The opening massacre is the most violently shocking moment in this film. It’s also the catalyst for the small town to hire the titular gang to defend them from the perpetrator (Peter Sarsgaard). They start with Denzel Washington, who sets out to assemble his team, which includes a wise-cracking Chris Pratt and a rainbow of ethnicities. Most don’t have much personality, but neither does the movie. With a re-imagining, you’d expect a stepped-up approach. Instead, it’s a mostly somber drama with lots of serious posturing (and not much emotion). While copious bullets fly in the final showdown, not much of the action is original or even interesting. Without advancing the genre in any way, it’s still an adequate Western.
(2.5 / 5)