47 Ronin

[sanjuro_ronin]

Obviously its a "version" off and not a remake of the original.
That said, it is also one of the signs of the apocalypse.
We're all gonna die.

[Jimbo]

Now a Japanese director should go to Scotland and film a new Braveheart, starring Hiroyuki Sanada as William Wallace.

[GeneChing]

Sanada would have to take time out from Wolverine and Revenge too.

Inagaki directed Chushingura (1962) which is not the 'original'. There were earlier versions in '41 and '58. But Inagaki's version is by far the best. The final siege scene is excellent. It is remembered as the one that features Toshiro Mifune, although Mifune's part is almost an extended cameo.

The real 'original' version was a historic event. My kendo dojo made a pilgrimage to the site where there is a museum honoring the Ronin that houses their artifacts and weapons. I didn't go on that trip unfortunately, as it was before I was a member there, but it was described to me on many post-training session libations.

47 Ronin Posters Baffle and Amuse People Online in Japan

Hollywood is doing a big budget version of the Forty-seven Ronin, a famous historic incident of samurai honor , loyalty, and revenge. The big screen version seems different.

While there really were forty-seven ronin that lived in the 18th century, the movie's set "in a world of witches and giants". According to Variety, it will mix "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." Oh. Okay.

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One redeeming factor is that the film's producers have signed on Japanese actors, such as Tadanobu Asano, Kou Shibasaki, Jin Akanishi, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rinko Kikuchi.

That being said, when you say "Forty-seven Ronin", people probably think of something closer to the 1962 Toshiro Mifune film Chushingura, or what iconic filmmaker Kinji Fukasaku brought to life with his 1978 film Swords of Vengeance—or the various kabuki performances, play, or depictions in art and popular culture.

It's impossible to understate how famous the Forty-seven Ronin story is in Japan. In the U.S., it would be the equivalent of something like the Alamo.

So, you can probably understand why these movie posters, which are certainly not traditionally Japanese, seem somewhat vexing for many. It would be like seeing James Bowie wield magic instead of his iconic knife, or having the Alamo populated with giants.

On 2ch, Japan's largest forum, many commenters seemed puzzled by the posters. Granted, these are just posters, and the film itself might be wonderful.

"What are these, new Tekken characters?" asked one 2ch commenter.

"This really doesn't evoke the Forty-seven Ronin," wrote another. "But whatever, they can do whatever they like." Others immediately wrote off the movie, while one commenter said, "It seems like it's mixed with The Avengers." Another chimed in, "I imagine the story is something like out of Predator."

"Japan is the place that can truly understand [this story], but it doesn't even seem to be aimed at Japan," chimed in another—to which someone retorted that people in Japan probably wouldn't get it anyway, so they should do what they like. Others also said it was a movie, so it should be judged—whether it's good or bad—solely on its own merits.

"Actually, this is so different from the Forty-seven Ronin, that it actually seems like it will be fun," wrote one commenter. Others said that this was simply entertainment and didn't necessarily need historical facts.

"Looking at these posters, it seems like the court official they're going to kill will shoot lasers out of his eyes like the last boss in a video game," added a commenter. Let's hope so!

47 Ronin will be out this Christmas, complete with samurai, witches, and, uh, giants. No word on the lasers.

[doug maverick]

after viewing the trailer which ill post later. this isnt 47 ronin./. oh it has 47 ronin in it but that is the extent.

[GeneChing]

It does look kind of good. If only they had called it the 46 Ronin or the 48 Ronin...

47 Ronin - Official Trailer (HD) Keanu Reeves

[GeneChing]

The buzz that the trailer and posters is creating got me thinking about Keanu as a Hollywood/Chollywood playa. He is reminding me of Seagal now in the way he is working odd angles and is mostly disregarded and characterized as a sort of clown celeb. Despite the oddness of Seagal's MMA and Russian connections, it is an interesting juxtaposition. With Keanu, his latest moves in cinema also make for an interesting juxtaposition. We here all know he just dropped his PRC ace card, MoTC in China, and that it failed to deliver. It is really interesting that with all of this coverage of 47R, MoTC is never mentioned.

Video: Trailer for Keanu Reeves' troubled '47 Ronin' debut
By John Horn
July 24, 2013, 11:58 a.m.
“We believe you are the only one who can help us.”

That ominous plea comes about halfway through the new trailer for “47 Ronin,” and while it’s directed at the character played by Keanu Reeves the entreaty could also describe how much Universal Pictures needs the actor to deliver a big audience for the troubled production.

Filmed in early 2011, the expensive movie—the budget was originally $175 million but has surpassed that figure—originally was set for release last Thanksgiving.

But Universal delayed the release to this February and then again to this Christmas because the film needed reshoots and more time to complete its visual effects.

Shot in 3-D by Carl Rinsch, a music video and commercial director who had never made a studio feature, “47 Ronin” stars a largely Japanese cast (including Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki and Rinko Kikuchi) alongside Reeves, who has not starred in a blockbuster hit since the "Matrix" trilogy.

"47 Ronin" is a new version of a Japanese legend about a group of samurai who avenge the death of their master and then commit ritual suicide.

As the trailer makes clear, there is no shortage of over-the-top visual effects in the film, but Universal has to make sure “47 Ronin” can hold its own against the monsters and beasts from Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” which opens just two weeks before “47 Ronin" finally arrives.

[MightyB]

It does look kind of good. If only they had called it the 46 Ronin or the 48 Ronin...

47 Ronin - Official Trailer (HD) Keanu Reeves

Facebook suggested I watch this... I now want to wash out my eyes!

[sanjuro_ronin]

Looks cool.

[MightyB]

Looks cool.

Tom Cruise and Keano should duel to the death.

[sanjuro_ronin]

Tom Cruise and Keano should duel to the death.

I'd pay to see that !

[Hebrew Hammer]

The preview gave me a semi! After just having read the 47 Ronin, I'm ok with this Keanu version, it won't detract from the original tale. It's no where near it in terms of story line. With the new 300 film, the second Hobbit edition coming up this could be a good year for hollywood from my view point. I will have actually seen more films in the theater this year than I have in many.

Tom Cruise and Keano should duel to the death.

That would be epic...along with a Seagal vs. Van Damm death match.

[GeneChing]

Warning: not in English.
47 RONIN - Official International Trailer #2 (2013) [HD] Keanu Reeves (with captions / subtitles)

[Hebrew Hammer]

Warning: not in English.
47 RONIN - Official International Trailer #2 (2013) [HD] Keanu Reeves (with captions / subtitles)

Kind of sounds cool in Russian...but you can get the English subtitles with the CC button.

[GeneChing]

I think it sounds better in Russian, just like Seagal and Van Damme movies sound better in Spanish.

[Subitai]

47 Ronin UK Trailer (2013) - Keanu Reeves Movie HD

Published on Oct 7, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LAhSfNfq4E



Well...all we can do is wait and see??