Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This movie is based on a classic Japanese story (see "Chushingura") about the disgrace of a daimyo who must kill himself to retain his honor and what his now-masterless samurai (called ronin) do to avenge his death. Though this version has added Keanu Reeves as a "half-breed" and witches and demons, the movie is solid and says a lot about the centrality of the Japanese code of bushido to the nation. Unlike another reviewer who chose to discuss and judge the values of that time rather than the movie itself, those values must be respected as an historical accuracy. That review would be much like giving "Gone With the Wind" one star for the South's reliance on slavery. One must deal with those values, and one must judge the film based on how good it is, not on the moral code of the times. This is a good action movie with some historical accuracy. This movie stays fairly close to the original, adds in beautiful sets, action and adventure, and ends as it should.