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13 ASSASSINS (JÛSAN-NIN NO SHIKAKU)Movie Reviews
Japanese language action tale set in mid-19th century Japan, about a group of samurai who band together to kill a sadistic and tyrannical lord. Cast:Arata Furuta, Hiroki Matsukata, Kazuki Namioka, Koji YakushoDirector:Takashi MiikeRelease Date:April 29, 2011DVD Release:July 5, 2011From:Magnet ReleasingRating:RLength:2 hr 6 min
JULY 5, 2011
13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku), Excellent Reviews Key Cities
13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku) played in key cities to excellent reviews. • Rene Rodriguez wrote in the Miami Herald, "The climactic battle is crazy enough to make even Quentin Tarantino bow down with envy... a savage, insane movie — in the best way possible." • And Curt Holman wrote in Atlanta Creative Loafing, "...one of the most intoxicatingly thrilling action films to arrive since Woo's Hong Kong heyday." More Reviews Below...
Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...terrifically entertaining, an ambitious big-budget epic, directed with great visuals and sound by Takeshi Miike.... not the sort of incomprehensible mayhem we often find..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 05/27/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (7 Reviews)
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "A stirring, unexpectedly moving story of love and blood... at once a tale of revenge and liberation, though it takes a little while to grasp the stakes."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 04/29/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a classic samurai movie, right up there among the finest... a heartfelt homage to the form at a time when Japanese feudal period films are an increasing rarity."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 04/29/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a must-see for Miike's passionate legion of fans. But even action buffs who've never seen any of his films before will be drawn in by this masterful exercise..."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 286 words, 04/29/11
Logan Hill, New York Magazine: EXCELLENT "Among gore-hounds, genre nuts, and lovers of all that is deeply bizarre about Japanese cinema, Takashi Miike is a freaky godfather.... focused, lean and mean..."(See all of Logan Hill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 326 words, 04/29/11
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...terrifically entertaining, an ambitious big-budget epic, directed with great visuals and sound by Takeshi Miike.... not the sort of incomprehensible mayhem we often find..."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 05/27/11
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: FAIR "Perhaps something important was spirited away with the 20 minutes of footage shorn for this U.S. release, but the combatants are scarcely distinguishable here..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 209 words, 04/27/11
Mike D'Angelo, LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...the entire second half of the movie is one long, kickass battle sequence, at once kinetically thrilling in the Kurosawa/Kobayashi tradition and as goofily absurdist..."(See all of Mike D'Angelo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 167 words, 11/04/10
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Sean O'Connell, Washington Post: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...every drop of blood spilt in defense of an honorable principle matters to the audience as much as it matters to the heroes losing their lives..."(See all of Sean O'Connell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 602 words, 05/27/11
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...about brotherhood, justice and sacrifice... at turns, thrilling and funny, visually exquisite and emotionally charged."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 260 words, 05/13/11
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...too long and too talky -- but the cat-and-mouse game of strategy, figuring out when and where to ambush the evil overlord's entourage, is fascinating."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 261 words, 04/02/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Epic. Unforgettable. Relentless. Magnificently entertaining... For the stout of heart, this is a spectacle that demands to be seen on the big screen."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 06/03/11
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: OUTSTANDING(cg) "Epic in scope, ambition, and execution... a classic swords-and-samurai film with postmodern blood and guts, and it's completely satisfying."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 464 words, 05/06/11
Tom Keogh, Seattle Times: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...a richly cathartic experience with a wide range of emotional colors... dazzling in its scope, ingenuity and detail. It's also sad and tragic..."(See all of Tom Keogh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 534 words, 05/20/11
Marc Mohan, Portland Oregonian: VERY GOOD(cg) "...culminates in an all-out festival of mayhem as the group lays an elaborate trap for its target and his hundreds of bodyguards."(See all of Marc Mohan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 262 words, 06/03/11
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Miike ('Audition') is a master of tension and release... The dialectic about duty may not translate to a modern Western audience, but the savage sword-fighting is to die for."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 309 words, 05/27/11
Tom Long, Detroit News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...builds to a rivers-of-blood 45-minute nonstop battle climax that is downright dizzying. If you like severed limbs, this is your movie.... '13 Assassins' is a killer."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 591 words, 06/10/11
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "The climactic battle is crazy enough to make even Quentin Tarantino bow down with envy... a savage, insane movie -- in the best way possible."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 594 words, 05/20/11
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (8 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice: FAIR "Perhaps something important was spirited away with the 20 minutes of footage shorn for this U.S. release, but the combatants are scarcely distinguishable here..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 209 words, 04/27/11
Mack Rawden, Cinema Blend: EXCELLENT(cg) "...isn't a film for the weak-stomached nor the faint of heart, but it is a whole lot more than just carnage. The Samurai wouldn't have it any other way and neither would I."(See all of Mack Rawden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 04/02/11
Brett Michel, Boston Phoenix: OUTSTANDING(cg) "The 45 minutes of unrelenting carnage that conclude it are as crimson-soaked as fans would expect. And yet this tale is also moving."(See all of Brett Michel's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 150 words, 05/05/11
Mike D'Angelo, LA Weekly: VERY GOOD "...the entire second half of the movie is one long, kickass battle sequence, at once kinetically thrilling in the Kurosawa/Kobayashi tradition and as goofily absurdist..."(See all of Mike D'Angelo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 167 words, 11/04/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...necessary prelude to a spectacular, action-packed final hour where all hell breaks loose and the streets and rooftops flow with blood.... a film both punk and moral."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 390 words, 06/02/11
Stephanie Zacharek, Movieline: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...so beautifully made, it could serve as a model for contemporary American action films. If only.... the movie shines as a piece of visual storytelling."(See all of Stephanie Zacharek's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 685 words, 04/28/11
Nick Schager, Slant: VERY GOOD(cg) "Miike goes classical... a 'Seven Samurai'-indebted swordfighting epic delivered with a blockbuster scope and sincerity free of his trademark gonzo insanity."(See all of Nick Schager's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 614 words, 04/24/11
Curt Holman, Atlanta Creative Loafing: EXCELLENT(cg) "...one of the most intoxicatingly thrilling action films to arrive since Woo's Hong Kong heyday... Miike delivers remarkable stuntwork without lingering too long on the gore."(See all of Curt Holman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 05/27/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "An excellent -- and exceedingly violent -- remake of a 1966 Japanese classic by Eiichi Kudo.... isn't just an action adventure with horror credentials..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 04/29/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "A stirring, unexpectedly moving story of love and blood... at once a tale of revenge and liberation, though it takes a little while to grasp the stakes."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 04/29/11
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a classic samurai movie, right up there among the finest... a heartfelt homage to the form at a time when Japanese feudal period films are an increasing rarity."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 04/29/11
Leslie Felperin, Daily Variety: EXCELLENT "Japanese helmer Takashi Miike is in top, slashtastic form with his latest... at first slow-moving and then wildly kinetic actioner possesses a cool classicism..."(See all of Leslie Felperin's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 855 words, 09/09/10
Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "Miike opts to follow the samurai genre's social code and dramaturgy almost slavishly, and the result is a beautifully lensed but rather unremarkable Japanese period piece."(See all of Deborah Young's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 685 words, 10/15/10
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times: OUTSTANDING "...a classic samurai movie, right up there among the finest... a heartfelt homage to the form at a time when Japanese feudal period films are an increasing rarity."(See all of Kevin Thomas's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 04/29/11
Manohla Dargis, New York Times: EXCELLENT "A stirring, unexpectedly moving story of love and blood... at once a tale of revenge and liberation, though it takes a little while to grasp the stakes."(See all of Manohla Dargis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 04/29/11
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "An excellent -- and exceedingly violent -- remake of a 1966 Japanese classic by Eiichi Kudo.... isn't just an action adventure with horror credentials..."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 206 words, 04/29/11
14.0 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku)'s reviews are separated by an average 14.0 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku) (29 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku)'s reviews cover 30.5% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 13,257 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 457 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku)'s reviews on average broke 4 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is 13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku) (29 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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