Director: Takashi Miike
Writers: Kaneo Ikegami (based on a screenplay by), Daisuke Tengan (screenplay)
Stars: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada and Yûsuke Iseya
Rating: 9/10
13 Assassins is a period piece by Takashi Miike. Possibly best known for such classics as Ichi the Killer, Audition, and the Dead or Alive series. Miike is a prolific director doing as many as four movies a year. With this release I believe he really has stepped up his game.
13 Assassins is the story of a samurai named Shinzaemon who is tasked with killing a lord that is unjust. Making this task even more difficult is that this lord is the brother of the shogun making him untouchable by conventional means. Shinzaemon assembles a group of samurai from his friends and family. They run from his gambler nephew Shinrokuro to the wandering ronin Hirayama and his young pupil. Shinzaemon also runs into a rival from his past in Hanbei who will protect the lord at any cost. The 13 set a trap for the lord and his group of 70 bodyguards and await their arrival.
Everything about this movie can be traced to the great samurai movies of the 50's and 60's and even the 70's. Buckets of blood are shed with no CGI blood to be found. There are some rather crude scenes with CGI but Miike can be forgiven for delivering such an epic film. The film touches on some lines found in the samurai text the Hagakure and raises the question of where the samurai should place their loyalty. Overall a great film for fans of epic movies with tons of action.
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