47 Ronin

A true story turned into fantasy

The film draws on the Ako incident, one of Japan's most famous stories. In 1701 Lord Asano Naganori drew his sword on Kira Yoshinaka inside Edo Castle; he was ordered to commit seppuku and his domain was confiscated. Almost two years later, forty-seven of his former retainers, led by Oishi Kuranosuke, stormed Kira's residence and killed him, then took their own lives on the shogunate's orders. Kabuki theatre and Japanese cinema have told the story as Chushingura, including Kenji Mizoguchi in 1941 and Hiroshi Inagaki in 1962.

Carl Rinsch's version for Universal keeps the outline but adds a witch, giant creatures and a character invented for Keanu Reeves, Kai, half Japanese and half English. It is a fantasy adventure: if you want historical accuracy, look to the Japanese adaptations.

The sword up front

What interests a practitioner is the katana work. Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Oishi, trained in martial arts and stunt work from childhood with Sonny Chiba's Japan Action Club, and had already played a samurai opposite Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai. His sword scenes, like Tadanobu Asano's as Kira, show guards, cuts and footwork close to what is taught in kenjutsu or iaido, even if editing and CGI often take over. The final assault on Kira's fortress is the strongest sequence in that respect.

A costly flop

Released in Japan on 6 December 2013 and in the United States on 25 December 2013, 47 Ronin cost at least 175 million dollars and grossed 151.8 million worldwide, leaving Universal in the red. American critics panned it, with 16% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and 28 out of 100 on Metacritic.