Review of 47 Ronin (2013) by James S — 03 Jan 2015

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rinko Kikuci, and Tadanobu Asano.

Directed By: Carl Rinsch.

Rated: PG-13.

A group of Ronin, with the help of the half-breed Kai, set out to destroy a warlord and his witch partner, to avenge the death of their master and rescue his stolen daughter.

One thing I want to get out-of-the-way real quick. You see that guy with the cool skeleton tattoos?He's in the movie for less than a minute. Probably less than half a minute. Yet he's on almost every poster and in every trailer. I thought he would be like a mini-boss or something they would have to fight before moving on. Nope. He shows up, says one line, and then he is gone. I'm pretty sure he isn't even holding that pistol.

He sure looks cool though doesn't he? Anyway, moving on...

I may be in the minority here, but I like Keanu Reeves. He's in two of my favorite movies ( Speed and Bill & Ted's Excellent.

Adventure ) and I think he is a pretty good actor. A lot of his character have a deep sadness about them, and you can see that in his eyes. Sure he isn't as emotive as he was in earlier films, but when you are playing a stoic Samurai, or emotionless alien, you don't really need to be. 47 Ronin's Kai is no different. He's an outsider in feudal Japan where he is hated by most because he is considered a half-breed. He has however been accepted by Lord Asano (Min Tanako) and his daughter Mika (Kô Shibasaki) and strives to repay their kindness, even though others would rather he was dead.

Our other Heroes are made up of the head Ronin Ôishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), his son, and a handful of other guys that they say there are 47 of. Most of them you won't really remember. Theres the fat funny one, the awesome mustache guy, the archer, and the grouch who doesn't like Kai. The rest aren't really well flushed out, which is okay because the movie would be way too long if they did. The focus is mainly on Kai, Ôishi, Mika, and the two baddies.

Rinko Kikuci's Witch (delightfully cheesy) and Tadanobu Asano's Lord Kira make up our villains and make no secret at being just that. Lord Kira has an evil smirk stuck on his face most of the time, so you wonder why they didn't put a guard on him 24/7. They are simple characters, but it works.

No one gives a bad performance, but no one is going to win any awards either.

Besides a decent cast, the movie has some beautiful locations (most of them actually in Japan). Amazing, colorful costumes designed by Penny Rose. Also a great musical score by Ilan Eshkeri plays over the whole film. It does drag a lot in the middle, but the final raid on the fortress is well done and somewhat makes up for the wait.

This film isn't flawless, but it does a lot of things right. I had a good time and I'm glad I gave it a chance. If you were looking forward to it and got turned away by a lot of bad reviews, give it chance and go expecting more of a slow building epic. You might enjoy it.

6 Reels Out Of 10.

"I promised I would not harm a hair on your head, but I can't be responsible for what you do by your own hand. Sleep tight.".