Jûsan-nin No Shikaku / Thirteen assassins (2010) - A movie with many contrasts and some memorable scenes - 7/10 (21/01/2012)

13 assassins is a typical Takashi Miike movie with some hints at Japanese history and mythology. The movie has many stunning scenes that will stay on your mind for a while. Already the harakiri opening sequence is quite intense but there is also the scene of a young and crippled woman begging for vengeance and the scene of a family massacre that are really touching and maybe hard to watch for some people. On the other side, there are also some humorous scenes that lighten this movie up in a good way. The filming, the music and the locations are also always well chosen.

The movie is clearly divided into two very distinctive parts. The first half introduces a lot of characters and features many dialogues. As in many other Miike movies, it's not always easy to follow what happens to whom and why but it's less difficult than in movies such as "Family" or "Gozu". I watched this movie with a friend from Asia and I'm relieved to see that it wasn't only me as someone who has grown up in a occidental culture who struggled with some parts of the plot. The movie gives some interesting insights at some characters but should have been more precise at some points.

The second half of the movie is a total massacre in a small Japanese village. The movie features many great sword fights, explosions and original traps. For about forty minutes, the movie gives you no time to breathe but it ends on a rather smooth note after all.

In the end, I think that the transition between the two parts of the movie happens too fast and both are redundant at some points. In the first half, there are too many dialogues and it takes some time to get into the movie. The second half starts with a lot of action but doesn't vary very much and get's a little bit redundant as well. The fighting scenes and choreographs are amazing but forty minutes non stop violence gets a little bit boring after a while. I also think that the final scenes of the movie are not touching or intense enough. I might also add that some parts of the original version had been cut for an international release and I would have liked to see them to understand the characters (for example the bandit that seems to represent an immortal ghost spirit as I read later) a little bit better.

On the positive side, the movie has many memorable scenes, a couple of intriguing characters and great images and words directed by one of the Asian's best directors. Any fan of samurai movies should check this film out. It's far away from being a masterpiece but an interesting release you could loan or buy at a cheap price.