How others will see it. Many westerners have a fascination with the Japanese tradition of Samurai, similar to the interest that some Asians have with the American western. Both are colorful and cinematic eras in the histories of their respective countries, but the resemblances mostly stop there.
Westerns are about the tensions between outlaws and the law, or pit powerful interests against small landholders, whose property is coveted. Samurai films feature men and women raised in a complex caste society, and live their lives in almost pre-ordained fashion. Honor and sect are greater than the individual.
The genres are related by duty. In a western, the hero is obligated by duty to risk his life, whether the duty involves family, property, or a sheriff's badge. A Samurai also must obey his duty, even if it isn't always clear whether it involves murder, suicide, organization, or simply waiting. Regardless, it is not good business to sell life insurance to a Samurai. Only a western villain has a shorter life expectancy.
How I felt about it. It would seem a simple matter to restore the late Asano's honor by killing his enemy, Kira. But it is not simple at all. It involves three years of humiliation and comparative poverty. The death of Kira can actually only take place when other opportunities to restore Asano's honor have been denied.
It is not surprising that The 47 Ronin is thoughtful and philosophical. It is curious that much action takes place offscreen: the execution of Asano, the occupation of his castle, the hunting of Kira, and the sentencing of the 47 Ronin.
What we are left with is a plotty movie where key information to the plot is revealed through word of mouth conversations. So and so says that the emperor was impressed, says someone who wasn't there to someone who has just arrived.
The 47 Ronin is not for everyone. A subtitled black and white film with mono sound and characters who dress and look alike, the length of 241 minutes also demands patience from the viewer, or more likely, film scholar. Similar and clear better films by Akira Kurosawa provide an alternative that should be taken first.