Review of 13 Assassins (2010) by Tomas T — 17 Jun 2012

A group ofsamurais sent out to assassinate a psychopathic feudal lord sounds like great entertainment and that is exactly what you get with 13 Assassins and more.

With 13 Assassins the director Takashi Miike skilfully harnesses the best what modern day film production has to offer and brings a much needed refresh to dwindling samurai film genre; and the director does it all with style and stays respectful towards the samurai legacy. The director Takashi Miike is known for his controversial productions which contain ultra violence and sexually perversions which push the censorship boundaries. No question about it, 13 Assassins _is_ violent, but luckily the director manages to keep his strongest urges in check and the film remains tasteful through the running time.

The story is loosely based on historic events and tells the tale of 13 samurais sent to assassinate a psychopathic Lord Naritsugu - a sadistic younger brother of the current Shogun - in 1840s Japan. This simple plot offers a perfect setting for some strong drama and jaw dropping action. The script is clearly divided in two with the earlier part focused with Shinzaemon Shimada (Koji Yakusho) - a honorable samurai requested to stop the evil lord's terror - as he recruits a small band of samurais for his suicidal mission to stop Lord Naritsugu. It is in the latter part where all hell is literally broke loose as the 13 assassins clash with Naritsugu's forces in a epic ~40min showdown.

Honestly there is very little not to like with13 Assassins as the film overall terrific with great directing, action and cast. In addition there is just something magically captivating in the old Japanese samurai warriors with their unquestionable sense of duty and uncompromising honor code. All the above combined and the 13 Assassins is a clear winner.

However what keeps 13 Assassins from reaching full points however is the large character set where only Shizaemon and Naritsugu being the two truly recognizable characters. The others are left with less screen time and become somewhat meaningless. Also the end showdown contains some unrealistic and at times clumsy coreography. Other than that, 13 Assassins is great action film which I would recommend for all who enjoy samurai films or just action films in general.