13 Assassins
The year is 1844. A young lord rapes and kills with impunity by virtue of his political connections.
Though the era of the samurai is fading, an honest government official covertly enlists thirteen swordsmen to assassinate this sadistic lord before he can seize more power.
With the clock ticking, the assassins lay a deadly trap for the lord and his army of bodyguards, culminating in one of the bloodiest, muddiest swordfights ever put to film.
As the leader of the thirteen samurai, Koji Yakusho (Tokyo Sonata, Babel) invokes Toshiro Mifune at both his most contemplative and charismatic.
But it’s Miike who steals the show through sheer spectacle, the climactic battle scene lasts a breathless forty-five minutes, filling the screen with visual references to more than just the original film; there are echoes of every samurai classic imaginable, not to mention some distinctly Miike touches.
Let’s just say, when the blood spills it flows. - Colin Geddes: Toronto Internantional Film Festival.
Starring: Yusuke Iseya, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijiro Hira,