Two score and seven Ronin

I gather Keanu Reaves is only really in this so they'd have a Western presence to hype the film around in Western theatres... he doesn't need to be there, it's a decent enough film without him.

Due to the dirty tricks of a witch, Lord Asano nearly kills a guest and has to kill himself to regain his honour. And then all his samurai become ronin. And Lord Kira (owner of the dirty trick witch) moves in and claims Asano's land and daughter. But as the wedding comes closer, the ronin decide that enough is enough, and make a play for gaining justice. And there's this other sub-plot about a half-breed with supernatural abilities that fights CGI creatures...

I'm sure I've seen this plot before in one incarnation or another. Either having heard the story directly or seen other film adaptations of it. It works well enough here, with Hiroyuki Sanada as the leader of the ronin, and being the character we care the most about. Although Keanu is in this, the movie is making a deliberate effort not to overplay him too hard. And, of course, Cary-Horiyuki Tagawa is the Shogun.

A well paced watchable movie.

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