However, the recent remake of the 1960 Western of the same name "The Brave Seven Dragons" has returned to people's attention with a grand gesture.
The lineup of the film is very strong, not only Hollywood stars such as Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke, but also Korean superstar Lee Byung-hun joined in. The whole film can be described as star-studded.
The original version of "The Brave Seven Dragons" is a remake of the classic Japanese movie "Seven Samurai". If the problem that the original version needs to solve is how to convert the Japanese Bushido spirit into the chivalrous spirit of the western cowboy, then what this remake needs to solve is how to make this An old story with a new breath.
The film is set in a mining town in the late 1870s. The story continues the framework of the original, telling the story of seven warriors who help the townsfolk fight against bullies, while also referring to other classic American westerns, which are not the same as the original. The story has made some subtle changes to the details, but the most prominent is the bold changes in the characters.
town in the movie
The first change is the composition of the seven warriors. Compared with the original white people, this time the team shows a kind of racial diversity. There are not only white people, but also blacks, Asians, and Indians. The change in character design is subversive, and obviously does not match the era of the story. It is difficult to imagine that such a group of people would come together at that time.
Asian warrior played by Lee Byung Hun
Indians of the Seven Warriors
The most notable role is Denzel Washington's leader of the Seven Warriors, played in the original by white glamour star Yoo Brynner, whose half-smiling expression and cheetah-like graceful stride make it a Western. A classic role in the middle generation, but Denzel Washington is not inferior. He used his skilled acting skills to portray a calm, steady and resolute image of a black chivalrous person, and his charm is also broken every minute.
Yoo Brynner in the original
The leader played by Denzel Washington
The second thing that has been changed is the female characters. In traditional western films, women are basically accessories of men. In the original version, the only important female characters, apart from being molested by the cowboy on their shoulders, are the cowboys who are dumped and actively cast. This time, the heroine Emma showed considerable initiative. When the whole town retreated, she hired seven warriors to fight the bullies, and participated in the final battle. , and those plots with cowboys are deleted together, showing a distinct female individual consciousness.
heroine emma
It is not difficult to find that the changes in the two personalities represent the mainstream values of the current society: racial equality and feminism. These elements, which did not exist in traditional Western films, show the silent influence of the changing times on Western films.
Of course, the changes of the times are not only reflected in changing the traditions of westerns, but also in strengthening the traditional charm of westerns. The improvement of film production standards has allowed many western features to be better presented.
Excellent photography, showing the scenery of the western well Spectacular, this is incomparable to the original version, whether it is mountains, grasslands, or deserts, every frame is like a postcard, fascinating, and the scene of cowboys riding horses is enough to instantly evoke people's feelings Good feelings about westerns.
intoxicating western scenery
In addition, the shootout in the film is also more intense and grander than the original. Director Anthony Fuqua is a well-known action director in Hollywood. In the film, he shows his signature dynamic visual style, which makes these people feel Chivalrous warriors, like open-ended warriors, whether it's Denzel Washington's rapid horseback shooting or Chris Pratt's precise bursts, it seems quite enjoyable.
The last half-hour of fighting was the climax of the whole film. The director captured the essence of the original version of the story of winning more with less, and designed a fierce battle with great visual effects through good scene scheduling. The seven warriors It not only showed superb skills, but also showed the unique wisdom, blood and sense of justice of cowboys. The whole process made people feel passionate.
The Daily Beast even described the film as a "Fast and Furious" on horseback.
Cowboys in battle
As far as viewing is concerned, this remake is even better than the original, but on Imdb, its score has not surpassed the original. It seems that the influence of preconceptions is still relatively large. However, in terms of ethnic diversity, the film does It is also superficial, but failed to dig deeper. The roles of Asians and Indians are very rigid. Except for being good at using backward cold weapons, most of the time they are taciturn and fail to show more personalities. feature.
The original has a high score of 7.8 on Imdb
The new version only scored 7.1 points on Imdb
After removing the politically incorrect values in traditional western films and enhancing the story scenes with modern filmmaking techniques, the new version of "The Brave Seven Dragons" is closer to a regular popcorn-style entertainment film, and you will find that This story can be established in any era, and some people even call it a variant of superhero movies, which is not surprising, because whether it is a superhero movie or a Western movie, its bones are the personal heroes that Americans admire. doctrine.
As a genre film born and raised in the United States, Westerns may not be as easy to decline as imagined. After all, chivalrous tenderness and invincible evil are topics that people talk about at any time, and this excellent remake of "The Brave Seven Dragons", Perhaps it heralded the strong return of Westerns.
First published on the WeChat platform of Movie Wanted
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