Completed
leahakiko
7 people found this review helpful
Aug 24, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
To be honest, when it comes to Samurai or back in the day Japanese movies, I'm not the first one in line to watch. But decided to watch this with my dad and I was honestly surprised at how much I actually liked it.

Longest fight scene i have EVER seen. It was pretty glory at certain parts but I dealt with it. Loved the cast, and the fight scenes didn't look choreographed, which is a A+ in my books.

Of course this movie isn't for everyone but if you're in the mood for an action movie, i would highly recommend this one.
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Completed
The Butterfly
3 people found this review helpful
19 days ago
Completed 0
Overall 8.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 8.0

"Betting on yourself is true gambling"

13 Assassins managed to transcend the average samurai film not only with the political maneuverings but with a final hour that was explosive and thrilling. Two men on opposite sides had to decide if samurais serve their master or the people. The answer would be written in blood.

Doi Toshitsura, the Shogun’s senior advisor, is appalled at the atrocities committed by Lord Naritsuga against noble families and commoners alike. Rape, torture, murder, dismemberments—everyone was a plaything to him. The Shogun refused to have him step down fearing chaos while Doi recognized that the vengeful clans would likely revolt when Naritsuga joined the Shogun counsel. Doi needs a solution and his turns out to be Shimada Shinzaemon, a retired samurai who worked under the previous Shogun. Shinza’s eyes light up when given the chance to help the people and die a glorious death. Shinza puts together a team of 12 samurai, “nobodies” who have no titles, families, or affiliations. His goal is to kill the Caligula of Japan on the lord’s annual trip home. Shinza’s old school buddy who works for Naritsuga stands in his way. Cunning and connected, Hanbei will prove a clever foil to Shinza’s plans.

The first hour or so of the film saw the reasons for the team and the team pulling together and training. “There’s no fair play in battle!” On the way to their destination, Shinza’s group picks up an unlikely ally that resembled Toshiro Mifune’s mad samurai in The Seven Samurai. The final 45 minutes of the film showed Shinza’s and director Miike Takashi’s genius. I’ve watched a lot of action films and never have I seen the element they used to great effect in this film. As expected, there were buckets and buckets of blood spilled but for the most part it never turned truly gory. The battle was brutal, with Samurais utilizing whatever weapons were nearby.

Yakusho Koji as Shinzaemon was perfect. He conveyed the warrior’s desire to return to battle, his horror at the cruel lord’s actions, patience when a strategy called for waiting, and humor even in the face of death. And above all, he displayed the sense of honor a samurai should have, not only for the Shogun, but also for the people. Most of the other 11 samurai were difficult to discern between. I was able to familiarize myself with about six of them. I wish they’d spent more time developing them. Inagaki Goro gave Naritsuga a mad emperor vibe that only grew stronger as the blood began to flow. The cinematography encompassed not only the towns and interiors, but the dense Japanese mountains the samurais had to trek through. Some of the shots were breathtaking.

13 Assassins maintained the tension of Samurais going against the code in order to murder the second man in charge for a greater good. Not one of the 13, well, maybe one, thought they would walk away alive and all were ready to die for their cause. The last 45 minutes was utterly thrilling with the explosive action and wondering if the 13 would succeed and if any of them would survive. If you enjoy samurai films, you’ll find few better than this one.

9 March 2024

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Completed
yaddle_t
2 people found this review helpful
Mar 2, 2012
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 8.0
This movie was awesome! The story was very interesting. It perfectly explains and builds up the motivation behind the assassination. The actors where really great. The bad guy is the personification is evil itself, no doubt about that. As for 13 assassins, each other them have a unique personality. The fighting scenes were well made and very intriguing. The ending might be a bit confusing if you watch the cut version for it left out some subtleties that give more explanation on a particular character. Hence, for the greater experience of the movie, try to watch the uncut version.

Overall, it was a pretty good movie and can definitely be rewatched!

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Completed
Leslie
1 people found this review helpful
Jul 7, 2015
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 9.0
The first thing you need to know is Miike Takashi directed this.
It's going to have lots of blood and some disturbing parts.

Over all its a Great Samurai movie from a Different perspective (maybe even more realistic than some genera movies are). You will feel uncomfortable, you will cry, you will feel the passion and the emotions of the men.

Miike is a king of Directing. Just watch it.
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Completed
Old_Anime_Lady
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 3, 2017
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 8.0
Rewatch Value 5.5
First off for this review you have to understand I am HUGE Kurosawa fan since well ..forever.  I love Samurai films and this one did not disappoint.  The political maneuvering to ensure the right thing was done for the Japanese people felt like something that really could have happened.
My Re-watch value is low because I rarely re-watch samurai movies unless I am sharing with my friends, but I may buy the dvd to add to my collection to make sure I always have it to share.
This is just an opinion, yours may differ.
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13 Assassins (2010) poster

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