Jusan-nin no shikaku / 13 AssassinsYear 2010
Director Takashi Miike
With Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya
In Japanese
DVD Alliance 401278
OverviewCult director Takeshi Miike delivers a bravado period action film set at the end of Japan’s feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future.
A jidaigeki in a post-jidaigeki world that not only understands how to subvert every genre trope, but how to play them well in the first place. Not to mention that the 45-minute battle scene is one of the greatest pieces of action cinema I have ever seen. .
Takashi Miike has crafted a samurai film which pays homage to Kurosawa in a powerful way. He has taken what made Kurosawa's films so captivating and added a modern flair which brings a great amount of energy and style to this genre. Beautifully executed.
Rating 4/5