It does not take long to realize that the tale that is being told is based on the legend of the 47 Ronin. Like in the legend 47 Knights lose their master and are out for revenge.
Everybody familiar with this know how it will play out. Director Kazuaki Kiriya tries to be clever and does things a little differently. Unfortunately his way causes agony, frustration and boredom. Kazuaki makes it seem like he is delving deeper into the code of the knights and what compels these knights to stay true and loyal to this code. However most of it is bland and filler. Something I always admired in samurai films and films about knights was the code and their honour. It's fascinating to watch why people stick to it and why others don't. Here was an opportunity to do show this in great detail. You don't learn anything thing new about any of the characters on the screen. There is barely any dramatic impact since you don't really know the characters that well. The only highlight I could find was the action sequence in the finale. Just so you know there are only two action scenes in the whole damn movie.
Hang on, only two? You read that right ladies and gentlemen. This action/adventure has only two action sequences. The first one should not even be mentioned because it was very brief and meaningless. The finale offered decent enough action but it simply was not satisfying. If your whole narrative has been build up to such a scene then you expect spectacle in some form. Talk about underwhelming. All this time I was wondering why both Clive Owen and Morgan Freeman were in this? Surely they don't need the money that bad do they? Or were they convinced that this film actually could turn out good? Your guess is as good as mine.
I given this a lot of thought (took me two days to write this since I was not sure what to say). But I advise you against watching this. It's a complete waste of time. Don't get fooled by the big names. They do keep it bearable but can't do much with the material they are given. You are better off watching 47 Ronin.
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