13 Assassins - The Movie Of The Year!


When it comes to the end of 2011, and people ask what their favourite movies of the year are, a lot of people will say things like the brilliant The Fighter, or X-Men: First Class. Maybe Captain America will get a mention from people, too. As for me? I'm almost certain that my reply will be 13 Assassins.

Takashi Miike is best known as a director who seems intent on making the most fucked-up movies ever - Visitor Q and Ichi The Killer feature some of the most shocking moments in cinema. Thankfully, for his take on the samurai genre, he has reined himself in. There is still a fair bit of violence, and at least one disturbing scene, but it is actually there as part of the story-telling and not just there for the sake of being there.

The movie takes place in the 1830's, when Japan was still ruled by the Shogun. The Emperor was still the official head of state, but he was merely a figurehead, with the Tokugawa Shogunate being the real power in the country. It's been over 200 years since Japan was in a state of constant warfare, and as a result the samurai are more politicians than the warriors they were before. In fact, one of the characters goes as far as to say that in these times "swords are only good for cutting radishes". These are things that it pays to know in order to be able to understand the movie's plot.

Lord Naritsugu is the brother of the current Shogun, and officially the heir to the Shogunate. A sadistic and vile man, his status as the second most powerful man in the country has allowed him to do as he pleases. His first appearance in the movie sees him rape his hosts daughter-in-law before brutally murdering his son. And his deeds only get worse from there... including one so shocking that I won't mention what it is, as it's best to not know about it going in. Obviously, something has to be done.

After a victim of Naritsugu publicly commits suicide in protest, the Shogun's chief advisor - who can't be seen to actively work against his master - is forced to take action by hiring Shimada Shinzaemon, who is one of the few samurai left to have kept up his skills in battle to dispose of the problem.

The first hour of the movie follows Shinzaemon as he gathers a small group of other samurai in a manner similar to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai, with the following half an hour being dedicated to planning their attack. People may be turned off by this first 90 minutes, as there is very little of the action you'd expect from a movie in this genre. But bear with it, as part of what makes this movie so great is the slow-burn as our heroes come together and make preparations for the final battle. And when the final battle arrives, you're rewarded for your patience in spades.

The 12 samurai/ronin and 1 peasant that make up the group stage an ambush inside a city that features some of the finest action scenes ever filmed. All in all, this battle between the 13 assassins and Naritsugu's entire guard lasts around 45 minutes, rarely letting up.

The performances are brilliant all-round, from Koji Yakusho's honourable Shinzaemon, to the evil Naritsugu played by Goro Inagaki, to Yusuke Iseya playing a character very similar to Toshiro Mifune's in Seven Samurai.

One of the best performances in the movie however is by Masachika Ichimura. He plays Kitou Hanbei, Naritsugu's head samurai. Hanbei is a man who obviously hates his master. This is possibly best illustrated when in the heat of battle Naritsugu declares his intentions to return Japan to a state of feudalism when he becomes Shogun. By contrast, he also obviously has a great respect for his old friend Shinzaemon, but is bound by his honour to protect his master no matter the circumstances. When the two finally inevitably clash, it is a tragic moment even following on from the bloodshed that had preceded it.

Despite the violence, though, it's not all doom and gloom. There is actually a bit of humour in there, mainly provided by Yusuke Iseya's character, but also taking place during the training scenes, etc. It isn't ill-judged slapstick humour that is so common in Asian action movies (ie: Once Upon A Time In China), either. With so much darkness in the movie, it's a welcome relief when you are able to laugh at something every now and then. In short, you must see this movie. It's a brilliant piece of work, and I now can't wait to see Takashi Miike's next project... a remake of the 1962 movie, Hara-Kiri. My only criticism is that the majority of the assassins are pretty much just there to make up the numbers. There are around 5 that get some screentime dedicated to them. But the version available to us in the West is around 20 minutes shorter than the version released in Japan, so it might not be a problem that occurs in the full version of the movie.

View Trailer Here: http://youtu.be/NgPC74-Tde8