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Initial Thought: I have been holding off on this one for a little bit. I haven't heard very good things about it. Most of what I hear though is basically because people wanted more action. So I decided to watch it knowing that.
Characters/Acting: Morgan Freeman and Clive Owen lead this and that's good enough for me. There are other really good actors besides them as well including Payman Maadi, Aksel Hennie (awesome character in Hercules with The Rock), and Shohreh Aghdashloo. I love the huge mixture of ethnicities represented here. The acting here is of course really good. I also really liked all the characters specifically Ito.
Story: From what I know it is about honor in a land ravaged by dishonorable people. I also know this is said to be a remake of a 40s telling of the 47 Ronin. The action scenes here are indeed seldom, but very rich with awesomeness when they happen. There is a really good intense atmosphere throughout that I think people dismiss because they want to see battles. There are a few scenes scattered about where someone gets killed though. I think it keeps things interesting through the long periods of character and story development. I think if people stuck with it and waited until the last forty minutes they would have been more accepting. This is one of those slow burning movies that really utilizes it correctly. The ending was quite good and well delivered.
Directing/Writing: I have heard of Kazuaki Kiriya's movies, but this is the first one I will see of his. Michael Konyves only wrote Barney's Version which I have actually heard of. This is the first credited work associated with Dove Sussman. Why can't Americans have more directors like this? This guy paced it quite well in my opinion. It just didn't feel like it dragged on to me. The writers also did a quite excellent job with the overall message of the film.
Final Thought: I really respected this film. It may not be an all out action spectacle, but it's really quite entertaining. I like the way it dealt with the subjects of honor, betrayal, and trust. I think this one is truly underrated and not understood for what it is. Now don't get me wrong it is not the best movie I have ever seen, but it is worth more than it's given. I say give it a try to the finish. I'm sure you will enjoy it too.
