THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (12A, 133 mins) Western/Action/Drama. Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Byung-hun Lee, Vincent D'Onofrio, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard, Haley Bennett, Luke Grimes, Matt Bomer. Director: Antoine Fuqua.

Released: September 23 (UK & Ireland)

Towards the bullet-riddled conclusion of director Antoine Fuqua's stylish western remake, a voiceover dreamily recalls the self-sacrifice and heroism of seven righteous men, who laid down their lives for a town in jeopardy.

"It was magnificent," gushes the film's narrator.

That's going a little far.

In its bombastic latest incarnation, The Magnificent Seven lassos a stellar cast and a rollicking soundtrack composed by the late, great James Horner and completed by his good friend, Simon Franglen.

Action sequences are orchestrated at a canter and Richard Wenk and Nic Pizzolatto's script introduces some moments of bone dry humour in between the frenetic shoot-outs.

It's an entertaining ride, but Fuqua struggles to distinguish his battle royale between morally conflicted men from the countless westerns that have trotted down this same narrative trail.

Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, who won his golden statuette in Fuqua's 2001 film Training Day, is a swaggering, physically imposing hero, driven to his suicidal actions in the name of retribution.

He is matched, verbal blow for blow, by Peters Sarsgaard as the glowering villain of the piece, who demonstrates his wanton disregard for human life in a brutal, unflinching opening act.

The year is 1879 and the scars of the American Civil War are yet to heal.

The God-fearing folk of Rose Creek seek solace in church, but the spiritual peace is shattered by the arrival of greedy industrialist Bartholomew Bogue (Sarsgaard) and his goons, who intend to drive families out of their homes.

"Twenty dollars for each parcel of land," Bogue tells the enraged congregation, shooting dead several dissenters, including faithful husband Matthew Cullen (Matt Bomer).

Grieving widow Emma Cullen (Haley Bennett) and her friend Teddy (Luke Grimes) canter to neighbouring Amador City to enlist the services of bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Washington) to kill Bogue.

"You don't need a bounty hunter, you need an army," scoffs Chisolm, who has crossed paths with the industrialist before.

Moved by Emma's tearful plight, the gunslinger corrals six men of dubious character to wage war in Rose Creek: compulsive gambler Josh Farraday (Chris Pratt), sharp shooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Ethan Hawke), assassin Billy Rocks (Byung-hun Lee), tracker Jack Horne (Vincent D'Onofrio), Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier).

The scene is set for a rootin' tootin' showdown between the rival factions.

The Magnificent Seven rests comfortably on the shoulders of Washington and his co-stars.

Pratt continues to pigeonhole himself as Hollywood's favourite wisecracking action man and Hawke and Lee catalyse a fascinating and flawed double-act.

Sarsgaard chews scenery as if it were tobacco.

The script is peppered with well-heeled one-liners - "Fame is a sarcophagus" - and the final assault on a besieged Rose Creek packs in sufficient excitement to warrant staying in the saddle for 133 minutes.

:: SWEARING :: NO SEX :: VIOLENCE :: RATING: 6/10

THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS (15, 111 mins) Horror/Thriller/Action. Sennia Nanua, Glenn Close, Gemma Arterton, Paddy Considine, Fisayo Akinade, Anthony Welsh. Director: Colm McCarthy.

Released: September 23 (UK & Ireland)

Following a blood trail left by cult director George A Romero, award-winning TV series The Walking Dead has consistently raised the bar for nail-biting human drama set in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.

But the bar is set too high for The Girl With All The Gifts, a dystopian horror directed by Colm McCarthy and adapted for the screen by Liverpudlian author Mike Carey from his bestselling novel of the same title.

Predominantly filmed on location in the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Cannock Chase and Dudley, this grim vision of mankind teetering on the brink of annihilation feels second hand for the majority of its slow-burning 111 minutes.

Scenes of the infected sinking their gnashers into human limbs or stray animals ensure plenty of blood is spilt although the on-screen violence isn't particularly graphic or stomach-churning.

The film's 15 certificate owes as much to potty-mouthed dialogue and a lingering shot of a character flicking through an adult magazine as the carnage.

Twelve-year-old newcomer Sennia Nanua lights up the screen as the miraculous child of the title, who holds the key to our salvation.

She possesses an innate sweetness and innocence that catalyses tender scenes with more experienced co-stars, who don't have quite as much emotional meat to sink their teeth into.

An aggressive fungal infection has reduced the majority of the population to carnivorous predators known as "hungries".

The contagion is spread through bodily fluids and victims are inactive unless they scent living prey, which inflames their appetite for flesh.

At a heavily protected military base in rural England, Dr Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close) oversees experiments on a group of infected children, who have miraculously retained their mental acuity.

Her goal is to synthesize a vaccine from their brain matter and spinal fluid before the fungus becomes airborne.

Schoolteacher Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton) is one of the on-site staff, and she grows especially fond of a 10-year-old subject called Melanie (Nanua).

"She likes me best," the girl teases Sergeant Eddie Parks (Paddy Considine), whose overwhelmed troops cull the rampaging hordes that swarm around the facility.

When the security of the base is fatally compromised, Sergeant Parks escorts Dr Caldwell, Helen and Melanie off-site with fellow soldiers, Kieran (Fisayo Akinade) and Dillon (Anthony Welsh).

They trundle across rugged terrain in search of refuge from the slaughter, gun sights scanning the horizon for potential danger.

"Our mission statement now is to keep ourselves off the menu," growls Perks.

The Girl With All The Gifts shuffles through a series of claustrophobic set pieces, slowly whittling down the cast with bullets or bites.

Close invests her idealistic medic with a chilling resolve, giving her character more depth than is on the page.

Director McCarthy opts for a grim, earthy colour palette, so the frequent splashes of crimson red stand out.

:: SWEARING :: NO SEX :: VIOLENCE :: RATING: 5/10