47
Ronin: **/*****, or 4/10
'To
understand the story of the 47 ronin is to understand Japan' this
movie states as its introduction, attempting to place what's to come
in a historical context for audiences unfamiliar with ancient, feudal
Japan. The story of these 47 samurai, who witnessed the death of
their master which caused them to become shamed ronin and afterwards
successfully plotted and executed their revenge to regain their
honour and die a noble suicide, is one of Japan's most popular and
enduring legends. Such a serious tale of death and dishonour is not
the usual stuff of grandiose Hollywood productions and therefore this
original saga was embellished with plenty of action, romance and
expensive effects to make it more worthy of being turned into a
blockbuster movie. However, the heart of the story was left unchanged
(something Japanese traditionalists at least will appreciate) and as
a result, 47 Ronin proves a rather uncomfortable and uneasy
mix of Japanese and western storytelling.
47
Ronin is told from the perspective of Kai, a mysterious halfbreed
orphan who is found by Lord Asano of Ako province. Despite the advice
of his samurai who consider him a demon child, Asano takes him in
because he sees 'something' in the boy. Raised alongside Asano's
daughter Mika the orphan grows up to be Keanu Reeves, and they
develop a typical secret desire for one another (credibility of which
is hindered by the fact that Keanu looks and is much older than the
actress playing his love interest, though they are meant to be about
the same age). Kai is of course an all too obvious attempt to make it
easier for western audiences to identify with the strange and unknown
Japanese way of life, but as is usually the result of such additions,
Kai gets too important for the story's good, as if the movie's
'natives' are unable to carry out their bold plan without a white
man's help. Identification is ever a challenge for the audience where
the stoic Reeves is concerned, and 47 Ronin proves no
different, though his emotionless expression at least suits the
subject matter. However, Asano was right, as Kai is no ordinary boy
but is indeed connected with the supernatural. Which is just as well,
as it turns out 18th Century Japan, unlike the original
legend told us, was surprisingly infested with the occult, monsters
and wraiths. Did I mention 47 Ronin is also a fantasy movie?
Well, it is.
Asano
suffers a rivalry with the ruthless Lord Kira (who ironically is
played by Tadanobu Asano). Hellbent on taking over Ako (and as is
typical, everything else too in the long run), Kira employs the
talents of a shapeshifting witch (Pacific Rim's Rinko Kikuchi)
to stir things up. Kikuchi is evidently enjoying the role of
seductive sorceress, but like her boss plays evil only for evil's
sake, which makes for a rather poorly motivated, dull duo of bad
guys. Their schemes succeed as Asano is tricked into openly
attempting to kill Kira in the presence of their shogun, for which he
is sentenced to seppuku. Romanticising this act of suicide, Asano's
death is overly poetic and bloodless, despite the fact he's
disemboweling himself and getting his head struck off. After his
death, his samurai are declared dishonoured ronin and, to turn insult
into agony, Mika is forced to wed Lord Kira. This will not do, after
which Asano's captain Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada, grave and cold as
often) plots revenge. And even though he never liked him, he asks Kai
to join the quest. Good thing too, as the revelation of his
upbringing by forest ghosts sure aids in defeating their monstrous
and demonic opponents. Most of which were already defeated in terms
of convincing the audience due to the poor visual effects job done on
them.
Amidst
all the beheadings and dismemberment that follows, it's evident that
a different kind of cutting called editing also did not work in 47
Ronin's favour. At times it's obvious that material was
discarded, making for an occasionally jumbled flow of the movie's
plot, especially in the case of the scenes on the 'Dutch Island',
where Kai is sold into a brief life of slavery and gladiatorial
servitude. An impressively tattooed pirate, heavily used in the
film's marketing campaign, is seen only for a short moment, while the
perceptive eye is able to spot a brief appearance by Yorick van
Wageningen: aggressive changes in the post-production process reduced
his part to the quickest of cameos. At least there is nothing wrong
with the design of the movie, which does at times look sensational
and exotic, even in 3D. Though little effective use is made of that
technology, as the straightforward quest for vengeance is otherwise
quite two-dimensional. Despite all the added fantasy spectacle, the
story remains the tale of a group of angry knights seeking revenge
for the death of their lord. Their sense of honour is all that
matters, a point which the movie gets across, but is hard to be
approved by everybody. Despite the addition of various grotesqueries
and scenes of supernatural suspense to make the story more
entertaining and acceptable for the non-Japanese, the general mood of
the film is overly sombre and devoid of relatable humour. Not
counting a particularly fat ronin who, as overweight people tend to
do in Hollywood blockbusters, is supposed to introduce a bit of
comedy to occasionally lighten the tone, but fails miserably.
The
only understanding western audiences will take away with them from
seeing 47 Ronin is that Hollywood and Japanese legend don't
mix to everybody's satisfaction. We understand that Japanese notions
of honour are obsessed with ritual suicide, choosing death over life
even when the situation, from our point of view, would definitely
dictate differently. As the movie is transformed into otherwise
fairly standard fantasy fare, the conclusion of the legend is left
unchanged: evil has been vanquished, the land made safe, but still
the 47 ronin are ordered to die, as per the climax of the original
story. No happy end by western standards here, as Keanu and his
fellow warriors take their own life (gladly, even!), leaving their
grieving loved ones behind, for such is their way of honour. At times
it feels like 47 Ronin means to make suicide a popular trend
by extolling its virtues. Western audiences can only stand amazed by
what at times appears to be a genuine glorification of seppuku.
In this regard, the Japanese can be glad Hollywood left the core of
their legend untampered despite the addition of witches and monsters
to make things more exciting, but a 'gaijin' audience is left
estranged as their notions of what constitutes a satisfactory ending
– even if it would have been the stuff of cliché – are
shattered. To understand the story of the 47 ronin is to acknowledge
the extreme clash of cultures between Japan and Hollywood in this
matter: 47 Ronin makes that much painfully clear.
