Review of 47 Ronin (2013) by Docoflove1974 — 28 Dec 2013

The poor reviews from both critics and users are misguided; this was an excellent telling of a 300 year old legend, the Chushingura. The legend is based on a historical battle, and the multitude of versions of the Chushingura all tweak some element of the historical events in order to either feature a certain element, actor, or viewpoint. This movie does the same thing.

The dialog is in keeping with typical Japanese historical/fantasy action movies--it's direct, stoic in manner, and yet expressive. All of the actors deliver their lines believably and with grace--much as one should expect from this story. Keanu Reaves, while the Hollywood A-lister, is not the focus, but his strengths lend themselves well to the story. The real stars are Hiroyuki Sanada as Oishi, Tadanobu Asano as Lord Kira, and Rinko Kikuchi as Mizuki--the three of them are the heart and soul of the movie, and the plot moves with them. The action is swift, clean, and beautiful, which shouldn't be a surprise given the level of talent in the film. The CG adds only the fantasy elements, and doesn't detract from the rest of the story.

The love story between Lady Mika and Kai is the twist of this story, and it works well because it's not the central focus of the plot. It's a nice addition, one to get American female audiences involved, no doubt.

Overall, I'm highly satisfied with this movie. The only reason I don't give it a 10/10 is because, for me, that rating is reserved for the most epic of movies. "47 Ronin" isn't epic, but it's definitely excellent.