The town of Rose Creek is ruled by the corrupt mining magnate Bartholomew Bogue, played by Peter Sarsgaard, who seeks to remove the local homesteaders and kills a number of them to make an example. Haley Bennett's Emma Cullen, the widow of one of his victims, responds by seeking the services of "duly-sworn warrant officer" Sam Chisholm, played by Denzel Washington. He goes on to recruit another six mercenaries to defend the town: the smart-mouthed gambler Josh Faraday, played by Chris Pratt; Ethan Hawke as the Southern sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux; Korean knife-fighter Billy Rocks, played by Byung-Hun Lee; Jack Horne, a mountain man played by Vincent D'Onofrio; Mexican bandit Vasquez, played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo; and the exiled Comanche warrior Red Harvest, played by Martin Sensheimer.
Well, I suppose it's nice to see a more racially diverse cast this time around, and they are all likeable characters. But for a film like this it's one step forward and two steps back. Perhaps it would have been nice to see a more revisionist view on what was an idealistic story, but all the depth the original film had has been cast aside for a bigger climax. Even the villain in the original had some more dimension, and perhaps some sympathy, as he's driven by desperation to keep his men fed. The villain here is nothing of the sort - but his introduction is genuinely tense.
Speaking of that, I do kind of like how James Horner's score is a lot more brooding. It's a shame he never completed it. Although at the same time, I'm just waiting for a new rendition of the Elmer Bernstein score.
All in all, I think you can give this one a pass. Next time you want to remake something, you should give it to the Coen Brothers.
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