Notizie

The story of the forty-seven ronin of Ako avenging their fallen master is a significant historical event in Japanese history that has practically gone down as a legend. The events that transpired have frequently been retold in media, most notably in literature through the fictionalized accounts known as “Chushingura.” In addition, many retellings of the vengeful retainers' plot for revenge have been depicted in traditional theater and in cinema. Filmmakers that have directed their depictions include Kenji Mizoguchi, Kunio Watanabe, and Hiroshi Inagaki. Of the countless cinematic renditions, one of the more underrated and unique is Kon Ichikawa's “47 Ronin.”

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Director Kon Ichikawa, who had directed a fair share of period pieces beforehand like “An Actor's Revenge” and “The Wanderers,” had expressed interest in adapting “Chushingura” for quite some time. He was finally given the opportunity towards the approaching end of his career.

13 Assassins

Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Mikijiro Hira, Hiroki Matsukata | Written by Daisuke Tengan & Shoichiro Ikemiya | Directed by Takashi Miike

“In mid-19th Century Japan the era of the samurai is beginning to fade as the feudal nation begins to enjoy a rare period of peace. But the fragile calm is soon threatened by the bloody rise of Lord Naritsugu, the Shogun’s sadistic, psychopathic younger brother, whose position places him above the law and free to rape, mutilate and murder on a whim. Concerned that Naritsugu’s actions will eventually destroy the Shogunate, top Shogun official Sir Doi covertly calls on esteemed and noble samurai warrior Shinzaemon Shimada (Koji Yakusho) to assassinate the evil Lord before it is too late. Shinzaemon willingly agrees and immediately gathers together an elite group of samurai to assist him in the task, knowing that what they are about to embark upon...

Director: Takashi Miike Writers: Kaneo Ikegami and Daisuke Tengan Cinematographer: Nobuyasu Kita Stars: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki Studio/Running Time: Magnet Releasing, 126 min. While Takashi Miike’s name here in the United States will forever by synonymous with his ultra-violent pictures like Ichi the Killer and Audition, at this point he’s worked in pretty much every genre under the sun—not a huge surprise considering that he’s likely the most prolific director of all time (IMDb lists 83 projects he’s directed since 1991). Even so, there are still large consistencies to his pictures, which tend to boast...

13 Assassin

Directed by Takashi Milke

Written by Daisuke Tengan

Based on a screenplay by Kaneo Ikegami

If you’ve seen any of Takashi Miike’s thousand-or-so films, you know that his new samurai flick, 13 Assassins, isn’t like the others. But in the tradition of his best movies, Miike reveals his subversive intentions sparingly and methodically before succumbing to his ultra-violent inclinations.

Assassins opens on a distressing shot of a man committing harakiri–with the noise of the cut pulled way, disgustingly, up in the mix–in protest of the Lord Naritsugu (Gorô Inagaki), brother of the Shogun, rapist, murderer, and general ne’er-do-well. Though feudal Japan has enjoyed years of peace, Naritsugu is allowed free reign to tie up groups of Japanese civilians and shoot arrows at them in his courtyard. Outraged by his indiscriminate violence, and wary that Naritsugu may soon attain actual power, old-timer samurai Shinzaemon (Kôji Yakusho...

[Editor's Note: Also be sure to check out rochefort's equally praising review of the film from Fantastic Fest.]

Year: 2010

Director: Takashi Miike

Writers: Kaneo Ikegami, Takashi Miike

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: Marina Antunes

Rating: 8 out of 10

The prolific Takashi Miike tends to be hit or miss. When he’s firing on all cylinders, his work is spectacular and when he’s missing, the films are still spectacular but there’s a whole lot more head scratching going on (God’s Puzzle anyone? Bueller?) His most recent, the samurai action drama 13 Assassins, isn’t just Miike firing on all cylinders. It’s Miike firing all cylinders and then blowing up the gun to prove a point: that he too can direct a samurai film, one that follows some of what we’ve come to expect of samurai films while still delivering a film that is very much a Miike original.

A remake of a 60s genre film, 13 Assassins is set years before the overthrow of the shogunate.

Year: 2010

Directors: Takashi Miike

Writers: Kaneo Ikegami/Takashi Miike

IMDb: link

Trailer: link

Review by: rochefort

Rating: 9 out of 10

In the years just before the advent of Japan's Meiji era, the feudal Shogunate is waning as tensions rise among the Shogun's lieutenants and lords, mainly due to the rapid and bloody ascension of Lord Naritsugu (a superb Goro Inagaki), a young and spoiled samurai with a privileged and self-serving philosophy of war and the function of Japan's ruling class. His callous disregard for tradition and compassion results in a trail of bodies both peasant and noble, and "retired" samurai Shinzaemon (Koji Yakusho) is approached by one disgraced nobleman to unofficially assassinate Naritsugu and restore balance to the system. Shinzaemon accepts only after being shown the dismembered body of one of Naritsugu's vicitms, then wastes no time assembling a group of thirteen samurai, ronin, and drifters for a suicide mission against...

This week a new 2-minute trailer was released for Shigemichi Sugita‘s The Last Chushingura, a new film adaptation of Shoichiro Ikemiya’s 1994 novel which was previously made into a 2004 Nhk TV drama.

The film stars Koji Yakusho and Koicho Sato as the only two survivors of the legendary raid in which 47 ronin killed a corrupt court official named Kira Yoshinaka for the honor of their executed master knowing full well they’d be forced to commit seppuku afterward. Sato’s character, Terasaka Kichiemon, is a loyal retainer who’s secretly ordered to escape the raid by his leader, Oishi Kuranosuke, in order to relay the facts of the incident for the sake of posterity. Yakusho’s character, Senoo Magozaemon, is an “unworthy samurai” who flees the night before the raid and goes into hiding, establishing himself as a coward and a pariah. The two men cross paths 16 years later,...

This week a new 2-minute trailer was released for Shigemichi Sugita‘s The Last Chushingura, a new film adaptation of Shoichiro Ikemiya’s 1994 novel which was previously made into a 2004 Nhk TV drama.

The film stars Koji Yakusho and Koicho Sato as the only two survivors of the legendary raid in which 47 ronin killed a corrupt court official named Kira Yoshinaka for the honor of their executed master knowing full well they’d be forced to commit seppuku afterward. Sato’s character, Terasaka Kichiemon, is a loyal retainer who’s secretly ordered to escape the raid by his leader, Oishi Kuranosuke, in order to relay the facts of the incident for the sake of posterity. Yakusho’s character, Senoo Magozaemon, is an “unworthy samurai” who flees the night before the raid and goes into hiding, establishing himself as a coward and a pariah. The two men cross paths 16 years later,...

A teaser trailer has been released for Shigemichi Sugita‘s Saigo no Chushingura, a new film adaptation of Shoichiro Ikemiya’s 1994 novel which was previously made into a 2004 Nhk TV drama.

The film stars Koji Yakusho and Koicho Sato as the only two survivors of the legendary raid in which 47 ronin killed a corrupt court official named Kira Yoshinaka for the honor of their executed master knowing full well they’d be forced to commit seppuku afterward. Sato’s character, Terasaka Kichiemon, is a loyal retainer who’s secretly ordered to escape the raid by his leader, Oishi Kuranosuke, in order to relay the facts of the incident for the sake of posterity. Yakusho’s character, Senoo Magozaemon, is an “unworthy samurai” who flees the night before the raid and goes into hiding, establishing himself as a coward and a pariah. The two men cross paths 16 years later, and Magozaemon...