47 Ronin by Chris Morgan & Walter Hamada

In late medieval Japan, Kai is a half-Japanese, half-English outcast who lives in the Ako domain, which is ruled by the benevolent Lord Asano Naganori. When Kai was young, Asano found him lost in the forest and accepted him into his household. Kai and Asano's daughter, Mika, eventually fall in love despite Kai being scorned by her father's samurai due to his lowborn status and mixed ancestry.
Before a planned visit from Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, Asano is visited by the Shogun's master of ceremonies, Lord Kira, who wants to take Ako for himself. Kira enlists the help of a shapeshifting kitsune named Witch who sends a monster to kill Asano in the forest of Ako. Asano's samurai struggle in their battle with the monster so Kai joins in riding an abandoned horse. As the monster charges him, Kai recovers a lost sword that he uses to slay it. Shortly thereafter he spots a white fox with different coloured eyes watching from the underbrush -- Witch in her fox form. Later during the Shogun's visit, Kai sees that one of the Shogun's concubines has the same two-colored eyes which leds him to assume that she was the fox from the forest. He tries to warn Asano's principal counselor and samurai, Oishi, that she is a witch but Oishi doesn't believe him.
Later, Kira arranges a duel for the entertainment of the Shogun: Kira's best warrior, the giant Lovecraftian Samurai, will battle a warrior of Asano's choosing. However, before the duel begins, Witch uses her magic to incapacitate Asano's combatant. Kai secretly dons his armor and fights in his stead, but his disguise is revealed and the Shogun orders him severely beaten as punishment. Later that night, Witch uses her magic to make Asano believe that Kira is raping Mika, causing him to attack an unarmed Kira in his delirium. Asano is sentenced to death for attacking a Shogunate official (which is an executable offense), though the Shogun allows him to die with honor through seppuku. The Shogun then gives Kira both the Ako domain and Mika, although he grants Mika one year to mourn the death of her father before marrying Kira. The Shogun also brands Oishi and his men ronin and forbids them from seeking vengeance for Asano's death. To ensure that the ronin don't interfere with his takeover plans, Kira imprisons Oishi in an outdoor pit to break his spirit.
Nearly a year later, Oishi is released by Kira's men. He now knows that Kira is guilty of treachery for using Witch's sorcery to cause Asano's downfall. Oishi reunites with his family and asks his son Chikara to aid him in reuniting the scattered ronin. They learn that Kai has been sold into slavery and they rescue him from the fighting pits of the Dutch colony of Dejima. Kai leads them to the Tengu Forest, a mystical place he escaped from as a child, so that they can find swords for themselves. Kai instructs Oishi to never draw his sword while in the Tengu temple and continues alone to another room to face the Tengu Master, who once trained Kai in their fighting ways. While Kai confronts the Tengu Master in a battle of wills, Oishi watches an illusion of his men being slaughtered by the Tengu, during which he fights the urge to draw his own sword. With Kai and Oishi both successful in their Tengu challenges, the ronin are given magical Tengu swords.
Armed with their new weapons, the ronin plan to attack Kira on his pilgrimage to a shrine where he seeks blessings for his wedding to Mika. However, Kira's procession is a trap and the ronin are ambushed by Kira's forces, led by Witch and the Lovecraftian Samurai. Several of the ronin are killed, and Witch, thinking they are all dead, takes Oishi's sword and presents it to Kira as a trophy. Witch later taunts Mika with their deaths and attempts to manipulate her into committing suicide from despair.
Oishi and Kai (having actually survived the attack) rally the surviving ronin. Oishi and half of the ronin infiltrate Kira's (Asano's) castle by disguising themselves as a band of traveling wedding performers loyal to the memory of Lord Asano. With Kira's men distracted during the performance, Kai and the remaining ronin scale the castle walls, and the reunited group start to battle with Kira's men. While Oishi fights Kira, Kai and Mika are attacked by Witch, who shape-shifts into a dragon. Kai uses his magic sword and draws on the mystical powers of the Tengu to finally kill her. Oishi then emerges with Kira's severed head and Kira's men surrender.
After winning the battle, the ronin (including Kai) surrender themselves to Shogunate authority and they are sentenced to death as they explicitly violated the Shogun's prohibition on seeking revenge against Kira. However, the Shogun finds that they followed the principles of Bushido in their actions and therefore restored their honor as samurai. Thus, instead of being executed as criminals, the ronin are allowed to perform seppuku so they can die with their honor restored. They are also given the honor of burial with their master, Lord Asano. The Shogun gives Ako back to Mika, and at the seppuku ceremony, he pardons Oishi's son Chikara so that he may serve Ako and preserve such a noble samurai bloodline for the country.

Tin Cup by John Norville

Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy is a former golf prodigy who has little ambition. He owns a driving range in West Texas, where he drinks and hangs out with his pal Romeo Posar and their friends. Dr. Molly Griswold, a clinical psychologist, wants a golf lesson. She asks Roy because he knows her boyfriend David Simms, a top professional golfer. Roy is immediately attracted, but she sees through his charm and resists.
Simms shows up at Roy's trailer ahead of a local benefit tournament. Roy thinks Simms is offering him an invitational spot to play, but Simms actually wants to hire him as a caddy (since Roy knows the course). During the round, Roy needles Simms about "laying up" instead of having the nerve to go for the green, 230 yards away over a water hazard. Simms fires back that Roy's problem is playing recklessly instead of playing the percentages. Roy brags that he could make it, and spectators make bets among themselves that Roy could. Simms warns Roy that he'll fire him if he tries, but Roy does anyway, hitting a brilliant shot onto the green. Simms immediately fires Roy as he said he would.
To get even, Roy decides to try to qualify for the U.S Open. He also makes a play for Molly, seeking her professional help. Molly agrees to help Roy rebuild his self-confidence in exchange for the golf lessons. In two qualifying rounds, with Romeo as caddy, Roy's golf is excellent but his head needs help. He continues to resist playing safely, smashing most of his clubs (leaving only his 7-iron intact) in a snit that causes Romeo to quit, but still manages to qualify. Following the round, he makes a wager with Simms that costs him his car. He persuades Romeo to go along as caddy, but develops a problem with his golf swing. On the first day of the tournament in North Carolina he shoots a horrible 83. Meanwhile, Molly gets a glimpse of Simms' unpleasant side when he arrogantly refuses to give a child an autograph.
Molly sees that trying to change Roy is a mistake and encourages him to be himself. At her suggestion, Roy wins another silly wager with Simms, the leader after the first round. Then with renewed confidence, "Tin Cup," a nobody from nowhere, shocks the golf world with a remarkable record second round of 62, making the cut. His third round is also excellent and moves him into contention. His flaw, though, is that on all three rounds, he refused to lay up on the par-5 18th hole, hitting the ball into the pond.
On the last day, Roy, Simms and real-life PGA Tour pro Peter Jacobsen are in a three-way battle to be the Open's Champion. Jacobsen finishes with a par on 18, tied for the lead with Roy and one shot ahead of Simms. Simms yet again lays up at the 18th hole, playing it safe, despite the fact that doing so takes him out of championship contention. Roy should do likewise to save par and force a playoff, but over Romeo's objections and urged by Molly to "go for it," he takes his fateful shot which finally carries the green. However, a "little gust from the Gods", a sudden contrary wind causes his ball to roll off the green and back into the pond. Reminiscent of his blow-up back in college when he failed to qualify for the Tour, Roy tries to hit the same shot repeatedly, with the same heart-breaking result. With one last ball in his bag, Roy risks not only being humiliated but being disqualified (having no golf balls to play with), but still goes for the green. On his 12th shot, the ball clears the water and slowly rolls into the hole. After a wild celebration, Roy finally realizes what he has done and feels ashamed of himself, but Molly assures him. "Five years from now nobody will remember who won or lost, but they're gonna remember your 12!"
Now back in Texas, Molly tells Roy that by finishing in the top 15 at the Open he automatically qualifies to play again next year. She further suggests that he go back to the qualifying school so he can get on the Tour. Molly, who picked up a bunch of new clients at the tournament, prepares for a career of helping players with the mental portion of the game. They kiss passionately as the movie ends.