Keanu Reeves will find his inner warrior for the upcoming film, 47 Ronin. Reeves will star in the period picture as an 18th century samurai on a quest for revenge against the evil-doer who caused the death of his master. Presumably he’ll be joined by forty-five more Ronin and Tom Cruise on his journey.
The term ‘Ronin’ should be familiar to all serious film lovers, or at least to those who enjoy excellent cinematic car chases, as it was defined in the Robert DeNiro movie named (appropriately enough) Ronin. It refers to a samurai without a feudal lord, due either to death or disgrace. 47 Ronin is based on a true tale about a group of samurai left leaderless when their master was forced to commit suicide after assaulting a court official. The Ronin planned and executed their revenge against the official… and were then forced to kill themselves for committing the murder. Honestly, that sounds ridiculously lame. I’m not one for honor codes that encourage suicide, especially when it comes to movies. And seriously? Forty-seven samurai warriors against one guy? And we’re supposed to root for the warriors?
Regardless of the tale’s origin in history though, this is Hollywood, so there’s going to be a little embellishment. Per Variety, “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.” Thank you Hollywood for taking this boring tale of sacrifice, honor, and loyalty, and turning it into a special effects extravaganza.
[via Variety]
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