13 Assassins Review

13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku) - 2010.




Director- Takashi Miike 






Back in the old days of Samurai, there was an Evil lord named Naritsugu who was tearing his way through the Japanese empire killing all those who did not kneel at his feet and making slaves of those who did. Knowing one day that Naritsugu would become a Shogun, a small band of 13 warriors came together to put an end to the evil lords regime, before it became too late. 





Miike's 13 Assassins is a slow burning feature and not an all out martial arts festival that most expect, you really have to be patient with it if you are going to enjoy it. The first hour or so is about the group coming together and planning their attack and then explodes for the remaining forty minutes into an epic (but not overblown) battle. 


The acting is good and the film is beautifully shot and crisp. The storyline, although simple, works well and is executed perfectly. The battle scenes are without doubt the best parts of 13 Assassins and this has to be put down to the realism, there is no dualing in trees or leaping over rivers with the 'wire-martial arts' stunts of the past, (crouching tiger, hidden dragon etc) just good old fashioned, well choreographed fighting. 


I suppose my only criticism of the feature is that some people may get bored with the slow build up of the film and switch off, which is understandable in an age where concentration levels seem to be at an all time low. 


So, to conclude 13 Assassins is a very well thought out action-drama that will never be as exciting as say Drunken Master or Ong Bak, but has more depth than the typical Martial Arts film. 


7/10