Director Miike Takashi was once a cult film phenomenon in Japan with controversial films such as 'Audition', 'Dead or Alive' series, and 'Koroshiya Ichi'. Recently, however, his works are getting more mainstream-friendly with high-budgeted films such as "Crows ZERO" series, 'Ryuu ga Gotoku', and 'Yatterman'. Sure, there's still plenty of violence, but nowhere near as shocking nor horrifying as his earlier films. Is he a sellout? Perhaps. But how can we blame him? You'll be approached by major studios once you attain certain level of fame, and higher budget means it must appeal to more people in order to get the investment back. '13 Assassins' delivers exactly that despite being a Japanese period piece, which traditionally appealed only to the older generation and film buffs. The movie was screened at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival under 'Masters' category, "Films made by the most influential directors living today", and Miike Takashi lives up to expectations.
'13 Assassins' is supposedly a remake of 1963 jidaigeki (Japanese period piece) of same title. Let me tell you this, the movie is not a true jidaigeki. Miike Takashi has transformed it into a 126 minutes of pure fun and excitement.
The story is about an assassination attempt of a tyrant lord by 13 'true' samurais who are believers in justice and uprising on behalf of the People in the year 1844. The original film was famous for its 30 minutes of continuous battle sequence, and the remake's may be even longer. Long story short, it's action-packed, and more people got slashed than in the 'Azumi' series in this movie.
As a service to Miike's cult following, the movie is far more violent than typical jidaigeki, with plenty of gut-exploding, head-rolling action and some grotesque scenes involving a woman with separated limbs (who created a plot device that ultimately became one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie). Unlike other Japanese war epics, the movie also has a modern sense of humor with plenty of comedic reliefs, astonishingly beautiful cinematography in the forest, and advanced battle tactics. What's surprising, is that none of it felt unnatural and corny like every other modern jidaigeki films that attempted and failed miserably to modernize period pieces, such as "Tsukigami" and "Sakuran".
The cast is truly star galore with some of the biggest names in Japanese acting, and experienced supporting actors. About half of them are actors with extremely unique or modern faces that I would've never expected to see in a period piece, but none of the characters seemed out of place even though their faces are still very much identifiable. The biggest surprise was the choice of boy band SMAP member, Inagaki Gorou as the twisted villainous lord. Not only did he hold his own among far more talented full-time actors, he was vital in much of the humor that made this film a success. Truly talented directors are capable of drawing the most out of his cast, and Miike had done just that.
'13 Assassins' is a movie destined to become a blockbuster. Time just flies by when you're having fun, and the audience at the TIFF screening were applauding in every cool and dramatic scenes, and eventually turned into a standing ovation as the credits started rolling.
Remakes are all about translating an outdated (or foreign culture) piece into a work that appeals to the modern (or local) audience. '13 Assassins' does both with universal language of comedy and violence which transformed a classic period piece into a thriller for the modern taste that anyone over the age of 12 (or whatever age restrictions this film will get in your country) can enjoy despite being a jidaigeki. I would recommend this movie to just about everyone. In fact, you don't even need to be a Japanese movie buff to appreciate it. Mainstream film-making at its very best.
'13 Assassins' is supposedly a remake of 1963 jidaigeki (Japanese period piece) of same title. Let me tell you this, the movie is not a true jidaigeki. Miike Takashi has transformed it into a 126 minutes of pure fun and excitement.
The story is about an assassination attempt of a tyrant lord by 13 'true' samurais who are believers in justice and uprising on behalf of the People in the year 1844. The original film was famous for its 30 minutes of continuous battle sequence, and the remake's may be even longer. Long story short, it's action-packed, and more people got slashed than in the 'Azumi' series in this movie.
As a service to Miike's cult following, the movie is far more violent than typical jidaigeki, with plenty of gut-exploding, head-rolling action and some grotesque scenes involving a woman with separated limbs (who created a plot device that ultimately became one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie). Unlike other Japanese war epics, the movie also has a modern sense of humor with plenty of comedic reliefs, astonishingly beautiful cinematography in the forest, and advanced battle tactics. What's surprising, is that none of it felt unnatural and corny like every other modern jidaigeki films that attempted and failed miserably to modernize period pieces, such as "Tsukigami" and "Sakuran".
The cast is truly star galore with some of the biggest names in Japanese acting, and experienced supporting actors. About half of them are actors with extremely unique or modern faces that I would've never expected to see in a period piece, but none of the characters seemed out of place even though their faces are still very much identifiable. The biggest surprise was the choice of boy band SMAP member, Inagaki Gorou as the twisted villainous lord. Not only did he hold his own among far more talented full-time actors, he was vital in much of the humor that made this film a success. Truly talented directors are capable of drawing the most out of his cast, and Miike had done just that.
'13 Assassins' is a movie destined to become a blockbuster. Time just flies by when you're having fun, and the audience at the TIFF screening were applauding in every cool and dramatic scenes, and eventually turned into a standing ovation as the credits started rolling.
Remakes are all about translating an outdated (or foreign culture) piece into a work that appeals to the modern (or local) audience. '13 Assassins' does both with universal language of comedy and violence which transformed a classic period piece into a thriller for the modern taste that anyone over the age of 12 (or whatever age restrictions this film will get in your country) can enjoy despite being a jidaigeki. I would recommend this movie to just about everyone. In fact, you don't even need to be a Japanese movie buff to appreciate it. Mainstream film-making at its very best.