Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: THE LAST RONIN [Red Sea International Film Festival 2024 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia]
The context of an apocalyptic movie is based in the rules of the world it is existing in. With "The Last Ronin" (Festival Favorites), the plot revolves around a wanderer (Bekarys Akhmetov) armed only with a samurai sword. The film has all the tenets of "Waterworld" and yet it is set on dry land. The Ronin has a code but he in a way is out for revenge. In completing one of his contracts he happens upon a young girl who is also searching...but for her father. She is street smart and knows how to make a deal. Here the commerce is made in bullets but specific calibers make sense because there is no industry anymore. The conceit of her hiring the Ronin does have echoes of "Mad Max" and "Fury Road" as does the wasteland and the marauders. Some of the set pieces, shot in a wasteland desert in the vast lands of Russia feel both alien and cool. An initial intent at a market shows how actions have consequences but then a movement into an industrial complex where robot dog sentries (albeit low tech) wander is a intriguing premise. It reminds one of the film "Hardware". However it is when they are specifically hunted that the films does start to take off.
A sidetrack into the underground with the different sects (both indoctrinated with faith but also with less savory features) shows the world that exists underneath the desert. The girl has a destiny in front of her and the film paints to that point but also plays with the intentions of the Ronin. What is interesting is the survival instinct but also the indestructability that many think might be lost or taken away when certain opportunities become possible. A king of sorts rounds out the festivities (with some scene chewing to be had).but it is definitely highly stylized in how it is done. The girl knows what she is doing and yet the power that is wielded is not necessary fully realized though warranted. The key is understanding who the Ronin is. At one point, he meticulously cleans his blade which, for him, is the balance that keeps him from going to darkness. And yet his ward, at specific times, does not flinch but also says she has seen enough. With the above homages as well as certain elements of a spaghetti western (albeit at one point with Gatlin gun), "The Last Ronin" creates it own world while still understanding its rules while making its own way. B
By Tim Wassberg
