The Round-Eye and the Princess, Pt. 2

47 Ronin (2013) 118 mins.

"So why do you want my help?"

47 Ronin is a beautiful movie. It's lush, lovely, crisp, stylish, well-paced; simply beautiful to look at. It's also well-acted (for the most part), and well-directed (with a caveat or two). It's a good story, well told. The story sticks to the monomythic script for a tale about an outcast and his beloved childhood friend and sweetheart, the unobtainable princess, daughter of his master. From the found-in-the-woods opening to the storming-the-castle ending, and at every point in between, it doesn't veer far from a road well-traveled.

It doesn't need to. The story has weight of its own, and if we've been here before, we can surely enjoy the ride again. This tale isn't weighed down by excess dialogue or unnecessary scenes. It moves along to its conclusion, two simultaneous fights, the dishonored warrior versus the dark lord while the now-so-important outcast battles the dark lord's evil familiar, in a way that doesn't leave the viewer bored, or exhausted, or disinterested.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The only thing that kept me from giving it five stars is the lead actor's delivery, which reminds me that at times I'm still seeing Ted, and this is just another Excellent Adventure.

Four Stars. Good.

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