The Magnificent Seven
Director Antoine Fuqua is best known for his hard - hitting gas constant - rated military action drama . Training Day , The Equalizer , Southpaw , andOlympus Has Fallenare among his most well - known movies , and each earned their hard radius rating with a bevy of swearing , bloody violence , and provocative imagery . He ’s not a full unknown to tamer fare , having direct both 2004’sKing Arthurand the 2016 remake ofThe Magnificent Seven , both of which were rated PG-13 .
The Magnificent Seven , even with its PG-13 rating , is still an exciting and crowd - pleasing activeness moving picture with great performances from its ensemble mould and some of the coolest Old West gun battles ever captured on film . As it twist out , Fuqua ’s Western epic was n’t always suppose to be a comparatively mild , family - friendly rating .
During Screen Rant ’s interview with the director about his latest motion picture , The Equalizer 2 , the conversation flex to the level of violence in his movies :
You ’re famous for how violent your moving-picture show sometimes are . Even when it ’s a PG-13 likeThe Magnificent Seven … It ’s like , the hardest PG-13 you’re able to get . Was that always the program ? Was that shoot for PG-13 ?
Antoine Fuqua : Mag 7 ? No . That was an MGM man of affairs .
Was that a combat you decided to give in on ?
Antoine Fuqua : Well … It was n’t as much of a fight as … Ya know , I got to make a Western , and I imagine I need to get a broad audience , as well , to see a Western , so I roll along with it . I do n’t know if I should have or not , but at the end of the twenty-four hour period , making a Western is a very rare opportunity , so you have to compromise somewhere to try on to ensure everybody gets their money back .
The inauspicious irony of the place is that Fuqua was discussing MGM ’s job decision while promotingThe Equalizer 2 , an R - rated sequel to an R - rated picture which outgrossed theThe Magnificent Sevenremake by $ 30 million worldwide . Indeed , despite its all - ace cast ( including Denzel Washington , Ethan Hawke , Chris Pratt , Vincent D’Onofrio , and Byung - Hun Lee ) and the purportedly more broadly - appealing PG-13 rating , the westerly actioner neglect to fall apart out at the box office , gross a soft $ 162 million off a budget of $ 90 million . Meanwhile , The Equalizerhad a more small-scale budget , a harder MPAA military rating , and a lowly cast , but still grossed a solid $ 192 million .
disregarding of behind - the - scene political relation , The Magnificent Sevenis a noteworthy plus to Fuqua ’s canyon . If the choice was between making a PG-13 westerly and not being allowed to make it at all , it ’s obvious he made the right choice . Still , it would sure enough be nice to see his original visual modality for the film see the light source of solar day . After all , an unrated Director ’s Cut ofKing Arthurwas finally free , which restored all of the historic epic ’s graphic violence . peradventure someday down the line of descent , audiences will be able to watch over an gas constant - rated Director ’s Cut ofThe Magnificent Seven , in line with what Fuqua had always destine for the film .
More:The Equalizer 2 Review
