Review of 47 Ronin (1994) by Graham D — 16 Apr 2014

A Hundred and Seventy-Five Million dollars was spent on this film and they apparently forgot to buy something noteworthy -- other than samurai vocab -- to mention in a review! Keanu Reeves (The Matrix 1-3) stars in this 18th Century story that takes place in an ancient and still isolated Japan where every samurai ideally has a daimy and they all speak English(!).

Keanu is considered to be a "half-breed" as he was discovered as a young orphan and is not therefore entitled to partake of the way of the samurai although he is a member of the daimyo, Lord Asano's (Min Tanaka) household.

Through some sly trickery, the 47 warriors of the title soon find themselves "leaderless" making them the textbook definition of ronin. 48 men -- Keanu finally gets to join them now -- seek vengeance for Asano's death.

This film is based on traditional Japanese lore and events much like any culture with strong oral histories and some supernatural liberties have been taken here to make Japan look even more mysterious.