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13 Assassins

Play trailer Poster for 13 Assassins R Released Apr 29, 2011 2h 6m Action Adventure History Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 129 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
In this remake of a 1963 film based on historical events, Shinzaemon Shimada leads a team of assassins in 19th-century Japan to eliminate the ruthless Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira, who is wreaking havoc against his own people. Hired secretly by a government official hoping to end Matsudaira's reign of terror, Shimada recruits the best samurai in Japan and then sets a trap for the lord's large contingent of faithful bodyguards.
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13 Assassins

13 Assassins

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Critics Consensus

Takashi Miike's electric remake of Eiichi Kudo's 1963 period action film is a wild spectacle executed with killer, dizzying panache.

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Critics Reviews

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Tom Mes Film Comment Magazine Culminates in a riveting, ingeniously plotted, and inventively shot 45-minute battle scene. Nov 7, 2013 Full Review Jim Schembri The Age (Australia) The excessive mind of Japanese director Takashi Miike (Audition; Ichi the Killer) throttles back the gore to deliver a disciplined, refreshingly grounded samurai action film. Rated: 3.5/5 Sep 14, 2011 Full Review Paul Byrnes Sydney Morning Herald 13 Assassins looks at honour from many angles, without becoming simplistic. Ichii hasn't lost his edge after all. Rated: 4/5 Sep 9, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Miike has delivered one of his very best films. Rated: 3.5/4 Jun 7, 2023 Full Review Jason Adams My New Plaid Pants "13 Assassins could end up being Miike's masterpiece. It's that good." Jul 2, 2021 Full Review Mike Massie Gone With The Twins It's clear that the exhilarating 50-minute climax battle is both the director's forte and his primary passion. Rated: 7/10 Nov 30, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member You can not call yourself a fan of Samurai movies without knowing this movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/25 Full Review Audience Member Extremely slow burning , you start forgetting what the purpose of the mission is and thus, after a while, you don't care about the protagonists. The characters are not that bad but seriously, you stop caring after 30 minutes of nothing happening. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/20/25 Full Review Renan B I was captivated right from the start; it's a heroic tale of revenge. You may despise the lord, but you have to respect his followers—they're loyal and remain true to their samurai path. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/01/24 Full Review Audience Member A classic masterpiece depicting the end of the samurai era. A story of tyranny brutality loyalty and honor culminating in a well choreographed epic final battle. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/14/24 Full Review Riley A One word - Phenomenal. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/10/24 Full Review Aaron K Wow, one of the best fight scenes I've ever seen. Love everything Miike did for this one – avoided using CGI in favor of practical effects with all 13 actors inexperienced in sword fighting... somehow making it surprisingly realistic. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/09/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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13 Assassins

(L-R) Mikijiro Hira as Sir Doi and Koji Yakusho as Shinzaemon Shimada in "13 Assassins." (L-R) Masachika Ichimura as Hanbei Kitou and Koji Yakusho as Shinzaemon Shimada in "13 Assassins." A scene from "13 Assassins." (L-R) Masachika Ichimura as Hanbei Kitou and Koji Yakusho as Shinzaemon Shimada in "13 Assassins." (L-R) Yusuke Iseya as Koyata and Takayuki Yamada as Shinrouko in "13 Assassins." A scene from "13 Assassins." A scene from "13 Assassins." View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis In this remake of a 1963 film based on historical events, Shinzaemon Shimada leads a team of assassins in 19th-century Japan to eliminate the ruthless Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira, who is wreaking havoc against his own people. Hired secretly by a government official hoping to end Matsudaira's reign of terror, Shimada recruits the best samurai in Japan and then sets a trap for the lord's large contingent of faithful bodyguards.
Director
Takashi Miike
Producer
Minami Ichikawa, Tôichirô Shiraishi, Michihiko Yanagisawa
Screenwriter
Daisuke Tengan
Distributor
Magnet Releasing
Production Co
Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Dentsu, Toho Company Ltd., TV Asahi, Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
Rating
R (Some Disturbing Images|Sequences of Bloody Violence|Brief Nudity)
Genre
Action, Adventure, History, Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 29, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 7, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$802.5K
Runtime
2h 6m
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