Thirteen Assassins: A Riveting Samurai Spectacle
A respectable historical drama featuring an extended battle scene – the clash in the “village of death” takes up a good portion of the film – that ranks among the best in recent memory.
Set in Japan in 1844, Thirteen Assassins tells the story of Lord Naritsugu (Goro Inagaki), the Shogun’s sadistic and power-hungry half-brother, who threatens to plunge the land into chaos. Tasked with stopping him, veteran samurai Shinzaemon (Koji Yakusho) assembles a small band of warriors to assassinate Naritsugu. Outnumbered and outgunned, they must face an army of samurai fiercely loyal to their lord.
Takashi Miike, a director known for his prolific output and genre-bending style, delivers a samurai epic in the vein of Kurosawa with Thirteen Assassins, a remake of the 1963 film of the same name. While Miike is often associated with extreme and surreal films like Audition (1999) and Ichi the Killer, he has proven his versatility by tackling everything from horror (One Missed Call) to children’s fantasy.
A Slow Burn to Explosive Action
The first half of the film takes its time, establishing the characters and setting the stage with stoic pronouncements of honor and duty. Lord Naritsugu, played with chilling depravity by Goro Inagaki, is a truly vile villain, whose cruelty knows no bounds. However, the film explodes into action in the second half. Shinzaemon, a master strategist, leads his twelve loyal samurai, including a wild and unpredictable peasant, to a remote village. They transform it into a deadly trap, a “village of death,” where a handful of warriors can stand against an entire army.
Characters and Conflicts
While the film boasts a large cast, only a few of the thirteen assassins truly stand out as individuals. The conflict between Shinzaemon and his former rival, now a loyal servant of Naritsugu, adds depth to the story. The film raises the question of whether loyalty to a depraved and cruel master can be considered a virtue. Naritsugu himself is a fascinating character, offering philosophical justifications for his heinous acts.
A Devilishly Charming Villain
Inagaki is both charming and terrifying as Naritsugu, imbuing the character with a chilling inhumanity. There’s something unsettling about the way he calmly wanders through piles of corpses, showing only mild interest in the carnage. He even thanks Shinzaemon, acknowledging that the assassination attempt is the most exciting thing that has ever happened to him.