story itself is not American, and I believe that may have thrown off critics. The ending is unusual, though I will not spoil it for you.I recommend this movie highly. Should you have the itch as we did, see it for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

events that occurred, but it made the 300 Spartans look even more awesome and exciting to watch. Most stories have embellishment in them. Otherwise they would be kind of dull. The real world usually tends to be just that.Making this film isn't just about telling a cool story, it is to immortalize those warrior's that stood fast and strong to fight for what they believed in and at the same time make them look good doing it.The visuals were great, the costume design was great, the filmography was amazing, capturing the essence of Japan was awesome. Everything down to the colors, the landscape, trees, buildings and everything. Not everyone will like this movie, but I for one would recommend it to anyone that enjoys good movie about Samurai. This movie I thought had a good story. It wasn't great or Academy Award worthy but it was good. It wasn't all non stop action. The director did a good job of building up without making parts drag and become dull.I honestly thought while watching it, it felt like watching a live action anime. Not to mention, I have an obsession with Samurai so I was sold when I saw the first trailer for the film.Overall, I thought the acting was well done, I think Keanu Reeves did a good job. His character may not have been part of the true story, but for the film I thought it introduced something good for the film. First being an outcast and then being welcomed into the fold later in the film.I also liked Hiroyuki Sanada's acting job in this. I think he did an amazing job as well as the entire supporting cast. They all acted as if they truly belonged there. No one ever felt out of place.If you want historical accurate view on the story, I suggest you buy a book or do some hardcore research into the subject. If you just want to watch a good entertaining movie full of mysticism, and Samurai action. Then this is a good way to go. This is just my opinion, take it as you like. Watch it before you criticize it. That is all I have to say!

inspired the movie 47 Ronin. I highly recommend this movie.

member of the upper classes and because of his background, he's treated a second class citizen, usually being the target of offensive remarks and unfair practices. His good character helps him endure this difficult life, and the situation doesn't improve when a member of the royal family comes to visit his community. Because of a misunderstanding and the underhanded maneuvers of a witch, the community members and him find themselves in real trouble.There is a lot of action in the whole movie, and some of the dark magic stuff is fun to see. This is a film when the villain is well defined and works really well because she's a malevolent individual, with a pretty nasty agenda and a good arsenal of devilish spells. In addition to that, the fights are well choreographed, the action moves fast, and there's attention paid to some of the traditions of the Samurai culture not sure if it's accurate , but the great art direction and beautiful photography give it a sense of reality.Be prepared not to listen to the credit and enjoy yourself.

it.Too much studio involvement ruins vision.

who can't bear to see a beloved classic updated, and also from parochials who don't can't seem to comprehend the exotic idiom of bushido in an American film. Can't please everyone. But this movie does a great job of portraying the Japanese warrior mindset of 350 years ago, for all it's faults and beauty.

is beautiful. The costumes design and color choices to separate each of the different clans is impressive in it's complexity. The villains are not just dressed in black, but a fair amount of purple and silver is mixed in to highlight the details in their armor. The sets have an epic feel that is grounded and doesn't feel to fantastic, but rather believable.Now on to the "Half Breed", who mainly adds the taste of a forbidden love story as well as a lifeline to the audience, drowning is a sea of unfamiliar faces. Many, if not most reviewers who've pan this movie for the addition of the "half breed" character fail to realize his importance for the audience. Around the start of the third act, there's a scene where one of the samurai apologies for his treatment of the half breed in a way that communicates to the viewer exactly where a Ronin places in the Japanese cultural/social structure vs where a Samurai does. The inclusion of this character and his treatment throughout the movie is an important plot device. Seeing his treatment by the Samurai as an outcast in the first act, then later his acceptance once they are labeled as Ronin is vital to the evolution of the main Japaneses characters of the story. Not to mention it helps to bridge a gap for an audience unfamiliar with Japanese cultural and social structure.Historical inaccuracy are common in Hollywood. I personally view the ones in 47 Ronin to be no more reprehensible then the ones committed in superheroes films. Yes, I am comparing changes made to characters from Batman, X-Men, Spiderman and Iron Man's cannon to this historical tale of the 47 Ronin. Deal with it, they're just stories after all. We really have no way to know it there really wasn't a half breed character, do we? After all, history is told by the winners, and often inaccurately.With a 2 hour run time, it did feel a bit slow to start, setting the stage for the second and third act. Once it gets going tho, it moved rather nicely. I didn't find myself checking my watch every 10 minutes wondering when it would end like another holiday release I won't mention. If the trailer interests you then you could probably do worst at the box office this holiday season. I enjoyed it, but that's just my opinion.

surprised how good it is.

of the way. The last 1/3rd of the film is as usual where the major battles happen, but act two does not disappoint.In my books this is a 7.5/10, gave it an 8 as its under rated on here. Approach it as a really good B movie and you'll love it. If you expect an Oscar nominations and a $200 mil budget for this, you should probably not be reviewing these sorts of films.