actor’s first time in a Western. Washington brings the strong sense of moral authority, gravity, courage, and calm leadership that the character requires. It’s easy to see why people follow this man’s lead, and Washington gives Chisholm the right touch of conviction in the way he plays him.

While The Magnificent Seven doesn’t chart that much in the way of new ground for Westerns (aside from nodding to the diversity that was actually out there in the West), it’s an entertaining film, with clear cut villains and heroes, laid back charm, and thrilling action, feeling very much drawn out of the West. The actors bring the right amount of gravity, humour, and depth to their performances, and the film suits the Western genre quite well indeed.