47 Ronin

"47 Ronin" is one of those movies that takes a real historical event and tries to up the ante by throwing in some fictional elements and more impressive action sequences. Much like other movies that did this sort of thing before, like Zack Snyder's "300", this movie also has a lot of visual thrills and handles the historical aspects of the story very well. Sadly, unlike other movies of it's kind, most of the fictional elements of the movie don't contribute much to the overall experience, making them feel a bit unnecessary at times.

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

Compared to 70% of the garbage in theaters, this movie is both quite deep and fun to watch.

It is not a huge budget movie, it doesn't have a perfect script or story overall, but the acting was great and the overall fantasy feel to it mixed in with samurai lore was really enjoyable.

I expected this movie to be less than average due to overall scores. Don't pay attention to them. I'll be purchasing the bluray after seeing it just now.

It has a slower beginning but it helps give characters depth. The ending is also quite spectacular because you're involved with the ronin every step of the way. The last 1/3rd of the film is as usual where the major battles happen, but act two does not disappoint.

In my books this is a 7.5/10, gave it an 8 as its under rated on here. Approach it as a really good B movie and you'll love it. If you expect an Oscar nominations and a $200 mil budget for this, you should probably not be reviewing these sorts of films.

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.

Everyone has movies like this. You know they are bad and you know they are ridiculous but for whatever reason, you just thoroughly enjoy them. This is one of those movies for me. Maybe it will be for you too.