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.

Glory Hallelujah: Courage, Spirit, And Honor

Some links before getting started today, and I've been remiss in doing this. Norma had seven revelations and a where are they now post on one of her books. Parsnip had Easter Scotties and views from home.Cheryl had a crime blotter post. And Krisztina had carrot cake.

Now then, today, April 9th, marks the 150th anniversary of Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox during the American Civil War, the end of major fighting in the Eastern Theatre of that conflict. I thought I would mark the occasion with two movie reviews of Civil War films that really appeal to me. This is the first of the two.

“Why do you treat the men this way, Robert?” ~ Cabot Forbes 

“How should I treat them?” Robert G. Shaw 

“....Like men?” ~ Cabot Forbes

“And what are you? So full of hate you want to go out and fight everybody! Because you’ve been whipped and chased by hounds. Well that might not be living, but it sure as hell ain’t dying. And dying’s what these white boys have been doing going on for three years now. Dying by the thousands. Dying for you, fool. I know, ‘cause I dug the graves. And all this time I keep asking, when, O Lord, is it gonna be our time? Gonna come a time when we have to ante up. Ante up and kick in like men. Like men!” ~ Rawlins

“See, the way I figure, I figure this war would be over a whole lot sooner if you boys just turned right on around and headed on back down that way, and you let us head on up there where the real fighting is.” ~ Trip

“There’s more to fighting than rest, sir. There’s character. There’s strength of heart. You should have seen us in action two days ago. We were a sight to see. We’ll be ready, sir. When do you want us?” ~ Robert G. Shaw

Glory has been called by some the best war movie ever made, and it is a fair comment. Director Edward Zwick (Legends Of The Fall, Courage Under Fire) brought the Civil War tale of African-American soldiers in the 54^th Massachusetts Regiment confronting racism, distrust, and the culture of the time as their commanders strove to give them the chance to get into the fight. It not only tells the story of the regiment, whose extraordinary bravery allowed for far more African-American men to enlist, but the experience of such men throughout that terrible war.

The film opens on the fields of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles of the war, where we meet a young officer, Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), wounded but having had survived the battle. He meets a gravedigger named Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) and returns home to recover in Massachusetts with his parents, prominent abolitionists. There he is offered command of a new regiment to be made up of freemen and escaped slaves. He accepts the command, asking his friend Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes) to serve as his right hand man, and getting his first enlisted man, a born free well educated friend named Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher) signing up.

The regiment organizes for training. Most of the enlisted men are escaped slaves, with little education but much will to get into the fight. Rawlins is one of them. Another is a man named Trip (Denzel Washington), a bitterly angry man aching to take the fight to the people who held him and his family as slaves. As training gets underway and the men start to come together as a regiment, they find themselves dealing with life in the military, being treated unfairly or neglected because of officers elsewhere along the line, and their own expectations of what is to come. Shaw and his officers must handle their grievances, balancing the needs of the men and realistic expectations of how they’ll be used. As time goes on, the regiment finds themselves finally drawn into battle in the deep South, at a place where they will meet history.

The screenplay comes from Kevin Jarre, based on the letters by Shaw to his family and friends back home, as well as two books on the 54^th. It does make use of composite characters- Trip, Rawlins, Forbes, and Searles are all composites, as opposed to historical figures, but these are based in the sort of men who made up these regiments, both enlisted and officers. The story in the film relates to the overall experience of black soldiers in that war just as much as it tells the tale of the regiment- the obstacles they faced, the prejudices, the reasons these men went to war. Jarre wove that all into the screenplay; while the point of view character might be Shaw the historical figure, his story is interwoven so strongly with the men, and the enlisted men are rendered with depth and complexity throughout.

Zwick certainly has a gift for directing films with strong characterization and yet also managing the ferocity of the battlefield, and both elements of that are in play here. Much of the filming was done on location, with strong attention to detail in terms of period uniforms and clothing, equipment, and settings. Zwick hired on the writer and historian Shelby Foote as a consultant, a wise move, as his thorough knowledge of the war and the times comes through in the storytelling. Throughout the film we feel like we’ve stepped back in time and are walking unseen among these people in this time, silent witnesses to a pivotal period in history. That comes down to the sheer amount of attention to detail by Zwick and his crew.

The cinematography is amazing- it won Oscars for that and for sound, scoring nominations in other technical categories and a win for Best Supporting Oscar. The climactic charge at Fort Wagner, a tactical failure that nonetheless had a huge impact on history to follow, is rendered in an apocalyptic, brutal way that leaves one feeling as if you were there. As terrifying as it is- and we can imagine it must have been to the real soldiers- it also leaves one with a respect for the fact that not one of them let the fear control them. Lastly, the score by James Horner- accompanied by choir on frequent occasions- is his very best, a majestic and dignified score that perfectly fits into the movie.

The casting of the film is brilliant. Andre Braugher, who would go on to regular film and television appearances after, and would create one of the best roles in television history in the form of Frank Pembleton on Homicide Life On The Street, gets an outstanding role as Thomas Searles. Thomas is an outsider in the story; when we first meet him, this is a civilian, an articulate, well educated man who’s been friends with Shaw and Forbes for years. He’s been free his entire life, is involved in the abolitionist movement, and is thoughtful and principled. He jumps into military life without really thinking it through, and finds himself isolated. The rules of military structure mean that he can’t freely socialize with the officers he’s known as friends, but his well educated status also isolates him from the other men in the regiment, particularly Trip, who seems to despise him. Braugher has to bring these qualities to the role, and he does so splendidly, the character very gradually coming into his own. It’s a great performance from a great actor.

Cary Elwes gets one of his finest roles as the cynical officer Forbes. He’s not overly ambitious, seems to not take things seriously when we first meet him, including his own abilities as an officer. He’s wary of the notion of accepting the job, and seems to do it more because his friend is asking. And yet as the film goes on, and the stakes get higher, including a Southern proclamation that white officers commanding such a Union regiment will be treated just as harshly as the men, Forbes shows his loyalties to the men and a commitment to the cause, acting much more decisively and with dedication than when we first meet him.

Morgan Freeman had already been acting for many years, but this film, along with Driving Miss Daisy, really started getting him noticed as an actor, and he never looked back afterwards. There is a patient wisdom in his role as Rawlins, a man who yearns for freedom and justice. He has a background as an escaped slave, seeks a world where things can be set right. He’s better tempered than some of the men around him, particularly Trip, but beneath that is a man who sees the horrors of slavery and racism for what they are. Rawlins is one of those men in any army who becomes the backbone of a fighting force, the reliable senior enlisted man who can keep calm under pressure. It is a compelling performance, and a character that is one of the best, if not the best, roles for Freeman through his career.

Denzel Washington won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor as Trip, and it is well deserved. It is one of his finest roles, a man of fierce defiance and absolute rage at the injustice done to his people. Trip is deeply cynical, with a huge chip on his shoulder, no respect for anyone, and an eagerness to pick a fight. He lashes out, speaks his mind, tends to alienate others, and yet as the story goes along we see his headstrong courage, his dominant will, and determination to make a difference. His lack of respect for others translates to the officers, only gradually fading away as the story goes along and he understands they have as much at stake as he does, and particularly where Thomas is concerned; there comes a moment between the two later in the film where one is convinced the two very different men might well kill each other, a moment defused by Rawlins in a way that gets Trip to reconsider his own worldview. The performance by Washington is a marvel to behold.

Broderick was ideally cast as Shaw, commanding officer of the regiment. He had already been serving in the army for awhile, facing the worst of the fighting when the command came into his orbit, so Shaw was not fresh to war. He’s an idealist, though, a man of strong principles that have been infused into him by his parents and the abolitionist circles he’s travelled in. Shaw is a man who believes in justice, and takes on a difficult assignment, confronting all of the problems that entails. It requires him to do some give and take with the men- subjecting them to the verbal abuse of an Irish drill sergeant who rightfully has to drill them into shape on the one hand, while taking their side and refusing pay when his men are not being paid the same as white men on the other. Over time, Shaw gains their respect by showing his own respect, and Broderick conveys that in how he plays the character. It’s a mature performance, tightly controlled and dignified, and Broderick brings weight and seriousness to the role. We believe him as a capable commanding officer.

Glory is a film masterpiece, both as a powerful storytelling epic and as a strong character study. It weaves between the horrors and heroics of war while telling the story of the experience of that war through the eyes of some of the unlikeliest soldiers of that conflict. What the 54^th accomplished at Fort Wagner is a testament to willpower and courage, and while a tactical defeat, it allowed for thousands of more African-American men to join the fight. Lincoln credited these men with turning the tide of the war. Glory does them credit, serving as a magnificent film paying tribute to their extraordinary story.