Brief Plot Recap

**I’ll try to keep this as spoiler free as possible, but I’m going to assume that you’ve at least read my previous post on the movie or are familiar with the story of the 47 Ronin. If you haven’t seen the film and don’t want to have anything potentially be ruined, read on with care**

So the three main characters of the film are played by some entertaining actors. The main bad guy, Kira, is played by Tadonobu Asano and the main good guy, Oishi, is played by Hiroyuki Sanada. These are two of my all time favorite Japanese actors (which I wrote about a little while ago) so it was really cool to see them in the same film.

But, of course, the main star is a Hollywood star, Keanu Reeves. Keanu plays the character known as Kai, the “half breed” who ends up being the hero of the story, and also the one that gets the girl (of course).

For those unfamiliar, the basic story behind the 47 Ronin tells of a group of 47 masterless samurai in 18th century Japan who avenge the death of their master. Their master was disgraced, and their land and honor taken from them. They follow the code of the bushido to avenge their master’s death and as a consequence, all of them die. It is one of Japan’s greatest tales.

In the original tale, Oishi leads the ronin in their revenge, but in this Hollywood adaptation, he more or less shares that responsibility with Keanu Reeve’s character Kai, who in turn takes most of the limelight. The movie also introduces exciting supernatural fantasy elements, such as demons.

A Review

“Do people like our movie?” “No… no they don’t.”

Like I said before, I went into the film with high hopes and low expectations. My expectations were not exceeded. My favorite parts about the movie were probably all the neat colors and interesting costumes. The movie itself just wasn’t that exciting.

I was really disappointed because the actual tale of the 47 Ronin is just so darn cool. I was hoping that with an all-star cast and the introduction of cool fantasy elements, they’d really be able to make a great movie adaptation here. Unfortunately they did not.

Critics really dislike the film and the general consensus is that they were just disappointed, especially given the names and talent involved. Tadanobu Asano and Hiroyuki Sanada are both great actors. People have mixed feelings about Keanu, but I’ve always liked the guy. Unfortunately the scripting for 47 Ronin left them all with unexciting, relatively one dimensional roles to play.

The film was also widely reported as a financial failure with estimated losses hovering around the $175 million mark. That’s like, really, really bad.

Here are some Rotten Tomato quotes I think best sum up the reception of the movie.

Solemn as a funeral march, humorless as your junior high principal, as Japanese as a grocery-store California roll, Keanu Reeves’s let’s-mope-about-and-kill-ourselves samurai drama has exactly three things going for it.
-Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice

With a better hand this could have been something glorious and grand. As it is, 47 Ronin is solid B-movie entertainment with a $175 million budget.
-Kristy Puchko, CinemaBlend.com

47 Ronin is murky, muddled and leaden, although it’s not quite the unmitigated disaster it’s been cracked up to be.
-Xan Brooks, Observer [UK]

Mildly entertaining and gorgeous to look at, 47 Ronin has little beneath the surface to recommend it. There are a few good fights, though.
-Roth Cornet, IGN Movies

Japanese Demons in the Film

One of the most exciting potentials of this film was its inclusion of mythological creatures. I was curious how they would handle these in the film, and after viewing it, I think they did a relatively unimpressive job. We’ve written about Japanese creatures before, so I was interested in exploring how the portrayal of them in this film compared with what’s traditional.

Kitsune

See the resemblance?

The main creatures included in the film are a witch (possibly a kitsune) and some tengu. The witch lady is never called a kitsune (magical foxes that can take on human form), but it is first shown as a fox, so that was my first impression of it.

The kitsune witch has become Kira’s sidekick. Kitsune are commonly portrayed as lovers as well as tricksters, so this fits in with the movie’s portrayal. The witch is playing tricks on everyone to further her and Kira’s agenda. It’s unclear in the movie if they’re actually lovers, but at the very least, they are companions. Who’s really in control between the two of them is unclear.

While the witch in the film uses magic and kitsune are magical creatures, the witch’s magic seems a bit out of the realm of the traditional kitsune. The witch in the film also transforms into different forms and creatures, such as a dragon. This leads me to believe that she wasn’t actually a kitsune, or the directors just took some real liberties with how kitsune behave.

All in all, the transformations didn’t make a lot of sense (assuming she was a kitsune). That being said, what do you expect from Hollywood, after all?

Tengu

Keanu Reeve’s character is raised by tengu in the film. Traditional tengu are incredibly popular supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They’re one of the best known mythological creatures in Japan and are sometimes even worshiped as Shinto kami. Tengu were originally thought to be birdlike, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics.

The earliest tengu were pictured with beaks, but this feature has since modernized into an unnaturally long nose, which is undoubtedly their defining characteristic today.

Buddhist dogma long held that the tengu were disruptive demons who brought both violence and death. However, their image gradually softened into protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests.

Their main role in the film is to provide weapons to the 47 ronin after Kai and Oishi prove themselves. The way the tengu look in the film is unlike any depiction I’d ever seen of them and I was confused as to why they would alter them in this way.

As you can see from the photo below, the tengu from the movie does not look like a traditional tengu. None of their typical features or characteristics are reflected in the film. Its face is totally different. Why would they alter its nose? The tengu’s most recognizable feature? Beats me.

Can you spot the differences?

Other than that, I felt like the film’s depiction of tengu was surprisingly accurate. Tengu have been described as creatures associated with war and were known to possess great knowledge in the art of skilled combat. Legend also tells of a famous warrior called Minamoto no Yoshitsune whose father was assassinated by the Taira clan. One day he encountered some mountain tengu and they taught him the art of swordsmanship to assist in his vengeance against the Taira.

This all fits in well with the tengu raising Kai and teaching him how to fight like a supernatural being. It also makes decent sense that they would be able to provide the ronin in the film with weapons after they passed a goofy test. Overall, I was pleased with the movie’s depiction of tengu. It’s what’s on the inside that counts, right?

All in All

“What’d you say about my movie?”

Throughout this review of The 47 Ronin, I think I’ve been pretty nice. I’d like to sum it up by saying that this movie is not worth your money. Since the best parts of the film (in my opinion) are the visuals, it would probably be best experienced on a cinema screen, but I don’t think it’s worth the admission.

I also think that the more you know about the original 47 Ronin story and the more you know about Japan and Japanese myth, the more you will enjoy this film. If you don’t know much about the original tale or are totally clueless concerning Japanese folklore/myth, some parts of the movie might be a bit confusing.

The movie is entertaining enough for one viewing, but really, it’s not a good film. If you don’t expect much, you’ll be able to enjoy it for what it is, even if it’s not much more than pretty colors and nifty visuals. The fight scenes ain’t too bad either.

Final Verdict: 4 Mr. Andersons

It’s pretty rare for me. American movies about food seem to be few and far between, and the ones that are around are usually socially-conscious documentaries that bum me out more than anything.

Japanese movies about food seem to do exactly the opposite. Most food movies out of Japan focus a lot on the role of food in bringing people together, the journeys people go through for food and, most importantly of all, always make me really hungry. Would you expect anything less from the country that brought us Iron Chef?

I gathered up some of the best Japanese movies about food I could find. If these don’t rouse your apetite, then you might not have a stomach.

Tampopo (タンポポ)

Tampopo is the be all and end all of Japanese food movies. Period. Full stop. If you say that any other food movie is better then sorry, but you’re wrong.

Billed as a “Ramen Western” (a play on the “Spaghetti Western” genre of movies), Tampopo is, at its most basic, the story of a woman trying to turn her ramen shop around to save it from its own mediocrity.

But that simle description does such disservice to the movie. Tampopo jumps around, exploring different topics, settings, and stories, culminating into a movie that encompasses life, death, love, and all of the big questions in life.

If you’ve never heard of or seen Tampopo before, then see it as soon as you can. But in the meantime, you can read our post on Tampopo and philosophy.

Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary all about Jiro Ono, chef at the best sushi restaurant in the world, Sukiyabashi Jiro. How do you get to be the best sushi chef in the world? Jiro Dreams of Sushi tells Jiro’s life story and explores his philosophy on sushi and life in general.

This movie is the definition of food porn, full of close-up shots of freshly-made sushi glistening with soy sauce, moments before it’s delicately gobbled down by a appreciative diner. Even if you can’t go to the best sushi restaurant in the world, Jiro Dreams of Sushi will give you a very personal view of the sushi.

You also get a glimpse into the inner workings of the Japanese restaurant industry, all the way up and down the supply chain. It’s a behind-the-scenes tour that not many people get.

You can watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi on Netflix, and read our write-up about Sukiyabashi Jiro here.

Udon (うどん)

In Japan, udon noodles plays second fiddle to ramen. Not only is the greatest Japanese food movie, Tampopo, about ramen, but ramen has taken off in the Japanese food world the way udon never has.

People in Japan are always tinkering with ramen, coming up with new and exciting ways to serve it. There are so many variations when it comes to broth, noodles, and toppings, that it’s hard to keep track of it all. (Although we’ve written a guide to ramen to help keep track of it all.)

That doesn’t mean that you should ignore udon. Not only is it delicious in its own right, but it even has its own movie, appropriately titled Udon.

Udon, like Tampopo, is a bit of an underdog story, but is much different from seminal classic. It follows a washed-up comedian who returns home to help construct an udon pilgrimmage of sorts.

Ironically enough, one of the members of the comedy group the Rahmens appears in the movie. Maybe ramen and udon can be friends after all!

The Antarctic Cook (南極料理人)

When you’re stationed at a research facility in Antarctica, it’s easy to get homesick. Surrounded by vast stretches of impossibly cold desert, you long for more hospitable surroundings.

Fortunately, some familiar food can go a long way. The Antarctic Cook follows the crew at Antarctica’s Dome Fuji Station and, more specifically, Nishimura, the crew’s chef.

You can read our full review of the Antarctic Cook here.

Spirited Away (千と千尋の神隠し)

You might think that Spirited Away isn’t really a food movie. After all, isn’t it one of those Studio Ghibli movies about magic and wonder?

And you’d be right. But, Spirited Away also happens to feature enough tasty-looking food to make your mouth water. Even though the food is all illustrated, the variety and serving sizes of those foods still provoke your appetite.

You can read our article about how Spirited Away is the perfect foodie movie for more.

Honorable mention: eatrip

eatrip (a portmanteau of “eat” and “trip”) is a simple documentary about how food bring people together. Despite featuring dreamboat actor Tadanoba Asano and coming out pretty recently (2009), I couldn’t track it down through either legitimate or not-so-legitimate means.

The trailer makes the movie look promising, but every review site I’ve come across gives it pretty mediocre ratings. Just as well, I suppose.

What food movies make your mouth water? Did I miss you favorite Japanese food movie on this list? Do you want to try to make the argument that Tampopo isn’t the best (rofl)? Tell me in the comments!

Japanese samurai films are unquestionably rife with their own brand of clichés; the two samurai dashing at each other, swords drawn, only to have one fall to his death.

No samurai movie would be complete without the heaps and heaps of nameless, dead lesser warriors. In order for the Toshiro Mifune to look good, he has to build his reputation on the corpses of villains who tried and failed to best him.

It’s a role that many actors know, even Tommy Lee Jones:

But one man has stood head and shoulders above the rest as an exemplary fall man. Seizo Fukumoto has been on the business end of a prop sword for over 50 years. You’d think constantly dying to more handsome, charismatic men would take a toll on his ego, but Fukumoto has found a niche where he is comfortable.

His (incomplete) IMDB page speaks for itself, listing over 50 roles. He’s had the privilege of working beside Tom Cruise, fighting Xenu his ex-wives Western forces in The Last Samurai, and appeared in the God-awful Message From Space, the 70s-era Japanese Star Wars rip-off that we’ve written about before. Fukumoto was even presented with a special award from the Japanese Academy Awards for his remarkable career.

Fukumoto in the background, moments before Tom Cruise flew away in his spaceship made of money.

How did he do it all? While other actors aspired to be a leading man or comic relief, Fukumoto just died. Over and over. NPR claims that he has been killed in one form or another over 50,000 times.

(Although, as one commenter on NPR points out, in order for Fukumoto to have died over 50,000 times, he would have had to be killed nonstop every eight hours for at least 50 years. Maybe NPR is a little off.)

The films that Fukumoto appears in are sometimes called chanbara (sword fights) movies. Believe it or not, chanbara exists outside of the world of Japanese samurai movies.

Sword skills obviously aren’t really needed in the real world anymore, but people are still drawn to the beauty of sword combat, so they’ve turned chanbara into a sport of sorts.

Not to be confused with kendo (which has its own set of rules and beliefs), chanbara as a sport isn’t really as established as other sports like it.

Chanbara doesn’t have an international regulatory body like, say, judo does, you won’t ever see it in the Olympics, and it seems that more likely than not, people who teach chanbara outside Japan are Steven Seagal-types. (Oddly enough, chanbara seems mostly popular in France — not quite sure why.)

Maybe I’m being too hard on chanbara. But I know one thing for sure — there are few people out there who can fight and die with the same grace as Fukumoto. To reach that level, you’ll have to keep on dying. And dying. (And dying.)