I blind-bought this one because Blockbuster didn't have it available to rent. This one was only playing at one theater locally when it came out so I didn't get a chance to see it. But I like the director, Takashi Miike and the subject matter. Plot goes like this: A ruthless local Damiyo is in line to become the next Shogun and if he ascends he will likely plunge Japan back into civil war. So a local lord hires a noble Samurai to kill him. The Samurai hooks up with 12 other men looking to do a good deed and make names for themeselves, thus the title 13 Assassins.
I was a little skeptical at Miike being able to pull this movie off since he is known for his experimental and horror films, not doing period Samurai pictures. But he actually did a good job with this one. The characters were fairly well fleshed out and the reasons for their motivations were clear. Most of the Samurai have never even been in a real battle because the country has been at peace for so long. Also, the day of the Samurai is ending as Western ideals and customs are encroaching on the Japanese way of life. So many of the men see this assasination as one last chance to do something noble and heroic.
About the only problem I had with the movie was the villian. He was just so evil and cruel that it was a little over the top.
The picture quality was good and the sound was good too. There isn't much to stress the subwoofer except for some explosions in the final battle. As a student of Kenjutsu, I thought the sword play was very well done. I even saw a few movements in the art that I do in the film. Samurai movies are few and far between these days, but if you like the genre, this is a pretty good one.
