Directed by Takashi Miike and written by Kaneo Ikegami, 13 Assassins is pure cinematic enjoyment. A familiar story of an evil lord raining violence and political disruption on his people and the samurai sent to kill him, the film is split between the recruitment and the action, must like Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai (1954), of which all samurai films must fall in line behind.
Thirteen is a big number when it comes to establishing character and it is no surprise that some are thinly drawn whereas others feel more real and become more memorable. The evil lord, Naritsugu, is rendered pure evil through some distressing and disturbing acts of violence, which he incurs or inspires. These acts ensure we are firmly on the side of the assassins and deeply invested in their success. When the assassins spring their trap on the lord and his soldiers, of which there are approximately 200, the leader of the assassins, Shinzaemon, holds up a note given to him as a description of what the lord previously inflicted upon a village. The note reads, ‘total massacre’ and the violence that follows feels justified and does not sway from the message. This action set piece (it is perhaps more accurate to say several set pieces beautifully shot and edited together) lasts about half of the film’s 2 hour 20 minute running time, but never descends into tedium. This is a gritty, dirty, tiring and emotion battle. Exhaustion soon takes hold and the assassins seem to be running on adrenaline only, desperate to complete their mission.
Despite the similarity to Seven Samurai, of which 13 Assassins must be somewhat of an homage (the film is also a remake of the Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 film of the same name), this film feels fresh and proves that well told stories about revenge will never go out of fashion.
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