13 Assassins (2011)

Please don't spend money on this.

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Very well written and emotionally disturbing film. The film depicts a Sadistic lord who is son to the Shogun; a tyrant, who uncontrollably murders without giving a second thought. People of the land have gotten fed-up with him and have organized a group of 13 assassins to overthrow the current ruler.The film was so captivating, it has to be one of the best films of this genre that depicts this era of Japan. Eerily realistic effects and gritty set designing makes this a must see if you are a fan of these type of movies.

For the long time these movie was on my watch-list, many people suggested, and i have seen many good reviews about it, and as a big fan of Samurai cinema and Japanese cinema as a whole these was somehow natural to be on my watch-list. And finally i had opportunity to watch it, and i was generally disappointed. It was really ridiculous to compare 13 Assassins with such classics as Yojimbo and 7 Samurai. 13 Assassins miss something it miss mostly atmosphere, fist hour of the movie is very similar with 7 samurai, the main samurai is gathering other samurai for the task, and their strategy how to get and kill evil lord, and next hour is just action packed, i never seen so much action in some samurai movie like in these one, it is very cartoonish and reminds me on some manga and anime stuff for the kids, 13 assassins are battling the army of 200 people, but it looks to me at the end like they killed one thousand of them or even more. Experience was like playing some beat em up game with good graphics. It is worth mentioning the great acting by the main actor in these movie Koji Yakusho. His acting reminded me on such legends as Toshiro Mifune, also reminder of a cast was really good. Because of that and some other solid moments in the movie i gave 5/10. These is great movie to watch if you want fun for one afternoon, but nothing more.

Lately I have become interested in samurai films, so I have been watching quite a lot of them - from the entertaining Lone Wolf series to the Kurosawa classics, with the late legend Toshiro Mifune. Those old movies are great but they lack in good resolution and better color. So I came across this Japanese film "13 Assassins" filmed in 2010. Recent stuff, sounded interesting. So I watched it - very good production, with a stellar cast including a member of the Japanese band SMAP who plays the bad guy. The problem starts with the plot. It's the old "small group of brave samurai against bad guy with army in larger number" just like Seven Samurai, The Last Samurai and 47 Ronin. Here, the 13 assassins are gathered to fight a sadistic lord. Despite the fact that the plot is more of the same, this is a post-Hollywood, post-video game samurai movie. It has all the action, sound effects and visuals of the blockbusters, including bombs and boars on fire (yes)... and gore, lots of gore. It has disturbing scenes, like the amputated woman and even a non-explicit homosexual intercourse. The biggest problem for me is that the guy who hired the 13 samurai to kill the lord Naritsugu actually had the opportunity to finish the job at the bridge. He had his fellows pointing their guns to him (but that would make the film end at the 1 hour mark.) Anyway, this is entertainment for the young audiences, craving some ketchup. Great production but lacking substance.

13 Assassins is a film by renowned director Takashi Miike, a man most famous for films like Ichi the Killer, Visitor Q, and Audition. If you're familiar with his previous work then it comes to no surprise that 13 Assassins is a very violent movie, though the violence in this film is never as "disturbing" as in his other films. It is also a remake of the 1963 film of the same name directed by Eiichi Kudô. In short, 13 Assassins is both a visual pleasure and an engaging tale of violence, honor, and tactics set in 19th century Japan. If you want to watch a film with well directed action, then this is a great film to watch.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~13 Assassins is a very drab looking movie, and I use the term "drab" in the most respectful way possible. For most of the film the screen is covered in shades of grey, while other scenes are painted in such striking color that you can immediately tell what Miike was going for, which was to show the obvious wealth gap between the rich and poor. While it's never pointed out specifically, it would be an historically accurate representation of Japanese society in the 19th century. The actors, particularly Tsuyoshi Ihara, all do an exceptional job at giving their characters a sense of realism and a legitimate purpose in their reasons for joining the Assassins. Every character breathes with life in ways that few films manage to do and this might be the strongest aspect of the entire film. We often see characters interacting with each other and making jokes in way that provides some insight into why they're risking their lives for each other.Despite for a few quick battles, much of the action is reserved for the final act of the film which serves as a very long battle in a small town turned into a death trap. Some might say that the battle alone is reason enough for watching the movie, but I personally found it boring at parts, though I recognize how impressive it all is despite that. The scenes with actor Gorô Inagaki are easily the show stealer for me. His character, Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira, is such a comically evil bad guy that despite his incredibly disgusting actions, I can't help but love him. His cruelty is unmatched in this film and everyone, including his own men, knows it.I would recommend 13 Assassins very much. It might be Miike's most approachable film and is a great example of blending story and action in a way that doesn't feel forced and trite.