Parents' Guide to

13 Assassins

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Incredibly violent samurai movie with epic battle scene.

Movie R 2011 126 minutes
13 Assassins Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 1 parent review

darthsitkur
darthsitkur Adult
October 21, 2012
age 15+

It was alright, but the first half was pretty slow

I thought this movie was okay, the first half was just really slow, but the second half was a huge shot of adrenaline, the set piece battle was freakin awesome and one of the best battle scenes I've ever watched
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In 1844, samurai Sinzaemon Shimada (Koji Yakusho) is chosen to assassinate the sadistic sociopath Lord Naritsugu (Goro Inagaki), who likes to cut off the arms and legs of his female companions when he's through with them. For the good of the nation, Naritsugu must be killed before he advances to a more powerful position and leads the country to war. Shimada finds 11 volunteers for this dangerous mission. On the road, they meet the 13th team member, the gleeful, half-mad hunter Koyata Kiga (Yusuke Iseya). Then comes the final battle, in which the assassins attack the evil warlord and his seemingly endless run of guards. Can anyone survive this onslaught?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

A remake of a 1963 movie, this is basically a Seven Samurai, Dirty Dozen-style "assemble the team" film that starts slowly, and keeps moving fairly slowly until the big 45-minute blowout battle. In the lead role, the fine actor Koji Yakusho isn't used to his maximum potential here; he usually has a kind of distant sadness that doesn't quite come across. Moreover, viewers that know director Takashi Miike's other work will find this movie a tad... ordinary.

But on the plus side, 13 Assassins is a terrific way for newcomers -- older teens only -- to be introduced to Miike's work, and to Japanese cinema in general. Moreover, Yusuke Iseya, who plays the gleefully scrappy hunter, brings a much-needed injection of life into the film's second act; his energy keeps things humming. And the battle scene itself should be studied by 95% of so-called action directors in America. Miike really shows how it's done. (Tsuyoshi Ihara from Letters from Iwo Jima also stars.)

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's bloody violence. How does it affect you? Is it thrilling? Disgusting? Boring? What effect do you think the director was trying to achieve?

  • Is revenge a good motive in this movie? Does the sheer evilness of the villain justify the heroes' acts?

  • Are the samurai in this movie good role models? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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