EDITOR'S UPDATE: "13 Assassins" will screen again at midnight Friday, July 22 and Saturday, July 23 at Keystone. If you love action films and you're not there, you'll have to commit seppuku to avoid the shame brought on your family.
The quality of an action film can be gauged by how often you swear to yourself. It’s the thrills, the excitement and the surprise. "13 Assassins" delivers all of that.
After a sluggish beginning in which all of the period's political complications are explained, the true conflict emerges. There is a man named Naritsugu who is one of the most vile villains in recent history. Since he is related to the Shogun (feudal sheriff), he can get away with some truly heinous acts. Once he crosses too many lines, though, the Shogun has to finally take action.
That is done by awakening the samurai, specifically Shinzaemon. At this time there are plenty of samurai, but not many instances for them to take action. The code of the samurai is still held in the greatest esteem, but society's rules are changing. All of them serve their masters with all of their will but await the time when they can serve them best and die in battle like true warriors.
This is the mission for them. Shinzaemon gathers 11 men and together, they are going to put an end to the horrific Naritsugu. The way he creates his crew is familiar from a lot of con movies like "Ocean’s 11" and "The Sting" as he finds those who will be loyal to the cause and who bring certain specialized skills to combat.
Twelve characters is a lot to keep up with, not counting other families who have been affected and the villains. Director Takashi Miike ("Audition," "Ichi the Killer") and screenwriter Daisuke Tengan are wise in having them bond over their similarities. They all want to die a true samurai’s death, which entails fighting like you have no wish to die. A larger spotlight is placed on several of the characters' histories, but they operate best as a group.
With the action, all of their dedication is backed up. There are small teases of swordplay throughout the film, but it isn’t until the final encounter that Miike puts all of his cards on the table. The fights are brutal, clever, extreme, astounding and incredible. What could seem exhausting is brilliantly paced so the ebbs and flows of warlike trickery allow the audience to endure an experience longer than they’re used to.
Aside from just being a whole lot of fun, the film has a lot of fascinating elements to it. The way the samurai are depicted in comparison to a similarly plotted film like "The Seven Samurai" causes a lot of discussion. Much in the same way of "Departures," this film embraces death as a beautiful and deserving finale instead of a moment of fear and confusion like most American films. This approach does not lessen the stakes, but adds new layers in examining what exactly is happening in a fight where it may not be just one force stopping the other.
"13 Assassins" is playing at the Keystone Landmark theater for an exclusive run, but there's only one additional screening — midnight tonight (June 18). The film will hit DVD in July, but this is the sort of movie that benefits from an excited crowd who, like me, were gleefully murmuring to themselves “Oh sh--….”