47 Ronin

47 Ronin - Dir. Car Rinsch (2013)

47 Ronin is the latest in a string of blockbusters that have suffered from overblown budgets and production delays. Much like World War Z and The Lone Ranger, 47 Ronin attracted negative buzz long before it was ever released. Universal was in desperate search for the next big thing, one that would line their pockets the way the Fast & Furious franchise has. After costly failures like Battleship and R.I.P.D., the studio was probably banking on 47 Ronin to reverse their misfortunes as well as appeal to the lucrative Asian markets that are so important today. Originally scheduled for release November of 2012, it was pushed back twice to accommodate extensive reshoots and special effects work amidst rumors of producers clashing with an overwhelmed, first-time director. The fact that 47 Ronin collected only $2.8 million in Japan, despite being based on a renowned legend in that country, says a lot about the movie's quality.

47 Ronin is set in 18^th century Japan though it was primarily shot in Budapest and London. The city of Ako has grown prosperous under the rule of the benevolent Lord Asano (Min Tanaka). However, the power-hungry Lord Kira (Tadanobu Asano) covets everything Asano has, including his beautiful daughter, Mika (Kou Shibasaki), who is in love with the orphaned Kai (Keanu Reeves). Half-British and half-Japanese, Kai was found running through the forest as a boy and taken in by Asano though almost everyone else treat him as a lowly half-breed.

During a visit by the Shogun (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), the witch Mizuki (Rinko Kikuchi) casts a spell on an unsuspecting Asano that causes him to mistakenly attack Kira. Humiliated in front of the Shogun, Asano is forced to commit seppuku in order to save his family from further disgrace. All his lands are given to Kira while Asano's loyal samurai, led by Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), are disbanded and forbidden from taking revenge. After spending a year of imprisonment, Oishi seeks to reunite his scattered brethren, avenge their fallen master, and rescue Mika from the clutches of Kira.

47 Ronin is an awkward fusion of the classic jidaigeki with the modern Hollywood blockbuster. The filmmakers attempted to stay faithful to the original legend while making it appealing to Western audiences by introducing mythological beasts, black magic, and a wealth of computer generated images. It's clear they were aiming to create another Lord of the Rings. Instead, the tone is so dour and self-serious that 47 Ronin fails to be the rousing fantasy the studio envisioned.

Carl Rinsch, a former commercial director, makes his feature debut here and he's certainly no hack. Yet, it's clear that he is a visual filmmaker without a firm handle on emotional beats. 47 Ronin only truly shines during the climax in which the samurai raid Lord Kira's compound. There's also a chaotic sequence ripped straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean, where Oishi rescues Kai from a Dutch trading post. Unfortunately, these exciting moments are few and far between.

While Oishi is nominally the lead protagonist, the narrative doles out an equal share of screen time for Kai. Not only is he a less interesting character, Reeves turns in another stiff performance and he's a couple decades too old to be playing the part. And let's not get into a convoluted origin story that involves a sect of bird-like monks with mystical powers. At least, Sanada is a strong enough actor to provide the dramatic gravitas that 47 Ronin desperately needs. Aside from those two, you would be hard pressed to pick any of the other ronin out of a line-up. None of them are allowed to display any distinct characteristics aside from a handful of tired archetypes. There's the jolly fat guy, the babyfaced rookie, and the jerk that eventually learns to respect Kai. The only other memorable cast member is the beautiful Rinko Kikuchi vamping it up as a shape-shifting seductress, who can change into a dragon or a flurry of undulating fabric.

A major studio production with a predominantly Asian cast is always welcome at the local multiplex, just too bad it had 47 Ronin, a thoroughly forgettable and uninspired affair.

Rating: * ½ (*****)

Man of Tai Chi

Man of Tai Chi - Dir. Keanu Reeves (2013)

"You owe me a life."

In Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Keanu Reeves was good-natured dimwit, who traveled through time to meet some of history's most renowned personalities. In Point Break, he was an FBI agent. In The Matrix, he showed the world that he knew kung fu. In Man of Tai Chi, Reeves shows just how much he loves kung fu and martial arts movies. Not only does Reeves star in the film, he makes his directorial debut here.

The lead protagonist is Tiger Chen, a stuntman and martial arts expert, who worked on the Matrix sequels and helped train Reeves. Here, Chen works a meager job as a courier while practicing Tai Chi. Against his master's (Yu Hai from Shaolin and Tai Chi Master) wishes, Chen participates in tournaments to do away with the stereotypes of senior citizens in the park. His success draws the attention of millionaire Donaka Mark (Reeves), who offers Chen the opportunity to attain easy wealth by fighting for him. Chen refuses until his master's ancient temple is threatened by opportunistic developers. He learns too late that the underground fights are illegally broadcasted with cameras following him everywhere as part of a twisted reality program package. As the fights get increasingly brutal, Chen gets further and further away from the principles of Tai Chi.

Fans of Asian cinema will recognize Karen Mok as a dogged detective determined to bring down Donaka's operations and Simon Yam as her superior officer.

Rap artist the RZA paid homage to the classic Shaw Brothers films of the 70's with his passion project The Man with the Iron Fist. With Man of Tai Chi, Reeves and screenwriter Michael G. Cooney have created an action flick that feels cut from the 90's era of Hong Kong cinema. The plot is minimal and the dialogue is laughable, but those elements are almost always secondary to the fight scenes. Luckily, Reeves has enlisted the services of Yuen Woo-Ping, the legendary choreographer of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The fights in Man of Tai Chi aren't mind blowing in the manner of Drunken Master II or Once Upon a Time in China, but they are entertaining enough. Reeves has wisely done his homework when it comes to shooting martial arts and surrounded himself with an experienced team.

Man of Tai Chi falters in the third act. Iko Uwais from The Raid: Redemption is introduced for the penultimate brawl. Just as you settle in for a knockdown, drag-out match, Reeves takes a left turn and the whole thing fizzles away. Reeves positions himself as the big, bad and faces off with Chen in the climactic battle. Let's just say his fighting style is as stiff and robotic as his performance.

Reeves rarely plays the villain and his turn as Donaka manages to be wooden and brilliant simultaneously. He doesn't muster a lot of emotion, but there's a sense of camp to hear him spout dialogue straight out of Mortal Kombat ("Finish him!"). At one point, Reeves randomly stares into the camera, bares his teeth, and snarls as if he were channeling his Devil's Advocate co-star Al Pacino. Chen gets his first starring role in Man of Tai Chi and while he has the fighting skills down pat, he doesn't have the acting chops or presence to really be a compelling hero.

Wong Kar-Wai mixed the grace and philosophy of martial arts to better results with The Grandmaster. Gareth Evans directed one of the most action-packed martial arts movies in years with The Raid: Redemption. Keanu Reeves' Man of Tai Chi lands on some comfortable middle ground, but never reaches the heights of the films it emulates.

Rating: ** (*****)

The Day the Earth Stood Still

The Day the Earth Stood Still - Dir. Scott Derrickson (2008)


I’m not entirely opposed to the idea of remakes. One of my favorite movies of all time, The Magnificent Seven, is a remake and I thought Jet Li’s Fist of Legend, a remake of Bruce Lee’s The Chinese Connection, was a better film than the original. If you are going to remake a film, then at least take your version in a different direction. I can’t think of anything more pointless than Gus Van Sant’s ill-advised shot-for-shot remake of Psycho. To many cinephiles, remaking classics such as Psycho is like treading on holy ground. Fox’s modern production of The Day the Earth Stood Still shows exactly what is wrong with the majority of remakes. It may have a bigger budget and better special effects, but it lacks the soul of the original.

While the original version was made at a time when the Cold War and nuclear armament was at its nascent point, the remake takes on more environmental themes. In both films, an alien named Klaatu (Keanu Reeves) lands his spaceship in the middle of Central Park. He’s accompanied to Earth by a massive robot named Gort, who looks remarkably like the Justice League Unlimited version of Amazo. No sooner does Klaatu set foot on Earth than he is shot and taken into custody by the U.S. government. He escapes from a military hospital with help from a micro-biologist named Dr. Helen Benson (Jennifer Connelly). He befriends Benson and her step-son, Jacob (Jaden Smith), revealing that his plan to save the Earth involves wiping out all of humanity.

The casting of Keanu Reeves as the alien visitor is actually an inspired choice. Reeves’ wooden, monotone performance is perfect for the role. Michael Rennie’s Klaatu was warm, intelligent, and shown to be more human than the very humans he met. Reeves’ Klaatu is cold and detached. Not that I blame him, nearly everyone he meets is an idiot. The government and the military have a shoot first, don’t bother to ask questions policy. However, there’s a difference between making the characters misguided and making them stupid beyond reason. This is where we come to Jacob played by Will Smith’s son, Jaden, who made his film debut with daddy in The Pursuit of Happyness. His performance here isn’t that terrible, but his character is so annoying that no matter what he does, you just want to smack him in the back of the head.

While the remake as gathered an impressive collection of actors for its supporting cast, they are completely wasted by the weak, preachy script. Jennifer Connelly practically sleepwalks through her role and while I enjoyed seeing Jon Hamm, Kyle Chandler, and Robert Knepper, I’d rather see them on their respective shows (Mad Men, Friday Night Lights, Prison Break). About the only scenes that come close to popping are the brief heart-to-heart conversations Klaatu has with James Hong (as a fellow alien) and John Cleese (as a Nobel-prize winning scientist).

Rating: * ½