Far eastern legend has little promise but plenty of action

East meets west with a flurry of digital trickery in this ill-conceived martial arts epic inspired by the real-life tale of a group of samurai, who doled out justice in 18th-century Japan to avenge their master.

While the original story is tightly woven into Japanese culture and has been passed down through the generations, Carl Rinsch’s lavish spectacle will quickly be forgotten.

The film’s reported $170 million budget has been invested in gorgeous production design and endless costumes. Beneath all of the lustrous packaging though, 47 Ronin is little more than a hoary B-Movie with little interest in the nuances of Tokugawa-era Japan.

Keanu Reeves plays the vacuous hero, Kai, an outcast who is taken in by Lord Asano (Tanaka) despite the other subjects labelling him a demon. Kai grows up a sensitive soul and catches the eye of Asano’s spirited daughter, Mika (Shibasaki), but he realises their romance across the social divide is doomed.

Mika’s heartache turns to anguish when scheming Lord Kira (Asano) uses a high-profile visit from Shogun Tsunayoshi (Tagawa) to besmirch Lord Asano’s reputation.

The Shogun orders Asano to commit seppuku – ritual suicide by disembowelment – to avoid bringing shame upon his house, then permits Mika one year to mourn before she must marry Kira and thereby unite the two kingdoms.

Kuranosuke Oishi (Sanada) and Asano’s samurai guards are now masterless ‘ronin’ and Kira banishes them to the wilderness. These brave warriors vow revenge but, to get close to their enemy, they must place their trust in Kai before overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles including Lord Kira’s most deadly ally, a wicked sorceress called Mizuki (Kikuchi).