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13 Assassins, Movie

13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku) 2010

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Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition) takes a break from his lunatic-laden thrillers to deliver this periodic samurai epic (in the proper sense of the word). More

At the withered end of Japan's feudal era (along with samurai influence), a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down the Shogun's sadistic above-the-law younger brother, Lord Naritsugu. With the country threatening to plunge into a war-torn future, this band of assassins commence a final stand in order to prevent the masochist from ascending into power.

This is a remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white film of the same name. Hide

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144 votes / 12 comments The Talk

  • 51 %

    Want to See it

    What say you?

    • motorwayne

      Bring it on!

    • Samurai 7

      Bring this to NZ, bring it all the way!

    • empirical

      asolutely!!!!!! have to see

    • allister50

      have to agree with empirical

    • cherula

      Yes, definitely want to see it, bring it to NZ!

    • Rugz

      Hai, bring it ooonnn

    • Ian

      Are 13 Assassins, six assassins too many? Very well done but unoriginal.

    • slychick

      i like these kind of movies

    • hunglikeahorse

      noooo this looks laaaaaaame

    • Sensei.E

      I saw this while overseas. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

    • god

      hey the guys nearly my stature, do yourself a favour and go see it, i command you.

    • Word

      Probably the greatest action film I can recall based in real history...

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Flicks.co.nz Review

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Andreas Heinemann Flicks Writer

Japanese director Takashi Miike is (in)famous amongst cinephiles for his bizarre, violent re-workings of genre cinema; in this case, samurai movies. He may be mellowing in his old age, as 13 Assassins plays it remarkably straight by the standards of his own back catalogue. This has allowed him to create a wildly entertaining blockbuster that should appeal outside the extreme Asian cinema niche market. More

There would appear to be a sizable budget bankrolling this production, as the costumes and sets look fantastic from the get go. Some of the more basic story elements are a touch weak and you may find yourself getting antsy waiting for the action to kick in, but when it does you’ll never want it to stop. Lucky for you then that the central face-off comprises almost half the film’s running time and encapsulates all sorts of malevolent sword play, captured with a constantly shifting camera and kinetic editing that only adds to the excitement.

It’s worth going out of your way to see the aforementioned battle scenes on a big screen, as such visual spectacle more than makes up for the film’s other weaknesses and won’t be nearly as impressive on DVD. Hide

The People's Reviews

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Press Reviews

Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)

The film is terrifically entertaining, an ambitious big-budget epic, directed with great visuals and sound . Full review.

Empire (UK)

A decent historical drama, with one of the best extended battle scenes (a full half of the movie is the face-off in the ‘village of death’) in recent memory. Full review.

Hollywood Reporter

A beautifully lensed but rather unremarkable Japanese period piece. Full review.

Time Out (USA)

13 Assassins will floor connoisseurs of action, mood and the dignity of a pissed-off scowl. Full review.

Total Film (UK)

Takashi Miike's period samurai drama takes a while to get going, but the fight sequences make it worthwhile. Full review.

Variety (USA)

This at first slow-moving and then wildly kinetic actioner possesses a cool classicism. Full review.