13 Assassins (English Subtitled)

4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (195 customer reviews)
In this thrilling samurai film, 13 warriors join forces to kill an evil tyrant pushing a nation to the brink of war. Facing suicidal odds, they must take on his deadly army in an epic fight to the death.
  • Directed by: Takashi Miike
  • Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
  • Release year: 2011
  • Studio: Magnolia
 
 
 
 

48 hour rental

1-Click® $3.99

Buy movie

1-Click® $9.99

Learn more about renting and buying

 
 
 
 
 
 
[Send us Feedback]

13 Assassins (English Subtitled)

Have a promotion code? View Balance
New to Amazon Instant Video? Watch your videos on the Kindle Fire HD and hundreds of other devices. See how to watch on your computer, tablet, phone and TV.

Enjoy Unlimited Streaming with Prime Instant Video: Stream over 40,000 movies and TV episodes on virtually any TV with compatible streaming devices starting under $100. Shop now.


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Product Details
Synopsis: In this thrilling samurai film, 13 warriors join forces to kill an evil tyrant pushing a nation to the brink of war. Facing suicidal odds, they must take on his deadly army in an epic fight to the death.
Starring: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada
Supporting actors: Yûsuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijirô Hira, Hiroki Matsukata, Ikki Sawamura, Arata Furuta, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Masataka Kubota, Sôsuke Takaoka, Seiji Rokkaku, Yûma Ishigaki, Kôen Kondô, Ikki Namioka, Shinnosuke Abe, Kazue Fukiishi, Megumi Kagurazaka, Nizaemon Kataoka
Directed by: Takashi Miike
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama
Runtime: 2 hours 6 minutes
Captions and Subtitles: Details
Release year: 2011
Studio: Magnolia
MPAA Rating: Rated R for sequences of bloody violence, some disturbing images and brief nudity
ASIN: B004TPTHCO
Rights & Requirements
Rental rights: 48 hour viewing period. Details
Purchase rights: Stream instantly and download to 2 locations. Details
Format: Amazon Instant Video (streaming online video and digital download)

Other Formats and Versions


Theatrical Release Information
  • US Theatrical Release Date: April 29, 2011
  • MPAA: Rated R for sequences of bloody violence, some disturbing images and brief nudity
  • Production Company: Sedic International, Recorded Picture Company (RPC), Asahi Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, The, Dentsu

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
195 of 208 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Impressed Native Japanese March 29, 2011
Format:Amazon Instant Video|Amazon Verified Purchase
Being native Japanese, I can be a little nit-picky about movies that are era-centric especially when it comes to feudal Japan. This movie did not insult my intelligence, was true to form with depicting the nature of Japan pre-Meiji era and gave me goosebumps with its intensity. This movie is both entertaining, intelligent and brings to life a culture (Samurai) that few today may be aware of. This is a true Samurai movie in form and delivery without being over the top. Thank you Amazon for making it available online. This is a definite must add to my movie collection.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
85 of 95 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic samurai action May 2, 2011
Format:Blu-ray
I caught this on HDnet movies last week and was thoroughly impressed with everything about it. Great action sequences, great acting and dialogue (although I don't know Japanese - going by the subtitles), and the cinematography is amazing. Japan is a beautiful country and you certainly see this in wondrous HD.

The build up to the final battle scene is a little slow and the gruesome scenes which setup the evil nature of the protaganist's target might be a little bit overly done (the target practice on the remaining Mamiya family in particular). I would have actually liked to see more character development with the original samurai and the couple of ronin but then the movie would have been over 3 hours long.

Visually a few CG elements look less than stellar (flaming cattle and horses falling from an exploding bridge), I am guessing this is probably more to do with the CG production than anything else.

Despite a few qualms I wouldn't take a star off because the final, extremely long battle scene is just incredibly awesome. I haven't seen the original B&W version from 1963 but I might have to try to find it, if its half as good.

Even now with the movie sitting on my DVR I am looking forward to picking up Takashi Miike's masterpiece on bluray as soon as it comes out.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
24 of 27 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, but forgettable. July 24, 2011
Format:Blu-ray
Like many others, I'd read nothing but great reviews about 13 Assassins. Heck, a friend of mine saw a screening of it last year at the Venice Film Festival and told me to remember the name so I could check it out when it finally hit the States, and he and I have nearly identical tastes in movies. I just watched the movie about 3 hours ago, and I can't say I remember much of the movie apart from the huge battle at the end. The first third of the movie is spent gathering the assassins, the middle is preparing things for the battle, and the rest is taking out bad guys. Directed by Takashi Miike, this is one of his most mature films to date, and when I say that, I don't mean that it has tons of content for 'mature audiences' like blood, tons of gore, etc. I mean that he's toned things down quite a bit here, and made a modern samurai movie that echoes the likes of Akira Kurosawa's. But that's where one of the problems lies as well.

The plot of 13 Assassins is easy to explain- there's an immature, cruel lord, Naritsugu, on his way to a higher rank. A group of 12 samurai band together and plot his assassination. They can't just go in with a sneak attack, or even take him out when he's about to board a boat, so they plan a pretty good course of action. First they'll get the leader of one village, whose son was killed by the evil lord, to block entry through their village to that Naritsugu and his troops will have to take an alternate route. When they eventually come to another village, that's where the 12 samurai will trap and attack the lord. Things go according to plan for the most part, but the samurai end up being joined by a comical hunter named Kiga, who was found trapped in a cage high up in a tree. He was hanging around as punishment for laying his hands on "the boss' woman".
... Read more ›
Was this review helpful to you?
17 of 19 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing May 15, 2011
Format:DVD
This gets off to an acceptable start. A sadistic warlord stands way too close to the throne - bad enough what he does to the commoners around him, it would be vastly worse if the whole nation were his plaything. A band of 12 assassins is enlisted, and they're off. We establish personal loyalties and conflicts early on, compressed into traditional forms by the rigid code of bushido. Although well executed, this seemed ordinary up to about the half-way point, when an improbable thirteenth joins the band.

The group picks a small town for their ambush. They buy out the village and turn it into their trap. The villagers bait the trap with themselves, lure the warlord and his retainers in, then escape to safety as the trap springs. The rest of the movie, a solid 45 minutes, presents one of the most incredible fight scenes in cinematic history. I mean, the fighting is believable - no flying swordsmen or outlandish weaponry - but I've never seen a movie sustain an adrenaline rush for so long. And, despite the fast-moving action, it never turns repetitive. The 13th, although the comedic element, brings his own contribution to the mayhem as well.

The ending comes in suitably heroic (and Japanese) style, with a brief reminder of just why the world would be better off without that warlord. Then, in a final moment, we suddenly wonder just who or what that 13th might be.

A world with Kurosawa in it has very high standards to meet. Maybe "13 Assassins" doesn't meet the very highest, but its a good one anyway, and worth coming back to.

-- wiredweird
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
The movie was really good even with the subtitles and kept you going throughout the movie. I would definitely order from them again and recommend others do the same.
Published 22 days ago by kermitte81
5.0 out of 5 stars Glorious film making in the tradition of Japan's best Samurai movies
I must say I am pleasantly suprised that this film was not the all out gore driven blood bath that we might have expected from Takashi Miike. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Natja Kristy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great ninja action
This movie is great. Ninja action; few against many; honor; samurai; very nice. This is a great ninja and samurai movie. More samurai than ninja...nice.
Published 1 month ago by Steven L. Barnicki
4.0 out of 5 stars 13
It's a must see classic...if you are into ninja and samurai movies, this is the flick for your. Great ending
Published 1 month ago by Gonzalo Gonzalez S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome.
Simply one of the best movies ever made. If your not a fan of the genre, even better as it is a fantastic movie that stands on its own. Plus its from Magnet Films... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mark Cutright
5.0 out of 5 stars Classical samurai action with plot and character development
If you enjoy samurai movies this one should be at the top of anyone's list. The plot and character development move along nicely leading to the final showdown which is classical. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mark Rojek
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed this movie!
Good story, fun, Unrealistic, but hey at least they are not flying ninjas or goofy wire stuff! Just a fun, root for the underdog type movie.
Published 2 months ago by Joseph C. Martinak
3.0 out of 5 stars Ooops, Didn't Want to Buy This One
Eh...made a mistake in purchasing this with a free Amazon Prime membership. Not worth buying.There are tons of Asian films that are much better, the pacing was too slow for this... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Conrad Hoss
5.0 out of 5 stars Takes a minute to get going...but worth the wait
This movie is flat out awesome. Very similar to Seven Samurai in construction. They build you up for a long time and it is so worth the wait. Read more
Published 2 months ago by M. J. Perrone Jr.
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice story of honor
Shows that although times change due to political change the traditions and honor of people don't have to. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Butch
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews
By placing your order, you agree to our Terms of Use  Sold by Amazon Digital Services, Inc.  Additional taxes may apply.