Ethan Hawke’s The Magnificent Seven Remake Is Still Better Than the Original

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Westerns are one of the most popular and enduring genres in film history. Actors like John Wayne and Clint Eastwood famously portrayed the drama and adventure of the American West, captivating audiences for decades. While the classic film The Magnificent Seven is well-known, the 2016 remake is arguably a superior film in nearly every aspect.

The Magnificent Seven is a reimagining of the classic film Seven Samurai by Akira Kurosawa. It follows seven gunslingers who unite to protect a small Mexican town from the ruthless bandit Calvera and his gang. The 2016 version builds upon the original story with fresh characters, larger-scale action sequences, and a more lively town, ultimately establishing itself as the most compelling adaptation of this Western tale.

The Good and the Bad of the Original Magnificent Seven

Westerns were hugely popular at the movies in the 1960s. Filmmakers like Sergio Leone were creating iconic movies such as Once Upon a Time in the West and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Other popular films of the era included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

The Western genre was at its peak when John Sturges directed a large-scale Western film inspired by Seven Samurai. He and his team adapted the classic story for an American audience, portraying gunslingers as the equivalent of the lone, masterless samurai warriors, or ronin.

For his film, Sturges brought together an impressive group of actors, including stars like Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, James Coburn, and Charles Bronson, who played the memorable cowboys. Having so many well-known actors in one movie was much less common in 1960 than it is today.

The Magnificent Seven was packed with exciting action sequences, large-scale gunfights, and strong chemistry between the cast. Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen especially stood out as the film’s compelling leaders, bringing charisma and energy to their roles. Charles Bronson also delivered a powerful performance, providing some of the movie’s most moving scenes.

As a critic, I often approach remakes with a degree of skepticism, and The Magnificent Seven unfortunately falls into the trap of being constantly measured against its source material. When you stack it up against Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai, it simply doesn’t compare. That original film was a sprawling, over three-hour masterpiece, fully immersing you in its story and visuals. It set the bar so incredibly high that this remake, honestly, never stood a chance of reaching it.

The movie feels flat and doesn’t evoke the same sense of wonder or feeling as many other films do. Visually, it’s a bit dull, relying heavily on the same brown and white scenery of the small Mexican town where it’s filmed. The characters—both the gunslingers and the townspeople—don’t feel connected to each other, leaving the story feeling distant.

The emotional impact of the deaths feels weak, serving more as spectacle than truly moving moments. While The Magnificent Seven had the potential to be a classic, it ultimately relies more on familiar feelings and nostalgia than on a compelling story with real depth.

How 2016’s The Magnificent Seven Became the Better Movie

The 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven improves upon the original in many ways. Director Antoine Fuqua, known for films like Training Day and The Equalizer, delivers a visually impressive take on the classic Western.

Director Antoine Fuqua assembled a fantastic cast for the film, including Sam Chisholm and Ethan Hawke as Robicheaux, along with stars like Chris Pratt, Vincent d’Onofrio, and Peter Sarsgaard.

A significant improvement over the original film is the strong connection between the actors. Washington and Pratt, who stepped into the roles previously played by Brynner and McQueen, delivered performances that were arguably even better. The characters of Chisholm and Faraday were also more developed, with clear personalities and reasons for their actions that went beyond just the reward money. Chisholm, in particular, provided the emotional core of the story, having a much deeper and more personal stake in the conflict in Rose Creek.

The connection between Hawke’s character, Goodnight, and Lee Byung-hun’s Billy Rocks felt deep and established, as if they shared a past that extended beyond the film. The characters themselves felt grand and imposing. Hawke’s portrayal of Jack Horne was particularly striking, thanks to the character’s distinctive voice and personality, which made him truly stand out.

The characters undergo genuine and meaningful development, both individually and as a team. This is a significant improvement over the first film, where most characters remained largely unchanged.

Mads Mikkelsen’s character, Bartholomew Bogue, is a significant upgrade from the original film’s villain. The previous villain, Calvera, felt like a typical gang leader. While Bogue certainly embodies some classic villainous traits, he’s far more threatening and captivating to watch than a simple outlaw.

The 2016 film The Magnificent Seven delivered plenty of action alongside its compelling story. The attack on Rose Creek was exactly the kind of exciting spectacle director Antoine Fuqua’s fans had come to expect, filled with huge explosions and intense gunfights. This made the final stand of the seven heroes feel both desperate and deeply moving. Each character’s death was powerfully felt by the audience, creating a truly visceral experience.

The Classic Western Struggles With Modern Audiences

Traditional Western movies have often had a hard time finding success in recent years, and The Magnificent Seven was a prime example. Despite costing $90 million to make, it only brought in $93 million at the U.S. box office. This was before Westerns saw a comeback on television with popular shows like Yellowstone and its related series.

Westerns often feel romantic and enchanting. While traditional Westerns captured this, The Magnificent Seven aimed to update the genre for the 1960s and recapture that feeling. However, audiences don’t always respond to this kind of storytelling.

As a huge Western fan, the original Magnificent Seven from the 60s was groundbreaking when it came out, but honestly, watching it now, it doesn’t quite hold up against some of the other classics from that era. I was really surprised by the 2016 remake, though! It actually fixed a lot of what didn’t work in the original. The characters are so much more developed, the action is bigger and bolder, and the story feels way more personal. It really showed me what a Western can be in the 21st century.

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2025-11-28 18:39