Tanuki's Wacky Samurai Cinema Review: '47 Ronin'
I had a great deal of trepidation going into this film--U.S. critics have savaged it. But it's a samurai film, taking one of the famous tales of Japanese folklore/history, AND combining it with supernatural elements. How could I not go see it, good or bad?
Well, I'm pleased to report after seeing it, that I enjoyed it tremendously, and think that a lot of the negative comments directed at it were based on ignorance of Japanese mythology. I'll go through some points and see if I can respond to the criticism.
NOTE: There are some spoilers ahead if you aren't familiar with the historical events '47 Ronin' is based on. I'm just warning you here. ;P
'47 Ronin' is based on a very famous (and true) story of 47 loyal retainers whose master, Lord Asano, is tricked into disgracing himself publicly in the shogun's court by a rival, Lord Kira. Asano is forced to commit seppuku, ritual suicide, and the shogun forbids any retaliation against Kira. Asano's former retainers, now ronin, go undercover and organize a plan to take revenge against Kira for their lord's death, even though they've been forbidden to do so by the shogun.
Now, I can see that people going into this for a realistic, historic portrayal of the story would probably not enjoy the film. This movie is designed as a fantasy film loosely based on historical events, not as a historical recreation of the tale. So for those people, I would recommend instead watching one of the older, more accurate film versions of the story filmed in Japan. That said, let's move on.
This version of '47 Ronin' keeps the basic premise, but with a few added twists--Lord Kira is being aided by a shapeshifting fox-spirit witch (a VERY creepy Rinko Kikuchi) who provides supernatural aid to him. On the other side, the ronin are aided by Kai (Keanu Reeves) a peasant half-gaijin foundling given refuge by Lord Asano after being found in the woods as a child, who serves as kind of a woodsman/servant and has some unusual talents. Quite a few critics were raging about Keanu's character being added to the story, some on the grounds he is Caucasian. As someone of mixed heritage myself, I was actually kind of offended by some of these comments, as Keanu is of mixed heritage also. I especially disliked the pretentious writer on Rogerebert.com who went on and on how Keanu was oppressing the Japanese people by appearing in the film. Of course, this critic mentioned she doesn't speak any Japanese and her main job is "writer of unpublished short stories." You can imagine my opinion of her comments, and I'll leave it at that.) X_X'
In my opinion, Keanu's character is meshed well with the story. I won't go into details, but there is a supernatural element to his character's origin, and based on my knowledge of Japanese mythology (which isn't definitive, but at least I've studied it some) I think he not only fits with the story well, but has his skills and abilities rationalized in a way that's plausible for a story with mystical and fantasy elements. I'll just say one thing about it-Tengu. Those who figure out what that means are the right people to watch this film. :)
OK so that's my take on the two main critical rages against the film. Now onto other things. The costumes are not historically accurate, but look VERY cool-more L5R than true samurai Japan, but it works. The supernatural creatures are very well crafted (Tengu!!!) and the special effects look really good. The cast includes some solid acting, especially Hiroyuki Sanada (who played Shingen in 'The Wolverine') as an outstanding Oishi, leader of the 47. Tadanobu Asano also has fun as the evil Lord Kira, projecting smarmy insinuations with every smirk, and looking quite stylish doing it. (My friend watching the movie with me said 'He's so scummy. But his clothes are so great!') :D The fight scenes are well-done, with the climactic battle at the end showcasing many good moments. I was also shocked that, aside from one very minor subplot, the ending was NOT 'Westernized.' I don't want to say too much more, but I was impressed the filmmakers had the nerve to wrap up the movie the way they did.
In some ways, the movie feels more like a Chinese martial arts fantasy film than a traditional samurai drama...but to me this made it interesting and enjoyable. I will give a particular recommendation to my friend caprine from my current Legends of the Five Rings campaign--when I saw the actor playing Lord Asano, I said, "Zounds! That's Edogawa!" and when I saw Tadanobu Asano as Kira, I said "Wah! That's Kouta!" Other readers, don't worry about it, caprine will know what I'm talking about. :)
Oh and one more thing for my fellow L5R fans: The Asano clan all look like Phoenix, and the Kira clan all look like Cranes or Crabs.
Highly recommended for those who share my taste for fantastic Japan! Three out of Four Tanuki Ears of Love. :)
Well, I'm pleased to report after seeing it, that I enjoyed it tremendously, and think that a lot of the negative comments directed at it were based on ignorance of Japanese mythology. I'll go through some points and see if I can respond to the criticism.
NOTE: There are some spoilers ahead if you aren't familiar with the historical events '47 Ronin' is based on. I'm just warning you here. ;P
'47 Ronin' is based on a very famous (and true) story of 47 loyal retainers whose master, Lord Asano, is tricked into disgracing himself publicly in the shogun's court by a rival, Lord Kira. Asano is forced to commit seppuku, ritual suicide, and the shogun forbids any retaliation against Kira. Asano's former retainers, now ronin, go undercover and organize a plan to take revenge against Kira for their lord's death, even though they've been forbidden to do so by the shogun.
Now, I can see that people going into this for a realistic, historic portrayal of the story would probably not enjoy the film. This movie is designed as a fantasy film loosely based on historical events, not as a historical recreation of the tale. So for those people, I would recommend instead watching one of the older, more accurate film versions of the story filmed in Japan. That said, let's move on.
This version of '47 Ronin' keeps the basic premise, but with a few added twists--Lord Kira is being aided by a shapeshifting fox-spirit witch (a VERY creepy Rinko Kikuchi) who provides supernatural aid to him. On the other side, the ronin are aided by Kai (Keanu Reeves) a peasant half-gaijin foundling given refuge by Lord Asano after being found in the woods as a child, who serves as kind of a woodsman/servant and has some unusual talents. Quite a few critics were raging about Keanu's character being added to the story, some on the grounds he is Caucasian. As someone of mixed heritage myself, I was actually kind of offended by some of these comments, as Keanu is of mixed heritage also. I especially disliked the pretentious writer on Rogerebert.com who went on and on how Keanu was oppressing the Japanese people by appearing in the film. Of course, this critic mentioned she doesn't speak any Japanese and her main job is "writer of unpublished short stories." You can imagine my opinion of her comments, and I'll leave it at that.) X_X'
In my opinion, Keanu's character is meshed well with the story. I won't go into details, but there is a supernatural element to his character's origin, and based on my knowledge of Japanese mythology (which isn't definitive, but at least I've studied it some) I think he not only fits with the story well, but has his skills and abilities rationalized in a way that's plausible for a story with mystical and fantasy elements. I'll just say one thing about it-Tengu. Those who figure out what that means are the right people to watch this film. :)
OK so that's my take on the two main critical rages against the film. Now onto other things. The costumes are not historically accurate, but look VERY cool-more L5R than true samurai Japan, but it works. The supernatural creatures are very well crafted (Tengu!!!) and the special effects look really good. The cast includes some solid acting, especially Hiroyuki Sanada (who played Shingen in 'The Wolverine') as an outstanding Oishi, leader of the 47. Tadanobu Asano also has fun as the evil Lord Kira, projecting smarmy insinuations with every smirk, and looking quite stylish doing it. (My friend watching the movie with me said 'He's so scummy. But his clothes are so great!') :D The fight scenes are well-done, with the climactic battle at the end showcasing many good moments. I was also shocked that, aside from one very minor subplot, the ending was NOT 'Westernized.' I don't want to say too much more, but I was impressed the filmmakers had the nerve to wrap up the movie the way they did.
In some ways, the movie feels more like a Chinese martial arts fantasy film than a traditional samurai drama...but to me this made it interesting and enjoyable. I will give a particular recommendation to my friend caprine from my current Legends of the Five Rings campaign--when I saw the actor playing Lord Asano, I said, "Zounds! That's Edogawa!" and when I saw Tadanobu Asano as Kira, I said "Wah! That's Kouta!" Other readers, don't worry about it, caprine will know what I'm talking about. :)
Oh and one more thing for my fellow L5R fans: The Asano clan all look like Phoenix, and the Kira clan all look like Cranes or Crabs.
Highly recommended for those who share my taste for fantastic Japan! Three out of Four Tanuki Ears of Love. :)