A remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 1963 film of the same name, 13 Assassins is in many ways the ultimate samurai movie, with Miike proving himself to be one of the planet’s finest classical directors. Devoid of sentimentality and commentating on feudal power, the remarkable 45-minute battle sequence that concludes the film is one of the most spectacular ever committed to celluloid, and introduced by one of the film’s fierce warriors holding up a sign that reads: ‘total massacre.’
This programme takes place as part of the BFI’s nationwide Art of Action season, a BFI FAN initiative supported through National Lottery.
