13 Assassins

R16

2010

120 mins

Directed by Takashi Miike
95%
88%
Action

Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition) takes a break from his lunatic-laden thrillers to deliver this periodic samurai epic (in... More

Cult Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition) takes a break from his lunatic-laden thrillers to deliver this periodic samurai epic (in the proper sense of the word).

At the withered end of Japan's feudal era (along with samurai influence), a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down the Shogun's sadistic above-the-law younger brother, Lord Naritsugu. With the country threatening to plunge into a war-torn future, this band of assassins commence a final stand in order to prevent the masochist from ascending into power.

This is a remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white film of the same name.

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Where to watch 13 Assassins

13 Assassins is available to stream in New Zealand now... More on YouTube and Google TV and Apple TV Store and AroVision.

There is no screening information for this title.

13 Assassins | Ratings & Reviews

95_%129 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes® rating
88_%24,095 reviews
Audience score rating

"It’s worth going out of your way to see the aforementioned battle scenes on a big screen, as such visual spectacle more than makes up for the film’s other weaknesses and won’t be nearly as impressive on DVD."

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Flicks

"This at first slow-moving and then wildly kinetic actioner possesses a cool classicism."

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Variety

"Takashi Miike's period samurai drama takes a while to get going, but the fight sequences make it worthwhile."

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Total Film

"13 Assassins will floor connoisseurs of action, mood and the dignity of a pissed-off scowl."

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Time Out

"The film is terrifically entertaining, an ambitious big-budget epic, directed with great visuals and sound ."

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Roger Ebert

"A beautifully lensed but rather unremarkable Japanese period piece."

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Hollywood Reporter

"A decent historical drama, with one of the best extended battle scenes (a full half of the movie is the face-off in the ‘village of death’) in recent memory."

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