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The story of the forty-seven ronin of Ako avenging their fallen master is a significant historical event in Japanese history that has practically gone down as a legend. The events that transpired have frequently been retold in media, most notably in literature through the fictionalized accounts known as “Chushingura.” In addition, many retellings of the vengeful retainers' plot for revenge have been depicted in traditional theater and in cinema. Filmmakers that have directed their depictions include Kenji Mizoguchi, Kunio Watanabe, and Hiroshi Inagaki. Of the countless cinematic renditions, one of the more underrated and unique is Kon Ichikawa's “47 Ronin.”

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Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.

Rawhide Chew: Rinsch’s CGI Laden Retelling a Cardboard Snooze

The story of the 47 Ronin, a Japanese tale based in historical fact that has become a timeless standard, as well as an epic that has been molded into cinematic form by some of the country’s greatest auteurs, perhaps most notably by Kenji Mizoguchi with his 1941 version. Tastsuyasu Osone, Kunio Watanabe, and Hirsohi Inagaki all have versions floating around out there, while Kon Ichikawa’s rather tedious 1994 version was the most recent rendering. Until now. Director Carl Rinsch curiously makes his feature debut with a version of the tale that feels like it was yanked out of some bargain bin Brothers Grimm fairy tale, aiding the noble samurai with witches, dragons, a ‘half breed’ American movie star, and the English language.

While there are differing variations of the story, for the purposes at hand here it’s simplified to the...