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 186 Ratings

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8.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 186 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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Awards & Rankings

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

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Metascore

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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

bob13bob

Jun 13, 2012

excellent old school kickback to samurai genre, effectively drenched in action. Great cinematography, costumes, dialogue, characters......................................................

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

bkd72

May 17, 2011

A great foreign film. There movie does a great job of making the enemies utterly despicable. The action is great and surprisingly original, and there was never a point where I went "Yeah, I saw that coming". The main flaws were a couple of very short scenes felt forced to add comedic reliefA great foreign film. There movie does a great job of making the enemies utterly despicable. The action is great and surprisingly original, and there was never a point where I went "Yeah, I saw that coming". The main flaws were a couple of very short scenes felt forced to add comedic relief when there was no need to and the movie could of benefited if the main action scene was a few minutes stronger, but this did not hurt the movie that much at all… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Halfwelshman

Mar 30, 2012

13 Assassins works on numerous levels, as a sumptuously rich period drama, as an action-packed historical epic, as a complex political thriller and as a moral tale of revenge and honour. The film follows a small group of samurai and ronin who band together to bring down a diabolical, but13 Assassins works on numerous levels, as a sumptuously rich period drama, as an action-packed historical epic, as a complex political thriller and as a moral tale of revenge and honour. The film follows a small group of samurai and ronin who band together to bring down a diabolical, but politically untouchable warlord. The film utterly engrosses you from the very start, and you are given time to get to know and care for the protagonists, and learn about their vastly differing ways of life and views of the world, and witness the conflicts these differences create within the group. Despite their personal, social, intellectual and spiritual differences, it is hugely rewarding to watch the assassins put their grudges aside to fight together for what is right. It's a slow burner, but the narrative never plods, and you really feel like you are on the same seemingly impossible quest as the 13 assassins. Through a mixture of fantastic performances from the whole cast, stunning visuals and production design, flawless fight choreography (particularly in the extended, jaw-droppingly complex battle of the finale),Takashi Miike's masterful direction of every aspect of the film, and a perfect balance between fantasy and reality, 13 Assassins makes for a truly spellbinding viewing experience.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

imthenoob

Dec 26, 2012

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 seeI 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

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

darkbloodshed13

Jul 29, 2019

13 Assassins is directed by Takashi Miike and a group of 13 warriors being hired to kill the evil half brother of shogun and his 200 bodyguards. This movie follows in the same formula as the classic film 7 Samurai, samurai get's hired for a job, samurai puts together a team, team trains for13 Assassins is directed by Takashi Miike and a group of 13 warriors being hired to kill the evil half brother of shogun and his 200 bodyguards. This movie follows in the same formula as the classic film 7 Samurai, samurai get's hired for a job, samurai puts together a team, team trains for job, and team executes the job. Now that formula alone wouldn't be enough to make the film worth the watch,but what the movie adds does. That would the debate between 2 different practices of bushido the practice of protecting people less fortunate and the practice of protecting ones lord. Also we're given some really good characters including a villain who's every move makes your spine chill. Add that a fantastic action scene and you have a great film. however this movie does have a couple problems, not all the characters get memorable personalities and some of the visuals fall flat but these problems don't hurt the film that much. In conclusion if your looking for a good samurai film you could do worse than this movie.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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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