THE PLOT THUS FAR
A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
As a service to Miike’s cult following, the movie is far more violent than typical jidaigeki, with plenty of gut-exploding, head-rolling action and some grotesque scenes involving a woman with separated limbs (who created a plot device that ultimately became one of the most dramatic scenes in the movie). Unlike other Japanese war epics, the movie also has a modern sense of humor with plenty of comedic reliefs, astonishingly beautiful cinematography in the forest, and advanced battle tactics. What’s surprising, is that none of it felt unnatural and corny like every other modern jidaigeki films that attempted and failed miserably to modernize period pieces, such as “Tsukigami” and “Sakuran”.
For years, I have argued that Miike is a master filmmaker that doesn’t get nearly the kind of recognition he deserves, as his experience and resume put him up with the likes of other classic filmmakers. This shows in Assassins as he brilliantly puts together this simple, yet purposeful film that calls back to the era of epic samurai films of the likes of Akira Kurosawa. In fact, the influence of Seven Samurai is quite apparent here, even going so far as to model some similar characters. However, do not be mistaken, as this is very much a Miike film, a combination of his abilities to craft a mainstream film and a cult hit.
And the trademarks are certainly there, with the sadistic young Shogun lord bearing the bizarre violent fetishes that have been displayed in Miike’s more obscure works, namely Ichi the Killer. As you might suspect, the violence early on is shocking, effective, and often unexpected. This gives way later on to more stylish violence, but none the less, the film is incredibly violent, worthy of a hard R rating by American standards. Miike fans should be very pleased as he both employs his skills as a filmmaker while at the same time adhering to the general guidelines of making a samurai film. Here, he delves greatly into the genre, showing what it means to be a samurai and questioning their purpose through multiple views.
RELEASE DATE: 07/05/2011
