13 Assassins

Name: 13 Assassins
Genre: Action
Released: April 29, 2011
Duration: 141 min
Rating: 84

2011

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 195 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 195 Ratings

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13 Assassins

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Movie Details & Credits

Magnet Releasing | Release Date: April 29, 2011 | R

Summary: A brave samurai must assembles an elite team of thirteen killers to assassinate the brother of the Shogun, a sadistic and well protected young lord who's above the law, raping and killing innocents with impunity. The film culminates in a mind-blowing, forty-five minute battle sequence that rivals anything seen before in the genre. (MagnetA brave samurai must assembles an elite team of thirteen killers to assassinate the brother of the Shogun, a sadistic and well protected young lord who's above the law, raping and killing innocents with impunity. The film culminates in a mind-blowing, forty-five minute battle sequence that rivals anything seen before in the genre. (Magnet Releasing)
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Director: Takashi Miike

Genre(s): Action

Rating: R

Runtime: 141 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Time Out London David Jenkins

Aug 16, 2016

The film is built as a long crescendo, opening at a level of considered, Zen-like reflection and ending with a prolonged cacophony of elaborate, town-wide annihilation. Read full review

100

Joe Morgenstern

Apr 28, 2011

Right makes might in Takashi Miike's excellent-and exceedingly violent-remake of a 1966 Japanese classic by Eiichi Kudo. Read full review

Movieline Stephanie Zacharek

Apr 28, 2011

The picture does, in places, feel like an unspoken homage to Kurosawa, though it's certainly its own distinct creation. But I wonder if it more closely resembles another end-of-an-era picture, Sam Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch." Read full review

David Edelstein

May 2, 2011

Has a mixture of bloodletting and exultation that would make Sam Peckinpah sit up in his grave and howl with pleasure. Read full review

Lee Marshall

Aug 16, 2016

Once the Seven-Samurai-style band of brothers is assembled, 13 Assassins is pure pleasure: and it culminates in a magnificent 45-minute showdown that has to be the best final battle sequence in cinema since, oh, Kill Bill at least. Read full review

Rene Rodriguez

May 19, 2011

A savage, insane movie - in the best way possible. Read full review

Kim Newman

May 2, 2011

A decent historical drama, with one of the best extended battle scenes (a full half of the movie is the face-off in the 'village of death') in recent memory. Read full review

SEE ALL 33 REVIEWS

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User Reviews

HellMordred

Mar 2, 2016

Excellent movie .What I liked most about this movie was not the quality of the violence or even the quantity. I loved the attitude of it. Honor and responsibility, and the personal interpretation of the two play large parts in this story.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Deadsarow

Jun 25, 2011

13 Assassins is enthralling, beautiful, violent, and disturbing. It takes from everyplace, adding feeling to every portion. The fights are exciting, intense, and bloody as hell. The humor is perfectly peppered in which is a refresher for the momentous and gripping action movie it is. Perfection.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

kingtz

Aug 19, 2011

I cannot recommend this movie enough. 9/10 for bringing back the glory days of using no CG, using no pretty boy pop stars as actors and just brutal, brutal swordplay choreography. As much as I didn't want to, I had to subtract 1 point from a potential 10 because of a lack of characterI cannot recommend this movie enough. 9/10 for bringing back the glory days of using no CG, using no pretty boy pop stars as actors and just brutal, brutal swordplay choreography. As much as I didn't want to, I had to subtract 1 point from a potential 10 because of a lack of character development for some of the other characters in that group of 13. We knew very little about them and they seemed too generic. I know that while some more background on them would have made the movie longer, I might have actually cared about whether they lived or died in the end. That said, I still loved this movie.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MarcDoyle

May 2, 2011

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 throughThe 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

3 of 3 users found this helpful30

George-roots

Aug 26, 2013

Oh Boy if you're a fan of Takashi Miike, you're gonna love this.

A remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white Japanese film of the same name, Takashi brings "13 Assassins" into the spotlight like a Hammer studio produced monster classic, ridiculous buckets of blood, superb charactersOh Boy if you're a fan of Takashi Miike, you're gonna love this.

A remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 black-and-white Japanese film of the same name, Takashi brings "13 Assassins" into the spotlight like a Hammer studio produced monster classic, ridiculous buckets of blood, superb characters and casting with surreal choreography bring 's Miike's most ambitious project so far to life.

Amongst the beautiful panoramic shots of a superbly rendered period Japan, the movies villain is without doubt one of cinema's most brutal to come along for some time and if I was to quote any flaws I feel some scenes feel too stretched out, even for the style this movie superbly creates.

But when all is said and done, the overall climax of this movie is without doubt the movies highlight, Limbs fly, Swords cut and a real code of honor comes across our heroes and even the supporting cast.

Final Verdict: I feel nowadays mainstream cinema is lacking in many Western and Samurai flicks, Which is why I urge you to please find this movie and see what your missing 8/10.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

wheretoma

Dec 17, 2011

Granted, i watched it at midnight, the only showing in our area. Still, the movie was engaging. There is a deep level of violence that will be difficult for most - think kill bill. The story however unfolds brilliantly and somehow i don't think i noticed the time pass.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JP_

Aug 9, 2011

Terrible. The same crap that I've seen in every samurai movie, repeated step by step and image by image. If you want to see yet another Samurai movie that starts with a monster-leader doing atrocities on innocent people, so that you feel no torture or death is good enough for him, thenTerrible. The same crap that I've seen in every samurai movie, repeated step by step and image by image. If you want to see yet another Samurai movie that starts with a monster-leader doing atrocities on innocent people, so that you feel no torture or death is good enough for him, then progress to the little guys defeating the big guys by each of them hacking 10 people to death with simple strokes, this is the movie for you. Why not just watch Seven Samurai again? The high critical reviews for this movie astonish me.… Expand

3 of 20 users found this helpful317

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23	#23 Best Movie of 2011
35	#35 Most Shared Movie of 2011