Review of 13 Assassins (2010) by Jack H — 27 Jan 2012

"Some call it elegance. Some call it cruel. I like it.".

Synopsis: To stop a tyrant from murdering and exploiting innocent civilians, 13 samurai warriors unite and prepare to end his life.

Initially I found fault with this flick, I felt it borrowed far too much from Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, but that was when I thought this was an original screenplay. Checking RT's score and realizing it's actually adapted from a 60's samurai action flick, and then realizing the director has a reputation for being "subversive" , there is little doubt in my mind that 13 Assassins is exactly as it should be. It's not about artsy Kurosawa-esque screenplays, down to earth realism, or vying for attention from the Academy Awards' Best foreign language award. It's about strategy, preparation, and over the top action. Which the film delivers in spades.

That is not to say the picture is mindless, far from it. With questions of loyalty, evil, and duty,13 Assassins manages to deliver enough literary value to give the stylistic flourishes which dominate the experience enough depth as to not leave a bad taste in one's mouth. Visually, the cinematography is crisp and vivid (if creatively unremarkable) and the art direction has a few moments that really catch one's attention, (the "capes" the 13 wear while on horseback are killer) lending an air of hollywood production budget to this foreign picture. As far as Miike, lets say he is officially on my personal "Map of Directors", as he stages it's bustling, frantic, and enormous battle scene with great skill as well as effectively commanding scenes that run the gambit from horror to inspirational. I hear he's making a remake of Hara-Kiri, which is interesting to say the least.

13 Assassins is an awesome action spectacle, the perfect companion to a Yoji Yamada film.