If this whole movie were as fine as its third act, I would have given it another star or two and added it to my (very small) DVD collection.
Last Knights is a very different take on the story of the 47 Ronin. The director Kazuaki Kiriya's entire roster of films has been on my radar for quite some time, but due to limited availability this is the first one I've watched. Last Knights has the gritty, fantastical feel of a dark fantasy movie; it has no magic, but its diverse cast and vague politics give it an otherworldly feel that I greatly enjoyed. Clive Owen plays Raiden, a retainer to Bartok (Morgan Freeman). After Bartok is killed and dishonored, Raiden and his men form a plan to avenge their former master despite very real and sometimes fatal consequences.
As stated in the title of this review, the first act is interesting in its own right. We are introduced to the characters and the political game they play that sets up for the entire movie. It's not complicated and easily accessible. The second act (after Bartok's demise) slows the movie to a crawl, made worse by the fact that there are very few action scenes in the entire movie (only two worthy to really be called scenes at all, and the only one of length is saved for the third act). Without delving into spoilers, I can say that Raiden's darker character arc here dragged on for me. He became truly unlikable, and whether or not you can guess the "twist" leading into the third act, it was still a drag. Nevertheless, we are shown more insight into how things have progressed for both sides of this political divide.
My eyes were glued to the screen for the entire third act. We are treated to a wonderfully long action-oriented build-up as Raiden's men infiltrate and fight their way through a fortress utilizing stealth and finesse. Some recognizable characters die heroically here, but as wonderfully as these death scenes are handled, they would have made me far more emotional had the second act delved more into character development for these men (rather than focusing on Raiden). Other than that criticism, I can totally see myself re-watching the third act for this entire sequence alone; if you like watching takeovers, sieges, or infiltration missions in general like I do, Last Knights is not a movie to miss.
All the actors do a fine job here. Payman Maadi sounds a little stilted as the Emperor, but his accent usually sounds stiff (I recently saw him in the film Camp X-Ray and I think this is just the way he talks), and at least he ain't bad to look at. Speaking of which, there are a surprising number of actors here who I'll be looking out for based on eye candy alone (Ihara Tsuyoshi, Michael Lombardi, Noah Silver, among some others). Aksel Hennie plays the sneaky snake Geza Mott, who is a delight to watch (and hate). There are two gorgeous decapitations to look out for, neither of which I saw coming (and neither did they, ha). It's rare that a movie portrays mutilations with such swift beauty, but this one does it twice. Finally, the winter vistas and gritty atmospheres on display here just sucked me right into this world and didn't let up until the credits rolled. Bravo.
Overall, Last Knights has flaws that some won't get past, but that its critic Metascore is so low reinforces my distrust of critic reviews. It may not be the most original story put to film, and viewers may disagree with the creative changes made to a well-loved story. Yet, I enjoyed it immensely and will put some of its finest clips on my favorites list on YouTube to watch repeatedly. Lovers of dark fantasy and/or dark historical films: don't miss this.
Last Knights is a very different take on the story of the 47 Ronin. The director Kazuaki Kiriya's entire roster of films has been on my radar for quite some time, but due to limited availability this is the first one I've watched. Last Knights has the gritty, fantastical feel of a dark fantasy movie; it has no magic, but its diverse cast and vague politics give it an otherworldly feel that I greatly enjoyed. Clive Owen plays Raiden, a retainer to Bartok (Morgan Freeman). After Bartok is killed and dishonored, Raiden and his men form a plan to avenge their former master despite very real and sometimes fatal consequences.
As stated in the title of this review, the first act is interesting in its own right. We are introduced to the characters and the political game they play that sets up for the entire movie. It's not complicated and easily accessible. The second act (after Bartok's demise) slows the movie to a crawl, made worse by the fact that there are very few action scenes in the entire movie (only two worthy to really be called scenes at all, and the only one of length is saved for the third act). Without delving into spoilers, I can say that Raiden's darker character arc here dragged on for me. He became truly unlikable, and whether or not you can guess the "twist" leading into the third act, it was still a drag. Nevertheless, we are shown more insight into how things have progressed for both sides of this political divide.
My eyes were glued to the screen for the entire third act. We are treated to a wonderfully long action-oriented build-up as Raiden's men infiltrate and fight their way through a fortress utilizing stealth and finesse. Some recognizable characters die heroically here, but as wonderfully as these death scenes are handled, they would have made me far more emotional had the second act delved more into character development for these men (rather than focusing on Raiden). Other than that criticism, I can totally see myself re-watching the third act for this entire sequence alone; if you like watching takeovers, sieges, or infiltration missions in general like I do, Last Knights is not a movie to miss.
All the actors do a fine job here. Payman Maadi sounds a little stilted as the Emperor, but his accent usually sounds stiff (I recently saw him in the film Camp X-Ray and I think this is just the way he talks), and at least he ain't bad to look at. Speaking of which, there are a surprising number of actors here who I'll be looking out for based on eye candy alone (Ihara Tsuyoshi, Michael Lombardi, Noah Silver, among some others). Aksel Hennie plays the sneaky snake Geza Mott, who is a delight to watch (and hate). There are two gorgeous decapitations to look out for, neither of which I saw coming (and neither did they, ha). It's rare that a movie portrays mutilations with such swift beauty, but this one does it twice. Finally, the winter vistas and gritty atmospheres on display here just sucked me right into this world and didn't let up until the credits rolled. Bravo.
Overall, Last Knights has flaws that some won't get past, but that its critic Metascore is so low reinforces my distrust of critic reviews. It may not be the most original story put to film, and viewers may disagree with the creative changes made to a well-loved story. Yet, I enjoyed it immensely and will put some of its finest clips on my favorites list on YouTube to watch repeatedly. Lovers of dark fantasy and/or dark historical films: don't miss this.
