47 Ronin (2013 film)

Teaser poster
Directed by Carl Rinsch
Produced by Pamela Abdy
Eric McLeod
Screenplay by Chris Morgan
Hossein Amini
Story by Chris Morgan
Walter Hamada
Starring Keanu Reeves
Hiroyuki Sanada
Music by Ilan Eshkeri
Cinematography John Mathieson
Edited by Stuart Baird
Production
company
H2F Entertainment
Mid Atlantic Films
Moving Picture Company
Stuber Productions
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release dates
  • December 6, 2013 (Japan)
  • December 25, 2013 (United States)
Running time
 118 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Japanese
Budget $225 million[2]
Box office $151 million[2]

47 Ronin is a 2013 American fantasy action film depicting a fictional account of the forty-seven Ronin, a real-life group of masterless samurai in 18th-century Japan who avenged the death of their lord, in the style of Chūshingura. Produced by Universal Studios, the film was directed by Carl Rinsch and stars Keanu Reeves and Hiroyuki Sanada.

The film received very negative reviews for the lack of originality, slow pacing and character development, although some reviewers bestowed praise for the action and visuals. It grossed only $151 million worldwide, failing to break even, and Variety reported the film as a costly box office disaster which left Universal Studios deeply in the red for 2013.[3] Adjusted for inflation it lost an estimated $152 million, making it the second most expensive box office bomb ever behind The 13th Warrior.[2][4] Variety magazine listed 47 Ronin as one of "Hollywood's biggest box office bombs of 2013".[5]

Plot

In late medieval Japan, Kai (Keanu Reeves) is a half-Japanese, half-English outcast who lives in the Akō Domain, which is ruled by the benevolent Lord Asano Naganori. When Kai was young, Asano found him lost in the forest and accepted him into his household. Kai and Asano's daughter, Mika, eventually fall in love despite Kai being scorned by her father's samurai due to his lowborn status and mixed ancestry.

Before a planned visit from Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Asano is visited by the Shogun's master of ceremonies, Lord Kira, who wants to take Akō for himself. Kira enlists the help of a shapeshifting Kitsune named Witch who sends a Kirin to kill Asano in the forest of Ako. Asano's samurai struggle in their battle with the monster so Kai joins in riding an abandoned horse. As the monster charges him, Kai recovers a lost sword that he uses to slay it. Shortly thereafter he spots a white fox with different coloured eyes watching from the underbrush—Witch in her fox form. Later during the Shogun's visit, Kai sees that one of the Shogun's concubines has the same two-colored eyes which leads him to assume that she was the fox from the forest. He tries to warn Asano's principal counselor and samurai, Oishi, that she is a witch but Oishi doesn't believe him.

Later, Kira arranges a duel for the entertainment of the Shogun: Kira's best warrior, the giant Lovecraftian Samurai, will battle a warrior of Asano's choosing. However, before the duel begins, Witch uses her magic to incapacitate Asano's combatant. Kai secretly dons his armor and fights in his stead, but his disguise is revealed and the Shogun orders him severely beaten as punishment. Later that night, Witch uses her magic to make Asano believe that Kira is raping Mika, causing him to attack an unarmed Kira in his delirium. Asano is sentenced to death for attacking a Shogunate official (which is an executable offense), though the Shogun allows him to die with honor through seppuku. The Shogun then gives Kira both the Akō domain and Mika, although he grants Mika one year to mourn the death of her father before marrying Kira. The Shogun also brands Oishi and his men ronin and forbids them from seeking vengeance for Asano's death. To ensure that the ronin don't interfere with his takeover plans, Kira imprisons Oishi in an outdoor pit to break his spirit.

Nearly a year later, Oishi is released by Kira's men. He now knows that Kira is guilty of treachery for using Witch's sorcery to cause Asano's downfall. Oishi reunites with his family and asks his son Chikara to aid him in reuniting the scattered ronin. They learn that Kai has been sold into slavery and they rescue him from the fighting pits of the Dutch colony of Dejima. Kai leads them to the Tengu Forest, a mystical place he escaped from as a child, so that they can find swords for themselves. Kai instructs Oishi to never draw his sword while in the Tengu temple and continues alone to another room to face the Tengu Master, who once trained Kai in their fighting ways. While Kai confronts the Tengu Master in a battle of wills, Oishi watches an illusion of his men being slaughtered by the Tengu, during which he fights the urge to draw his own sword. With Kai and Oishi both successful in their Tengu challenges, the ronin are given magical Tengu swords.

Armed with their new weapons, the ronin plan to attack Kira on his pilgrimage to a shrine where he seeks blessings for his wedding to Mika. However, Kira's procession is a trap and the ronin are ambushed by Kira's forces, led by Witch and the Lovecraftian Samurai. Several of the ronin are killed, and Witch, thinking they are all dead, takes Oishi's sword and presents it to Kira as a trophy. Witch later taunts Mika with their deaths and attempts to manipulate her into committing suicide from despair.

Oishi and Kai (having actually survived the attack) rally the surviving ronin. Oishi and half of the ronin infiltrate Kira's (Asano's) castle by disguising themselves as a band of traveling wedding performers loyal to the memory of Lord Asano. With Kira's men distracted during the performance, Kai and the remaining ronin scale the castle walls, and the reunited group start to battle with Kira's men. While Oishi fights Kira, Kai and Mika are attacked by Witch, who shape-shifts into a dragon. Kai uses his magic sword and draws on the mystical powers of the Tengu to finally kill her. Oishi then emerges with Kira's severed head and Kira's men surrender.

After winning the battle, the ronin (including Kai) surrender themselves to Shogunate authority and they are sentenced to death as they explicitly violated the Shogun's prohibition on seeking revenge against Kira. However, the Shogun finds that they followed the principles of Bushido in their actions and therefore restored their honor as samurai. Thus, instead of being executed as criminals, the ronin are allowed to perform seppuku so they can die with their honor restored. They are also given the honor of burial with their master, Lord Asano. The Shogun gives Akō back to Mika, and at the seppuku ceremony, he pardons Oishi's son Chikara so that he may serve Akō and preserve such a noble samurai bloodline for the country.

Closing notes tell that the tradition of paying respect at the graves of the 47 Ronin continues today.

Cast

Production

47 Ronin is the directorial debut of Carl Rinsch based on a screenplay by The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift screenwriter Chris Morgan and The Wings of the Dove screenwriter Hossein Amini brought in for rewrites. The film has almost nothing in common with the original historical epic, being set "in a world of witches and giants."[9] The studio Universal Pictures first announced the project in December 2008 with actor Keanu Reeves attached to star. Variety reported, "The film will tell a stylized version of the story, mixing fantasy elements of the sort seen in The Lord of the Rings pics, with gritty battle scenes akin to those in films such as Gladiator." Universal planned to produce the film in 2009 after finding a director,[10] and in November of that year, the studio entered talks with Rinsch to direct the film. For Rinsch, who has filmed "visual and stylish" blurbs for brands, the film was his feature film debut.[11]

In December 2010, the studio announced that the film would be produced and released in 3D.[12] Between March[13] and April[14] 2011, five Japanese actors were cast alongside Reeves: Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Kou Shibasaki, and Jin Akanishi. According to Variety, Universal chose them to make the story more authentic instead of picking actors that would be recognizable in the United States, despite the screenplay bearing no resemblance to the origin story of Chūshingura. Universal provided Rinsch with an initial production budget of $175 million despite his complete lack of feature film experience, which The Hollywood Reporter considered to be a "large-scale, downright risky" move. Filming began on March 14, 2011 in Budapest.[15] Origo Film Group contributed to the movie. Production moved to Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom; additional filming in Japan was also planned.[7] Reeves said that scenes were filmed first in the Japanese language to familiarize the cast, and the scenes are filmed again in the English language.[9] The actors' costumes were designed by Penny Rose, who said, "We decided to base it on the culture and what the shapes should be—i.e., everyone's in a kimono—but we've thrown a kind of fashion twist at it. And we've made it full of color, which is quite unusual for me."[16]

Reshoots were done in London during late August 2012, delayed by the Olympics and the filming of Reeves' directorial debut, Man of Tai Chi. In addition, the studio added a love scene, close-ups, and individual lines to boost Reeves' presence, which added significantly to the overall budget of the film.[17]

Release

47 Ronin was originally scheduled to be released on November 21, 2012,[18] then moved to February 8, 2013, citing the need for work on the 3D visual effects.[19] It was later postponed to December 25, 2013, to account for the reshoots and post-production.[20]

Reception

Box office

The film opened initially in Japan in the first week of December 2013, where it opened to 753 screens nationwide and only grossed an estimated US$1.3 million, opening third behind the debut week of Lupin the 3rd vs. Detective Conan: The Movie and the third week of the Studio Ghibli film Kaguya-hime no Monogatari (The Tale of Princess Kaguya). Variety called the poor Japanese debut "troubling", considering the well known local cast and the fact that the film is loosely based on a famous Japanese tale.[21] The evening tabloid newspaper Nikkan Gendai stated that its dismal performance were "unheard of numbers" generated by Japanese distaste for a Hollywood rendition of Chushingura bearing no resemblance to the renowned historical epic.[22]

In the United States, the film grossed US$20.6 million in its first five days of release, opening in ninth place at the box office. It also grossed US$2.3 million for a fifth place debut in the United Kingdom.[23]

The film is currently estimated to be the largest box office bomb, unable to recover its $175 million production (excluding advertising and distribution) budget.[24][25]

Critical response

47 Ronin received generally negative reviews from critics, failing to impress Japanese audiences where studio expectations were high.[26] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 14% rating, with an average score of 4.1/10, based on 74 reviews; the consensus states: "47 Ronin is a surprisingly dull fantasy adventure, one that leaves its talented international cast stranded within one dimensional roles."[27] The film has a score of 29 (out of 100) on Metacritic, based on 21 critics.[28]

Kirsten Acuña of Business Insider believes that the film flopped for three reasons. First, it opened in December when there is an over-saturation of films for the Christmas holiday. Second, the film was “too long in the vault” undergoing editing and lost momentum. Third, audiences have not been drawn to Keanu Reeves since the last Matrix film more than 10 years ago.[29]

Despite the film's poor reception, it received nominations for Best Costume and Best Production Design at the 40th Saturn Awards, but lost to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, respectively.[30]

Home media

Universal Pictures released 47 Ronin on DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D on April 1, 2014.[31]

References

  1. ↑ "47 RONIN (12A)". 20th Century Fox. British Board of Film Classification. December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "47 Ronin (2013)". Box Office Mojo. February 26, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2014.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "‘47 Ronin’: The Inside Story of Universal’s Samurai Disaster". Variety.com. December 30, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
  4. ↑ Shaw, Lucas (September 19, 2012). "Universal Pulls '47 Ronin’ From Director as Budget Swells to $225M". The Wrap. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  5. ↑ Variety Staff (December 26, 2013). "Hollywood’s Biggest Box Office Bombs of 2013". Variety. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  6. ↑ "47 Ronin Start of Principal Photography Announced". ComingSoon.net. March 1, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Blair, Gavin J. (March 2, 2011). "Japanese Cast Announced for Keanu Reeves' '47 Ronin'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  8. ↑ Pang, Lauren (April 14, 2011). "Jin Akanishi set to star in 47 Ronin". Asia Pacific Arts (University of Southern California).
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Boucher, Geoff (May 24, 2011). "Keanu Reeves and '47 Ronin' search for 'honor, revenge and impossible love'". Los Angeles Times.
  10. ↑ Fleming, Michael (December 8, 2008). "Keanu Reeves to lead '47 Ronin'". Variety.
  11. ↑ Fleming, Michael (November 17, 2009). "Universal circles Rinsch for '47 Ronin'". Variety.
  12. ↑ "47 Ronin Goes 3D". ComingSoon.net. December 9, 2010. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  13. ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 1, 2011). "Four Japanese actors join '47 Ronin'". Variety.
  14. ↑ Jin Akanishi joins cast of Carl Erik Rinsch’s “47 Ronin” - Eigapedia
  15. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (February 20, 2011). "Studios handing big films to untested directors". Reuters.
  16. ↑ Staff (July 28, 2011). "Costume Designers: Below-the-Line Impact Report 2011". Variety.
  17. ↑ "Universal Takes Over Editing '47 Ronin' As Director Carl Erik Rinsch Removed; Studio Adds Love Scene, Dialogue & More". The Wrap. September 19, 2012. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  18. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (October 29, 2010). "Universal set 2012 schedule". Variety.
  19. ↑ Kit, Borys (April 25, 2012). "Universal Pushes Back Keanu Reeves' '47 Ronin'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  20. ↑ Rich, Katey (August 15, 2012). "Keanu's 47 Ronin Pushed Again, To Christmas 2013". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  21. ↑ Stewart, Andrew. "’47 Ronin’ Tanks at Japanese Box Office; Is U.S. Doom Next?". Variety.
  22. ↑ "キアヌ主演「４７ＲＯＮＩＮ」 記録的大コケもプロは高評価". 日刊ゲンダイ. December 13, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2014.
  23. ↑ Subers, Ray. "Weekend Report: 'Hobbit,' 'Frozen' Top 'Wolf,' 'Mitty' on Final Weekend of 2013". Box Office Mojo.
  24. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (December 28, 2013). "Report: Flop '47 Ronin' to lose $175 million". USA Today.
  25. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (December 27, 2013). "Box Office: Universal's '47 Ronin' Likely to Result in $175 Million Loss". The Hollywood Reporter.
  26. ↑ Schroter, Shawn (December 10, 2013). "Japan Unbowed by ’47 Ronin’". The Wall Street Journal.
  27. ↑ "47 Ronin (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  28. ↑ "47 Ronin". Metacritic. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
  29. ↑ Acuna, Kirsten (January 3, 2014). "Report: Why Keanu Reeves' '47 Ronin' Was A Huge Box-Office Bomb". Seattle PI/Business Insider.
  30. ↑ "Gravity, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Lead Saturn Awards Noms"
  31. ↑ 47 Ronin DVD Release Date | NewDVDReleaseDates.com

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