47 Ronin

Reviews from the Dark Side presents
    47 Ronin
Released 12/25/13, now in theaters

Japanese legend undergoes the Hollywood treatment in the Christmas release of 47 Ronin.  The film is  a depiction of the true story of 47 masterless Samurai (ronin) in the 18th century who took revenge for the wrongful death of their master under threat of their own demise by their government if they took action.  Director, Carl Rinsch, and Universal Studios have taken the route of turning the story into a mythical fantasy which is sure to anger purists of the true legend. 

Kai (Keanu Reeves) is a half-breed (part human, part mystic) who is found by the Asano clan as a boy.  He's pretty much treated as a second-class citizen by all the Samurai in the clan with the exception of the clan master who took him in and the master's daughter, Mika, who secretly loves Kai. 

The Asano clan has a rival in Lord Kira and his clan who secretly covets the Asano lands and power. And, he's willing to use sorcery to obtain his objective as he has obtained the services of a powerful witch.  When the two clans unite for an annual ceremony for the Shogun (governor), an unfortunate event manipulated by Kira's witch forces the Shogun to order the ritual suicide of the Asano clan leader for the offense.  Kira is also awarded the Asano lands and the hand of  Mika's in one year (to allow the morning of her father).  The Asano Samurai, now Ronin, are also ordered to vacate the lands by Kira.  Kai is sold into slavery.  Oishi, the master's chief lieutenant, is imprisoned by Kira to further humiliate the clan and break his spirit. 

Oishi is released a year later and believed to be a broken man.  However, he is far from broken.  He plans to reunite the Asano Samurai to take vengeance on Kira despite the Shogun's warning a year ago that no vengeance is to be taken.  He also needs to liberate Kai as he needs the half-breed's supernatural connection to combat Kira's dark forces. 

I went into this movie not knowing the legend of the 47 Ronin. Maybe that's a good thing as I had no preconceived  notion of what the story was supposed to be.  I admit that I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to characters or stories that I know.  The film does make several embellishments on the legend.  For example, I'm not completely up on my Japanese history, but I'll take a stab in the dark that dragons and mystical witches didn't exist in 18th century feudal Japan.  I'm thinking the liberties that were taken is in part the reason critics have taken a machete to it.  But, now knowing the story, I still enjoyed the special effects and embellishments. 

That brings me to issue two of why this film has been panned.  And, that would be Keanu himself.  Come on, now.  Insert your Keanu joke here.  You know you have one.  We all do.  And, I'll admit  some of those jokes are well earned.  But, I also think the actor gets a bit of a bad rap at times.  He can be decent, or, at least serviceable in roles that call for an average set of dramatic skills.  While I think it would probably be a mistake to cast him in a remake of Raging Bull, he's fine for a role such as this. 

I was impressed by the fantasy elements added to the story.  It's a fascinating study of loyalty and duty as the 47 Ronin know they face imminent death whether they succeed or fail in their mission.  But, honor is paramount in the bushido code and the warriors face their fate with dignity. 

47 Ronin won't go down as one my favorite movies of all time, but, I'll be a lone voice in the woods and say it's worth a look.  Hurry though.  If you want to see it on the big screen, I wouldn't wait too long.  Considering the backlash the film is receiving it might be on DVD within the week.

The Dark Lord of the Sith says:

***1/2 stars


Ratings Legend
Zero *= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Good viewing. Much better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. Could possibly foot the price of a non-Matinee.
5 *= Pure eye candy. Hall of Fame material here.