Riley Porter The answer to the inevitable question of everyone who is considering watching this film for the first time is yes, 13 is too many assassins. Of course I am not referring to the strategic value of that number, but rather what it suggests about the approach to story and character in this film. I think of any chanbara film I have ever seen, this one has perhaps the least to offer in way of commentary or emotional resonance. It's a little confusing, because I can tell Miike is a good director, or at least has the capacity to be one. From a directional and visual standpoint this film isn't lacking by any stretch of the imagination. It's well executed. The problem is in what exactly is being executed. The story is simple to a fault. It's incredibly predictable how the series of events will play out to the point that you know by the ten minute mark what's bound to happen at the two hour mark. Here is where the issue of the excessive number of assassins is relevant. Going into this film, I knew that there wasn't going to be an opportunity to develop every character to the point of being fully realized. My suspicions were of course confirmed, but even more sobering was that there was hardly a single character I could really care about among this excessive cast. There's somehow no room in this two hour epic for a single character arc or decision not made in the first half an hour which makes any of the characters three dimensional. This is where an imbalance in the story and execution is really apparent. All the scenes are done well, but the story fails to make any of it mean anything. Simplicity in film plot is not an inherently bad thing. A story without real character or theme is however. 13 is too many assassins. There isn't room for characters amid the epic turmoil on screen. To reiterate, it's not bad. This film is perfectly functional, but nothing more. It is, unfortunately, an example of a chanbara period piece which fails to make a compelling commentary on the nature of society in feudal Japan or the conflict between bushido and the individual. The central conflict of ideas in this film sort of side steps these complicated ideas in favor of opposing ideologies which equally appeal to the altruistic nature of the classic samurai. I don't know why that is. It sort of raises the question of why this film was made to begin with. What's the point? The thematic nature of this film puts things at sort of a grade school level from a moral perspective. Again, it's confusing, because I have the suspicion that Miike doesn't really see the world in such juvenile terms. The technical skill coupled with the novice narrative is all together disappointing. It feels like there's a real lost opportunity in all this. This is objectively a good film in execution, but it's a story which isn't really worth telling.

petra_ste While most modern action movies feel bloated and overlong, with unnecessary subplots sprouting on every scene, 13 Assassins has the opposite problem. An epic Jidaigeki homaging Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, the film follows veteran warrior Shinzaemon Shimada, entrusted with the task of eliminating a bloodthirsty powerful nobleman, untouchable by the law; Shimada assembles a team of fighters for the dangerous mission.Structure is simple. In the first act, 13 Assassins introduces the major players and displays the nobleman's atrocities (one moment in particular is truly disturbing, cementing the movie's R rating); in the second, Shimada and his men reach an isolated village to prepare the trap, while the nobleman's right-hand man Hanbei attempts to anticipate their moves. The last act is a bloody, pulse-pounding battle which, in spite of its length (over thirty minutes), maintains a great level of tension.While action is spectacular, characterization is lacking. Kôji Yakusho is excellent as Shimada, but only three or four of his men - including his nephew and a clownish bandit who is a clear homage to Seven Samurai's Kikuchiyo - get any kind of development; the rest are simply guys with swords. With deeper characterization, the last battle would have been even more powerful.7/10

Brian Kndeneh I came across 13 Assassins, after watching a line-up of old Japan movies with samurai's which made this movie a eye opener for me.While watching 13 Assassins, I noticed the dialog, the acting and the physical part (action), all those were a prefect match. I have seen great movies, and I'm proud to put this one on the list of movie worth watch.I don't know about you guys but I get the feeling that sometimes I wish I never saw movies that are great, so that I can watch them for the first time again and again.Regards Brian

SnoopyStyle It's Feudal Japan. Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira is a cruel master and also a rising star. Shinza is convinced to assassinate Naritsugu and he recruits 11 samurais. They plan to ambush him on his trip back to the Akashi land. The men get lost in the mountains and meet hunter Kiga Koyata. The 13 assassins fight overwhelming odds after converting the town of Ochiai into a fortress.It's a samurai movie with big action and a solid story. The story is well laid out although I would have preferred it to be snappier. Samurai movies do have a lot of ponderous expositions. The lady with no arms is creepy. Also some of the assassins don't get enough screen time. There are 13 of them. However it doesn't get better than the big giant samurai battle in the last act.