1. MarcDoyle

   9

   The first three or four minutes had me slightly worried about how accessible this movie might be, but shortly after the introduction, it grabbed me by the throat, and I was wide-eyed and enthralled throughout. What was most welcomed, for me, was the steady strand of humor running through it. The extreme violence and cruelty at the outset, and the resultant revenge plot and execution would have been too heavy without some lighter moments, and Miike draws an excellent balance. Koji Yakusho's performance is stellar, and the "13th" Assassin is hilarious. Really solid film.… Expand

   • Helpful? 2 of 2 users said Yes.
2. imthenoob

   8

   I agree with MarcDoyle, After seeing the brutal introduction, I may have turned people off (it did irk me a little) but it's far less brutal as it goes on, which is a good thing imo. It's well acted, Has a good story, and the ending is incredibly satisfying. I loved it. It is a must see modern action film.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
3. nutterjr

   7

   A film about honour, justice, zen... and one of the best battle scenes in recent memory, a combat that lasts about an hour in the 'village of death' during which time a whole army is annihilated by 13 samurai soldiers.… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.
4. ivan_fukitman

   4

   With a metascore of 80, I was expecting a something special. I got really desappointed.12 Samurai walking and slashing dozens of minions like they were not here. No suspense whatsoever, fake battles with enemies dropping like flies while the protagonists stay unharmed(we are talking about samurai fights of one vs 20), and cheesy humour made me regret to have started to watch it. It might be a Japanese way of filming, but it's been done way better before("Zatoichi"(with Shintarō Katsu) or the "7 Samurai"( Akira Kurosawa) Have everything this movie misses : Realism...… Expand

   • Helpful? 0 of 0 users said Yes.

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