The Magnificent Seven

I have a vague recollection of watching the original movie with my Dad.  I don't remember any details, I just remember that my Dad really liked it and they blew up a lot of things!  So, I can't really compare this new version of The Magnificent Seven with the original but I can tell you that I found it to be wildly entertaining!  When an unscrupulous owner of a mining company, Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard), threatens the town of Rose Creek and kills her husband, Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) turns to bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Denzel Washington) for justice.  Chisolm begins recruiting men for the impossible task: gambler Josh Faraday (Chris Pratt), notorious Mexican bandit Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), sharpshooter (and hero of the Battle of Antietam) Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), knife-wielding assassin Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier).  They take the town of Rose Creek in a shoot-out (the first of many) and begin to fortify (and booby-trap) the town for an epic showdown with Bogue.  Just like the original, lots of things get blown up and it is certainly exciting.  Besides the amazing action scenes, I really liked the character development of each of the seven and I couldn't pick which one I liked more (although D'Onofrio is a hoot to watch as the eccentric Horne and Hawke does a great job portraying a man tormented by the Civil War).  The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and I liked the almost sepia-toned photography.  I am not usually a big fan of Western films but this one is so much fun to watch and I highly recommend it, especially to fans of the genre.