At the Theater - "47 Ronin" - The visual aspects of this big-budgeted, Hollywood cinematic adaptation of the tale of 47 disgraced Samurai seeking revenge for the death of their master are definitely appealing, featuring some beautiful cinematography, striking color schemes, excellent costume designs, impressive set pieces and solid digital effects- too bad the more humanistic aspects play out as emotionally hollow and woefully short on character development. This film has most of the markings of the troubled production it was rumored to be, but in no way approaches worst of the year territory.
Keanu Reeves (The Matrix) is rather wooden as the half-breed, outcast tracker, "Kai". I must admit to finding it a bit uncomfortable seeing him as the star of this film in it's first trailers. It made me wonder about the untimely death of actor Brandon Lee and how American audience sensibilities may have been different if he had continued to bridge the gap that his father established. There are currently no bankable Asian-American action stars and that's disheartening.
Hiroyuki Sanada (The Last Samurai, The Wolverine) portrays the leader of the vengeful Ronin, "Oishi"- I wished his character had been treated as the central protagonist, yet he ends up being pushed aside as support. Rinko Kikuchi (Pacific Rim, The Brothers Bloom) steals the show outright as a delightfully wicked, scheming sorceress (lamely credited as "Witch"), with Tadanobu Asano (Thor: The Dark World) supplying the ruthless and power-hungry "Lord Kira". The very pretty Ko Shibasaki is Kai's potential love interest, "Mika", in a romance that never blossoms.
7 foot 7 inch tall Neil Fingleton (the United Kingdom's tallest Brit) supplies the awesome, massive Samurai henchman (credited as "Lovecraftian Samurai") that's sadly wasted in the film's final battle.
Characters across the board are of the stereotypical variety, with two fleeting scenes of camaraderie amongst the 47 seemingly pasted in as an afterthought. The dialogue here should have been delivered in Japanese and subtitled for American audiences- the mostly Japanese cast (many unable to speak English) seem uncomfortable with the material.
Whether it was due to studio meddling or a Director (Carl Rinsch, making his feature film Directorial debut) in over his head (possibly both), there are several blatantly evident instances of awkward edits and clunky transitions- the narrative flow feels as if there's 30-40 minutes of missing footage. Furthermore, this is a relatively neutered affair which was probably digitally scrubbed clean of any offensive, pesky blood to achieve a coveted, tween-friendly PG-13. That missing material and bloodshed may be reinserted for a future Unrated/Extended Cut, though the theatrical experience is decidedly choppy.
There is a very cool early segment where a colorful, giant horned "Qilin" squares off against a band of Samurai, a one on one sword fight near the middle of the picture is well-choreographed but anticlimactic and a late sequence where our heroes infiltrate the villain's stronghold is pretty nifty. A duel between Kai and a swirling, serpentine Dragon is also pretty solid, though I could have done without his character's supernatural "abilities"- it cheapens the moment considerably.
Though this isn't the absolutely horrible film that critics are universally panning, it does become increasingly disappointing the more I reflect upon it. I still can't figure out why any studio would stuff a mega-budgeted, fantasy-oriented Samurai film with a grim ending into a crowded Christmas Day release slot. Those on the fence might want to wait for a rental...
6.5 out of 10
Taken from Wikipedia - "Chūshingura - are fictionalized accounts in Japanese literature, theatre, and film that relate the historical incident involving the Forty-seven Ronin and their mission to avenge the death of their master, Asano Naganori."
Director: Carl Rinsch
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rinko Kikuchi, Tadanobu Asano, Ko Shibasaki, Jin Akanishi, Takato Yonemoto and Min Tanaka
Run-Time: 119 minutes
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements
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