13 Assassins

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13 Assassins

R

Released Apr 29, 2011

2h 6m

Action

Adventure

History

Drama

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Popcornmeter

95%

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129 Reviews

88%

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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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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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Tom Mes

Film Comment Magazine

Culminates in a riveting, ingeniously plotted, and inventively shot 45-minute battle scene.

Nov 7, 2013

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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

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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

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Miike has delivered one of his very best films.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jun 7, 2023

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Jason Adams

My New Plaid Pants

"13 Assassins could end up being Miike's masterpiece. It's that good."

Jul 2, 2021

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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

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John P

What an incredible movie. This is what good people truly do for the greater good of a nation and world. Maybe we should start doing this stuff again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/08/25

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Riley A

One word - Phenomenal.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/10/24

Full Review

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Takashi Miike

Director

Kôji Yakusho

Shinzaemon Shimada

Takayuki Yamada

Shinrouko

Yusuke Iseya

Koyata

Goro Inagaki

Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira

Mikijirō Hira

Sir Doi

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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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