A 'national legend' in Japan, the true life story of the 47 Ronin (master less Samurai) who avenged the death of their master years after he was shamed by a rival lord is the most famous example of Bushido, the samurai code of honour, and has been committed to film many times before, most of time staying close to the real life events, give or take some tiny embellishments. But it would take Hollywood, in the first English language version of the tale, to inject a heavy dose of fantasy, throwing mythical beasts, witchcraft, and Keanu Reeves into the mix.
Reeves plays Kai, a 'half breed' outcast who was rescued by the benevolent Lord Asano (Min Tanaka), granted permission to serve the nobleman, slowly falling in love with Asano's daughter Mika (Kou Shiabaski). When Asano is tricked in to shaming himself, leading to his death, by the villainous Lord Kira (Tadanbou Asano) and the witch Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi, in a role a million miles a way from the soft spoken, good natured Mako in Pacific Rim), Kai teams up with Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), former head of Asano's Samurai, to seek revenge and rescue Mika.
Visually, 47 Ronin is stunning, with mostly spot on special effects (the odd, bird faced Tengu monks the only misstep) adding to the enjoyment of this fantasy adventure. The action scenes, which admittedly are few and far between, are well shot by director Carl Rinsch, every movement captured cleanly and crisply. The finale, a raid on Kira's stronghold, is wonderfully put together, huge in scope compared to the smaller scale events that preceded it. That the movie doesn't end there, and has the courage to stick to the melancholy resolution of the real life tale, is a credit it to it. But it is a little too late. You get the feeling very early on that 47 Ronin isn't as epic as the really, really wants to be. The narrative is the biggest culprit, taking it's time to really get going, then letting itself get derailed by useless subplots once the real meat of the story reveals itself. The second act is a bit of a slog to get through, mainly down to exploring the origins of Kai, with nothing important to be said or revealed. Much of the movie is spent spinning it's wheels until the final battle, though it picks up when it tackles the true life details of the legend (which could have carried the movie itself without the need for the CGI beasties) it is based on.
Acting wise, a wealth of international talent is on display here, and they do their job admirably, wasted as they are on one dimensional characters. If you're not a fan of Reeves, this won't change your mind, but he does put in some good work as the outcast struggling to be accepted. He handles himself well in the action scenes, excelling in one on one combat. He works well alongside Sanada as the endlessly loyal Oishi, who despite Reeves' name being on the top of the poster, is the real main star. Asano's Kira threatens to fall into cackling villain territory very early, but he pulls it back from cliche. It's Kikuchi who steals the show though, clearly having a ball as the evil witch. From hair that shoots out of her head like tentacles, to turning into a floating mass of robes, she is by far the most outrageous addition to the film, but Kikiuchi loses herself in the role and makes it work.
A somewhat enjoyable, ultra stylised fantasy adventure, 47 Ronin delivers in the visual department, but a weak narrative and slightly wasted cast severely hurts it.
Reeves plays Kai, a 'half breed' outcast who was rescued by the benevolent Lord Asano (Min Tanaka), granted permission to serve the nobleman, slowly falling in love with Asano's daughter Mika (Kou Shiabaski). When Asano is tricked in to shaming himself, leading to his death, by the villainous Lord Kira (Tadanbou Asano) and the witch Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi, in a role a million miles a way from the soft spoken, good natured Mako in Pacific Rim), Kai teams up with Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), former head of Asano's Samurai, to seek revenge and rescue Mika.
Visually, 47 Ronin is stunning, with mostly spot on special effects (the odd, bird faced Tengu monks the only misstep) adding to the enjoyment of this fantasy adventure. The action scenes, which admittedly are few and far between, are well shot by director Carl Rinsch, every movement captured cleanly and crisply. The finale, a raid on Kira's stronghold, is wonderfully put together, huge in scope compared to the smaller scale events that preceded it. That the movie doesn't end there, and has the courage to stick to the melancholy resolution of the real life tale, is a credit it to it. But it is a little too late. You get the feeling very early on that 47 Ronin isn't as epic as the really, really wants to be. The narrative is the biggest culprit, taking it's time to really get going, then letting itself get derailed by useless subplots once the real meat of the story reveals itself. The second act is a bit of a slog to get through, mainly down to exploring the origins of Kai, with nothing important to be said or revealed. Much of the movie is spent spinning it's wheels until the final battle, though it picks up when it tackles the true life details of the legend (which could have carried the movie itself without the need for the CGI beasties) it is based on.
Acting wise, a wealth of international talent is on display here, and they do their job admirably, wasted as they are on one dimensional characters. If you're not a fan of Reeves, this won't change your mind, but he does put in some good work as the outcast struggling to be accepted. He handles himself well in the action scenes, excelling in one on one combat. He works well alongside Sanada as the endlessly loyal Oishi, who despite Reeves' name being on the top of the poster, is the real main star. Asano's Kira threatens to fall into cackling villain territory very early, but he pulls it back from cliche. It's Kikuchi who steals the show though, clearly having a ball as the evil witch. From hair that shoots out of her head like tentacles, to turning into a floating mass of robes, she is by far the most outrageous addition to the film, but Kikiuchi loses herself in the role and makes it work.
A somewhat enjoyable, ultra stylised fantasy adventure, 47 Ronin delivers in the visual department, but a weak narrative and slightly wasted cast severely hurts it.
