13 Assassins
Dir: Takashi Miike
2010
*****
13 Assassins is a relentless and electric tribute to Eiichi Kudo, the Samurai Revolution trilogy and the glorious genre that is Chambara. Akira Kurosawa may have been influenced by the American Western but directors like Eiichi Kudo kept their ideas very much in keeping with Japan folk-law and history and made Samurai films in the classical sense. Takashi Miike's 13 Assassins is a love letter to a forgotten era of film making, an indulgence it's fair to say but a passion shared by many. Typically Miike's version is more graphic than the originals but it also acquaints the audience to the way of life of a Samurai far more successfully, albeit at breakneck speed. Those that know the work of Miike will have an idea of what to expect, the brutality is still there but it is also a successful period drama in the classic sense and is more than just swordplay. With Samurai films this good, the American Western could look to copy this format from now on.