13 Assassins Make A Killing in Unstable Markets

13 Assassins

There are some action films that wear out their welcome after the first couple of fight scenes, and then there are those films that just get better and better as the battle goes on. Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins falls into the latter category as it, with an epic battle sequence that goes on for what feels like an hour. It consistently raises the bar as the film progresses.

Despite being a widely celebrated director, my experience with Miike’s films are limited to Gozu and Sukiyaki Western Django. While films like Audition and Ichi the Killer are currently on my Netflix Canada queue, I have not had a chance to get around to watching them yet. Needless to say, the two Miike films I have seen did not prepare me for what I was about to encounter with 13 Assassins, Miike’s remake of the 1963 Eiichi Kudo’s film of the same name.

Set in Feudal Japan, the Shogun’s younger brother Lord Naritsugu (Gorô Inagaki) is causing havoc with his blatant abuse of power. As no one wants to disrespect the Shogun’s authority, Lord Naritsugu rapes and murders at will with no fear of punishment. Fearing the chaos that would ensue if Lord Naritsugu gained higher political power a senior political advisor secretly commissions an aging samurai, Shinzaemon (Kōji Yakusho), to assassinate the ruthless lord. Assembling a team of 11 other samurai, and picking up a hunter, Koyata (Yūsuke Iseya), along the way, Shinzaemon sets out to kill Lord Naritsugu. Yet this task proves much harder than anticipated as the 13 assassins soon realize that Lord Naritsugu’s armed escorts are not the 30 men they expected but in fact 200 men. One of the 200 includes Hanbei (Masachika Ichimura), an old sparring partner of Shinzaemon who is bound by duty to protect Lord Naritsugu at all costs.

13 Assassins will most likely be compared to Akira Kurosawa’s classic, Seven Samurai, yet it would be silly to dismiss it as a knock off. While Kurosawa’s influence is there, Miike delivers a unique action film that succeeds on its own merits. As mentioned earlier, the film builds up to the centre piece fight scene that goes on for almost an hour. It never feels dull or boring as Miike skillfully keeps his characters at the forefront of the action and the special effects in the background. Miike uses the special effects to aide in the storytelling but not as a crutch

One of the great things about 13 Assassins is how each of the 13 men have distinct personalities that are always present, even when engaging in battle with 200 soldiers. The acting in the film is very strong, especially in regards to Gorô Inagaki’s Lord Naritsugu. Inagaki is menacing in his portrayal of the evil leader, in fact Naritsugu easily makes my list of favourite film villains. What is so disturbing about the character is not the killing and mutilation he inflicts, but his childish glee in committing the various acts. Lord Naritsugu not only willing walks into traps just to see what fiendish things the assassins have planned for him, but he also seems at peace amidst all of the carnage during the major battle. He even remarks that the battle has inspired him to bring back the “age of war” which he believes would be fun.

13 Assassins is a film that delivers both an engaging story and a strong dose of action. It features rich characters that not only help to make the film one of the better action films to be released in some time, but also one of the best films to come out this year.

Yo, Jimbo Is One Sly Dude.

Yojimbo

Not too long ago A Life in an Equinox: A Movie Lover’s Journal held an Akira Kurosawa blogathon in honour of the late director’s birthday. Until recently my only experience with Kurosawa has been my VHS copy of Seven Samurai. Akira Kurosawa was always one of those directors who is so well loved that I was never in a rush to see the rest of his works. I figured his films would always be in demand so I would not have any problems find his full canon of work. Recently I decided to pull a few Kurosawa films, Yojimbo and Sanjuro, out of the purgatory that is my long list of “must see films” and finally watch them.

Yojimbo follows the adventures of a wandering samurai, Sanjuro (Toshirô Mifune), who finds himself in the middle of a gang war in a small village. On one side is the gang led by Sebei (Seizaburô Kawazu) who controls the brothel and the silk industry; the other gang is led by Ushitora (Kyû Sazanka) who produces the towns’ sake. Sanjuro, seizing up the situation, sets out to play the gangs off each other by offering his services as a bodyguard to both sides. Sanjuro thinks he has things all figured out but the arrival of pistol-packing Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai) will throw a deadly wrinkle into his plans.

The first thing that struck me about Yojimbo was how much humour there was in the film. Early on Akira Kurosawa establishes the fact that both gangs are more bark than actual bite. This not only allows Sanjuro to calculate the situation quickly, but it also provides Kurosawa with an avenue to run wild from a comedic standpoint. Several characters, such as the coffin maker and the official, serve no other purpose than to increase the level of humour even further. There are a few moments when Yojimbo veers dangerously close to bordering on slapstick comedy but Kurosawa always finds a way to reign things back in.

Part of the reason Kurosawa is able to maintain control is due to the wonderful lead character Sanjuro. There is rarely a moment when Sanjuro does not bring a smile to the viewer’s face. There have been many drifters in the history of cinema but few have been as enjoyable as Sanjuro is. Whether he is displaying his swordsmanship, eavesdropping on conversations, or riling up the local restaurant owner, Sanjuro’s charisma is always at the forefront. You can always see the glee in his face when is devilish schemes unfold. What makes Sanjuro a great character is that for all his strengths he still has glaring weaknesses that keep him, and the film, grounded in reality.

I really liked the fact that Kurosawa makes Sanjuro vulnerable on several levels. Despite being a caring individual deep down, Sanjuro is always concerned with maintaining his image as coldhearted killer. When you really look at the character of Sanjuro it becomes apparent that his pride is his greatest weakness. If you really think about it, Sanjuro has no reason to even interfere with the gang battle in the first place. He merely intervenes for the fun of it. Sanjuro loves the fact that he is always the smartest guy in the room. There comes a point in the second act when Sanjuro has too much control over events in the town. Kurosawa shows that Sanjuro is too smart for his own good; and it is his overall arrogance that leads to his abrupt downfall.

It is aspects like these which help Yojimbo to live up to all the acclaim it has received over the years. Thanks to Toshirô Mifune’s great performance as Sanjuro, the film proved to be more enjoyable than I had anticipated it would be. The only thing I have left to ponder is why I took so long to see it?