Prolific Japanese director Takashi Miike (Ichi the Killer, Audition) is on a bit of a samurai kick lately. His Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai came out earlier this year in Japan, but in the States, his previous foray in to the genre, the big-budget 13 Assassins, is only just hitting theaters.
The film centers around “a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a wartorn future,” and its 45-minute climactic battle has been hailed as “inventive and ingenious” and “just plain mind-blowing.”
13 Assassins is playing in limited release now — and in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre. I’m planning on going to the 2pm showing on Friday. Anyone interested in joining me?
Saw this last week – so far it’s the best movie I’ve seen in 2011.
Just a quick heads-up – if this isn’t playing at a theater near you, check your cable system’s video-on-demand. Comcast carries this flick in the Chicago area (for $6.99 in SD; $7.99 in HD), it’s probably available on other systems as well.