Stars Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kô Shibasaki, Tabanobu Asano, Min Tanaka, Jin Akanishi, RInko Kikuchi, Togo igawa with Gedde Watanabe and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa Directed by Carl Rinsch Just based on the trailer, my expectations weren’t that high. I knew something of the legend of the 47 Ronin, and with the trailer showing off the mystical bits and beasties - the witch turning into a dragon in particular - made me a little apprehensive about watching an adaptation of the legend. That’s not to say you can’t take a few liberties in translating the story into a Hollywood feature, which is not unlike Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, which also had a witch added to the mythology. That’s the least of the similarities between that 1991 Kevin Costner feature and this new adaptation of the Japanese legend. After all, you’ve got to cater to having one American star dropped into the mythology. To my surprise, the writers did hew quite close to the legend while mixing in elements of Japanese mythology and mysticism, hence the witch occasionally taking on the form of a fox and the beasties, which include the Tengu (bird-like mystical creatures that can take human form). Despite that, the legend is mostly intact and fairly respectful. The inclusion of Keanu Reeves’ Kai also gives rise to an extra element to the legend, as a way to provide an external view (or at least, a Hollywood perspective) into the world of the story. If you need an idea of the legend, there was a scene in Ronin (1998) where Michael Lonsdale’s character tells Robert DeNiro’s character the legend, in brief. And just because you know the outcome doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the journey. The Japanese cast are game enough to carry the English dialogue throughout (although reports have it that the movie was also made in Japanese, which I am very curious to check out). Their performances reflect their respect for the material even with the liberties taken. Reeves has given respect to adapted materials he’s worked with before and does so again her, delivering a decent performance that you might expect of him.
The cinematography is gorgeous and the design work is amazing. The costumes are full of colour and detail, and there are some amazing set designs as well. The vistas captured are beautiful to look at, courtesy of landscapes from Budapest and Japan itself. The action is gripping at times and the drama works well enough in the hands of first time movie director, Carl Rinsch. It just doesn’t fly as high as it could, with the emotional level falling a little flat. In all, it plays well. Slightly above average and it was a pleasant surprise that they did stick close enough to the original story despite hyping all the mystical stuff.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2017
|