47 Ronin (2013)

This movie is based on the actual story of the 47 Ronin

Summary

-A group of rogue samurai seek to avenge the death of their master, despite a ruthless shogun informing them not to seek vengeance

Cast

-Keanu Reeves: Kai

-Hiroyuki Sanada: Oishi

-Ko Shibasaki: Mika

-Tadanobu Asano: Lord Kira

-Min Tanaka: Lord Asano

-Jin Akanishi: Chikara

-Masayoshi Haneda: Yasuno

-Hiroshia Sogabe: Hazama

-Takato Yonemoto: Basho

-Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa: Shogun Tsunayoshi

Did You Know?

-The filming was done first in Japanese, because of the supporting cast, then done in English, according to Keanu Reeves

-Carl Rinsch, who directed the film, got into a fight with Universal over this film. They wanted a special effects fantasy film like 2009's Avatar or The Lord of the Rings. Rinsch wanted to make it more of a drama, such as 2000's Gladiator or 2005's Kingdom of Heaven

-This is the first Hollywood film adaptation of the story of the 47 Ronin. Other films have been made about this story, such as: 1941's The 47 Ronin, 1958's The Loyal 47 Ronin, 1962's Chushingura, 1978's The Fall of Ako Castle, 1994's 47 Ronin and 2010's The Last Ronin

-It was said that the character Kai, played by Keanu Reeves, was said to be modeled after Minamoto Yoshitsune, a 12th century warrior who was said to have been trained in martial arts by Tengu

-Initially Keanu Reeves was hesitant to do this film, as he felt his character Kai wouldn't feel integrated into the main plot of the film

-While most of the cast was Japanese and unknown to Western audiences, Hiroyuki Sanada is well known to Western audiences, because of the films he appeared in, which include: 2013's The Wolverine, the 2004 TV show Lost, 2019's Avengers: Endgame and 2007's Rush Hour 3 while Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is well known to Western audiences for appearances such as 2011's Hawaii Five-O, 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha, 2001's Pearl Harbor

-The witch in this film had two different colored eyes, a medical condition called heterochromia. Many Asian cultures refer to this condition as "cat's eyes", as it is a common condition in cats

-The witch was said to have been inspired by a bake-kitsune, which translates into "fox spirit", a type of yokai (spirit, monster, ghost) that can shapeshift into humans or other creatures

-This film is said to have almost nothing in common with the original story. Instead it was set in a world of witches and giants

-There were many critics who claimed this movie was "white washed" only because of Keanu Reeves appearing in it. In reality, Keanu Reeves is 1/4 Chinese-Hawaiian, as is his paternal grandmother while the rest of his ancestry is European. He does not have Japanese ancestry at all