"Thirteen. The time has come to lay down your lives for the greater cause. Are you ready?"

13 Assassins is all about the payoff. And the payoff comes in the form of 50 minutes of absolute carnage at the end of the movie. The story is about 13 warriors, some of the last truly capable samurai at a time when the era of those legendary soldiers was coming to an end, who band together to kill a despicable, deranged and utterly evil lord who is step-brother and future heir to the ruling shogun. Greatly outnumbered, the men devise a plan to force Lord Naritsugu and his guards to a village that they've prepared as what can only be called as a deathtrap.  

If you liked the "Crazy 88's" fight from Kill Bill Volume 1 or the massive battle at the end of Azumi, then the epic showdown at the end of 13 Assassins automatically makes this a must see. But what about the preceding half of the movie? Most of that time is spent introducing us to the 13 assassins, Sir Hanbei - the noble but loyal to a fault man who is in charge of Lord Naritsugu's safety, and making us hate (and I mean REALLY hate) the lord himself. This portion of the movie was necessary to setup finale, but it was understandably not as exciting or captivating as the lengthy battle it precedes. 

Rest assured though, the storytelling doesn't stop when the action begins. Some action scenes in movies can be so endless that they become monotonous (and boring, as a result),but 13 Assassins neatly avoids that trap by including character development until the very end. 

This is a brutal, visceral movie, from the sadism of Lord Naritsugu to the blood-soaked, frenetic finale. If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, I heartily recommend that you give it a shot.

This is an epic masterpiece and is clearly a cut above most films in direction, acting, and cinematography. But what really sets it apart is that it connects the viewer to Bushido and has those values firmly at its core.

The sadistic tyrant who must be assassinated or Japan will turn once more to feudal warfare is told with verve and elan, but also with real dignity and a great sense of pace. The first hour is simply superb as we watch the recruiting and planning of the assassins. The second hour is a maelstrom of action with katanas flashing and impossible odds. I actually preferred the first half in the main, but absolutely no complaints with the action either.

All in all, this is simply, by far and away, the best action film of 2011 so far, but putting in a genre does not do it justice - for this reviewer, it is the most complete cinematic experience since Winter's Bone and is that rare animal these days - a film that looks, feels, and produces the sensation of film rather than TV.

Probably one of the better films (Japanese or otherwise) I have seen this decade without exaggeration - it actually attempts to embody Bushido and understand the meaning and purpose of the Shogunate and the Samurai - plus Katanas - oh yes - lots and lots of katanas.....

Takashi Miike's new samurai film is very much like the classics of old – and, in particular, Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI. There's a slow and gradual build-up, during which time we're introduced to the titular characters and one very unpleasant villain, and then one extended, rip-roaring climax in which an entire village becomes a battleground for the heroes and the army opposing them.

Viewers expecting more depth than that will be disappointed, as 13 Assassins is very much a straightforward film. There are elements of Miike's perversity in the hideous crimes carried out by his bad guy, Lord Naritsugu, and in a sub-plot involving a forest-dwelling spirit which has been excised for international viewers, but viewers expecting a bloodbath will be disappointed. This is a surprisingly restrained film, at least on a visceral level; there's little focus on blood and guts action, although the sound effects more than makes up for that. Still, the film doesn't need it either: the choreography of the climatic battle is excellent, stylishly putting across the heroism of those involved and the frenetic nature of the running conflict and keeping the momentum and excitement going at all times.

Both script and cast are understated in the best Japanese tradition, and it's rare for one of the good guys to betray emotion. Koji Yakusho, as the elder who forms the team of assassins, holds the film together with a performance of genuine gravitas. Goru Inagaki's villain is truly a man who deserves to die, thus setting up a story in which the suspense never dies down, instead building until the fittingly epic-feeling climax. There's a danger of 13 ASSASSINS getting lost amid the dozens of similar historical adventure films coming out of Asia at the moment, but that would be a shame as it's a rousing, old-fashioned film in the best sense.