13 ASSASSINS by Takashi Miike
Japan/UK, 2010

Synopsis: Peaceful times in feudal Japan are threatened by the bloody rise to power of cruel Lord Naritsugu. Above the law because he is the Shogun’s brother, the sadistic young Lord rapes and kills at whim. Top Shogun official Sir Doi is distressed when an Influential figure commits hara-kiri to protest the Lord’s murder of his family. Sir Doi secretly calls on esteemed samurai Shinzaemon Shimada to assassinate the evil Lord. Outraged by Lord Naritsugu’s vile acts, noble Shinzaemon willingly accepts the dangerous mission. Shinzaemon gathers an elite group of samurai, each with their own deadly skill, including his gambler nephew Shinrokuro and devoted ronin Hirayama. Together they plot to ambush Lord Naritsugu on his annual journey home from Edo. The courageous samurai know it’s a suicide mission because the Lord is closely protected by a lethal entourage led by ruthless Hanbei, Shinzaemon’s longtime nemesis. After weeks of training and preparation, Shinzaemon and his samurai ride stealthily through the mountains. On their perilous journey, they recruit a wild young mountain man, Koyata. The skilled group then take over a small village, transforming it into an intricate death trap to snare Lord Naritsugu. But when the Lord finally arrives, Shinzaemon and his loyal samurai discover they are outnumbered fifteen to one. The day has come for our 13 fearless assassins to face death in a bloody showdown, a monumental battle of fiery explosions, showers of arrows and clashing swords.