47 Ronin

47 Ronin is a film reimagining of a popular Japanese folktale that is stuck inside its mythic contraptions. Everybody is an archetype, as opposed to a character. Love, hate or brotherhood between characters is assumed rather than shown through character development. The story starts and ends with an unknown narrator, who tells the story as if we were all listening to a old tale by a campfire. The end result is that it places a distance between the story and the audience. It is as if the story itself is matted on a frame, and we are just looking at it in a gallery with a curator recounting the story as opposed to the viewer experiencing the story from a first-person perspective.

Keanu Reeves is not the problem here. There is no room here to critique about woodiness as there wasn't enough for him to do. He is casted here for marketing reasons and it really shows. Reeves' character is sidelined by Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays the leader of the Ronin. Sanada carries the film with his powerful presence; you really do believe he can really hurt someone with a sword. He has long been the go-to guy for American-Japanese co-productions and it's finally nice to see him in a central role. Tadanobu Asano also shows up to chew some scenery as the villain and adds a depth that wasn't on the page. My fingers are still crossed he will play Genghis Khan again in a sequel to Mongul.

Hearing the film opened poorly in Japan is unfortunate. Perhaps it is uncomfortable for the Japanese to see their own folktale retold in a foreign production. I have bulked at my fair share of Hollywood misrepresentations of Chinese culture, and evidently there is a sufficient amount of Orientalism in the film. Though the fantasy elements and the production design are so extreme it plays closer to a graphic novel. The more I think about why the fantasy elements were added, the more it seems like it is there to justify the casting of Keanu Reeves as a half- Caucasian half-Japanese outsider amongst an entire cast of Japanese actors. I can't help but imagine what a more realistic telling of this story would have been like as the Japanese cultural elements and Samurai politics were more interesting than the magic and mythic beasts.

To sum it all up, 47 Ronin is a fantasy graphic novel style adaptation of a Japanese folktale released in December. Perhaps it is not exactly the most festive way to start the new year with all the beheadings and Samurai ritual suicide. The story also takes a long time to get set up, which asks for a lot of patience on the viewer's part. The ideal crowd would have been overseas anime geeks who are fascinated with Japanese pop culture, and perhaps for that, the film may have fared better if it was released in the March-April slot. That all said, even with its flaws and supposed qualifiers, 47 Ronin accomplishes what it sets out to do. It's just not for everybody.

Interesting movie, false advertising about the guy with the pistol, the fights were good, I do not know the full story about the 47 Ronin but I think this modern adoption was a good version of it, but they probably could have been more accurate to the original story and it would have been even better.

47 Ronin is a highly fictionalized take on the story of the 47 ronin who took revenge on a court official who had the 47's leader commit seppuku. In the film, Keanu Reeves portrays Kai, a half-British Half-Japanese outcast who is called upon by Oishi, the leader of the 47. The 47 seek revenge on Lord Kira, who also has an evil witch (Rinko Kikuchi) serving under him, who killed their master.

The movie itself looks absolutely phenomenal, with amazing visual effects, an emotional and gripping musical score, and strong performances from Keanu and Hiroyuki Sanada, who portrays Oishi. The major problem that i saw with the movie was that, it was over way too fast. They left out important character development for the witch and a few other characters, which really could have added more emotional flame to the film. Plus, the movie overall could have easily been twenty, thirty minutes longer. If it were, i would say it can rank alongside 13 Assassins and The Last Samurai. The script was well-written in terms of dialogue (some cheesy lines), but the overall script was devoid of real depth and thought. Then, Carl Erik Rinsch's directing was actually pretty good, but had a few too many cut-aways.

47 Ronin is an extremely action-packed samurai/fantasy epic that is something you don't want to miss on the big-screen (for a cheap price). Though, if you want to see something award-worthy in terms of writing and directing, hope for a Director's/Extended cut on disc, for you won't find it here. But great performances, visual effects and emotion really help make this movie stand out, even with The Desolation of Smaug as competition.

A band of samurai who have lost there master set out to avenge his treacherous death at the hands of Lord Kira. Enter Kai, a humble "half breed" with more to him than meets the eye, with catching favor with the fallen Lord's daughter, Kai must join the 47 Ronin to not only avenge his honor but save the woman he loves..

Very visually appealing with a nice blend of action and a wonderful nod to ancient Japanese mythology. I felt though that there could have been more to the story, simple and clichéd in some areas but overall an enjoyable film. Keanu does a decent job with his part but the true meat and potatoes comes from Hiroyuki Sanada, who does a masterful job in his portrayal as the chief ronin, Ôishi . The true pleasure and joy within this film is its nod and ode to the ancient Japanese mythology of the time, which in my opinion is done very well. Some may not understand the conclusion of this film but in a little learned knowledge of the culture one would see it for what it was intended for.. All in all an enjoyable movie and film for any fan of action films and historical fantasy.

Review: I really enjoyed this movie. It had a very traditional Japanese movie feel and great action throughout. The storyline was well put together by the director and you can really see were there big budget went, with all of the glamorous costumes and amazing scenery. The love story was a bit cheesy, but it spoil the whole flow of the movie. I'm in two minds about Keanu Reeves though. He just seemed misplaced throughout the film and he looked like he didn't know what to do with himself. All the way through the movie, he's treated like an outcast, even though he keeps on saving there ass, and he never gets the recognition that he truly deserves. Being called a half breed through your whole life would make anyone turn against the people that you live and work for, but he is a loyal servant he shows that his skills are very much needed. Anyway, it's definitely worth a watch and you can't help feeling touched by the amazing courage of the 47 Ronin. Enjoyable!

Round-Up: I honestly think that this film might have got a bigger audience if Keanu Reeves wasn't in it, for some unknown reason. The funny thing is that he isn't really the main character, as advertised, and it more about the legacy than an individual. As for his performance, he doesn't really say that much through the movie, but his fighting skills were impressive. Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays the leader of the Ronin, played his part extremely well and he brought all of the in depth emotion to the film. I was also impressed with his performance in The Railway Man which also was an emotional movie. I would like to hear why this movie didn't make it's money back because I have seen much worst this year.

Budget: $175million (WOW!) Worldwide Gross: $151million

I recommend this movie to people who are into there epic oriental movies about 47 men revenging the death of there master. 7/10