47 RONIN

The only similarity between the actual tale of the 47 Ronin and Keanu Reeves’ 47 Ronin is that the number of ronin are the same. Many years ago, kindly Lord Asano takes in a young half-breed orphan (Kai) and permits him to live in his village. Upon the death of Lord Asano, Kai is sold into slavery; Asano’s daughter Mika is forced into marriage and his surviving samurai are ordered to refrain from seeking revenge. The former samurais are now labeled as ronin (samurai without a lord or master) and are required to live a nomadic existence. But on the eve of Mika’s wedding the leader of the ronin Oishi, gathers his men and the half-breed in order to exact the revenge that they swore they wouldn’t. This particular story unfolds in a mythological Japan where witches, demons and magical creatures exist. The story includes tragedy, betrayal, redemption and retribution. Throw in a bit of ‘forbidden love’ and what you’ve got is a pretty enjoyable cinema experience. Love him or hate him, Reeves is the heart of the movie. His character ‘Kai” is restrained during the first half of the film and fearlessly self-assured during the second half. Notable Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada leads the cast of unknown supporting actors who all give contributory performances. The CGI embodies the dark fairy tale tone of the film and the fight scenes typify awesome sword play. The only qualm I have is the film’s inadequacy of supporting character development. Nearly all the roles except for Kai and Oishi are flat and lack deepness. Although this is Carl Rinsch’s feature length directorial debut, the newbie does a commendable job by translating the script onto the screen in a visually palatable manner.

Rating: 7/10

S. V. Fernando