“Should a samurai ever lose or fail his master, he suffers the greatest shame in all Japanese society. He becomes a ronin. And yet to know the story of the 47 Ronin is to know the story of all Japan.”
 

The ruthless Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano) seeks the help of a shape-shifting witch (Rinko Kikuchi) to arrange for the death and dishonor of Lord Asano (Min Tanaka) so that he can take over as ruler of Ako, and take Asano’s beautiful daughter Mika (Kô Shibasaki) as his bride. Upon his Asano’s death, his 47 samurai become master-less ronin and, despite the Shogun’s (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) orders, swear vengeance for their fallen master. However, before they can get to Kira, the ronin must first defeat the witch. So Ôishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), leader of the ronin, seeks the help of half-breed Kai (Keanu Reeves)—a man they once rejected from their group. Kai must confront his past in order to help these men get their revenge, and to save Mika, the love he can never have.

While the story of the 47 ronin is well known in Japanese culture, this film takes a more fantastical approach in its adaptation of the legend. Instead of just a straightforward tale of ninja-like samurai getting their revenge for their fallen master, this film also folds in magic, witchcraft and mystical creatures from Japanese mythology. It also adds an outsider, Kai, to bridge the earthly and mystical worlds. This leads to some pretty exciting sequences. For example, the film opens with a fast-paced chase with the samurai on horseback, hunting down a kirin that is rampaging through the forests of Ako. Throughout the film, we also see Kai and the Samurai doing battle with other various mystical creatures and enemies.

I found the film to be a bit slow-going at first—it takes quite a while to even establish the main premise of the film. However, once the ronin are on their mission, the film is pretty much action-packed until the end. And the choreography and execution of these sequences are flawless, with the special effects integrated seamlessly into the action.

The performances are excellent, especially by the film’s two main stars—Hiroyuki Sanada and Keanu Reeves. Both men deliver on both the dramatic sides of their characters, but also look natural and believable when it comes to the action and fighting sequences.

The film itself is quite breathtaking—from beautiful landscapes to the mystical creatures, the crisp clear picture of the Blu-ray captures every detail. While the film has also been released on 3D Blu-ray, I was only sent the 2D version for review—I suspect that the 3D only enhances the beauty and surreal nature of the film. The soundtrack is equally amazing, and transports the viewer into this dazzling world and culture.

As for the bonus features included on the disc, there are four deleted scenes (which were probably just cut for time/pace), and several interviews and behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and creators. These were really interesting as they give a glimpse into the astonishing amount of work that was done with special effects in order to transport the viewer back to feudal Japan.

Overall, I found 47 Ronin to be an entertaining, action-filled adventure that’s definitely worth checking out.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:58:43)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English DVS 2.0, Spanish DTS 5.1, French DTS 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

• 480p / Anamorphic Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English DD 5.1, English DVS 2.0, Spanish DD 5.1, French DD 5.1
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital Copy (Redemption Deadline 5/2/2016):

• UltraViolet DigitalHD Copy redeemable via Universal, Flixster, or Vudu
• Digital Copy redeemable via iTunes or Windows Media

Extras (Blu-ray-only marked with *):

• Deleted Scenes (7:42)
  A collection of 4 fully-completed deleted scenes—I’m sure these were probably just cut for time/pace, but these are some really good scenes. Play All or select from “Mika Regrets Her Love for Kai”, “Mika Attempts To Poison Lord Kira”, “Oishi Attempts To Buy Kai From The Dutch Captain” and “Isogai is Entranced By The Witch”.
• Re-Forging the Legend (6:44)
  Director Carl Rinsch, producer Pamela Abdy, costume designer Penny Rose, visual effects supervisor Christian Manz, supervising art director Gary Freeman, and stars Keanu Reeves (“Kai”) and Hiroyuki Sanada (“Oishi”) discuss the reimagining of the classic Japanese tale of the 47 Ronin, but with a more fantastical twist. Viewers get a glimpse behind-the-scenes at the making of the film—creating the sets and costumes, adding the visual effects, and more.
• Keanu & Kai* (4:00)
  Keanu Reeves talks about his character of “Kai”, while director Carl Rinsch, producers Eric McLeod and Pamela Abdy, and actor Gary-Hiroyuki Tagawa (“Shogun”) discuss working with Keanu in all aspects of the filmmaking process. Also includes behind-the-scene footage.
• Steel Fury: The Fights of 47 Ronin* (5:54)
  A look behind the scenes at the making of the film’s amazing action sequences—the choreography, training, and filming. Includes interviews with director Carl Rinsch, stunt coordinator Gary Powell, co-screenwriter Chris Morgan, and actors Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Neil Fingleton (“Lovecraftian Samurai”) and Tadanobu Asano (“Lord Kira”).
• Myths, Magic & Monsters: The FX of 47 Ronin* (7:35)
  A look behind the scenes at the making of some of the film’s amazing FX sequences—the kirin hunt, the Oni fight, the bout with the Tengu, and the kitsuni witch transformations. Includes interviews with director Carl Rinsch, co-screenwriter Chris Morgan, visual effects supervisor Christian Manz, stunt coordinator Gary Powell, stunt rider Dauren Zhunussov, visual effects producer Garv Thorp, prosthetic Makeup Artist Barrie Gower, and actors Keanu Reeves, Neil Fingleton (“The Oni”), and Takato Yonemoto (“Basho”).

Final Thoughts:

47 Ronin starts off a little slow, but becomes an exciting, action-filled tale of vengeance set in the mystical world of feudal Japan. The film looks amazing, the action sequences are extremely well done, and the cast is great. The bonus features provide a nice look into the huge amount of work that was done to recreate this era and populate it with fantastical creatures. This film is definitely worth checking out.