Takeshi Miike is undoubtedly one of Japan's most prolific living directors - on a good year he has been known to direct no less than seven films, contributing to a diverse body of work which spans an assortment of genres. While perhaps best known in the West for sexually transgressive movies such as Audition, a more recent entry into his filmography took him back to feudal Japan for a remake of Eiichi Kudo's film of the same name. 13 Assassins is a slow burner (although for those looking for shocks there's sadistic pleasure to be had watching the evil Lord Naritsugu torturing at will) but once it hits the second half it transforms into a relentlessly bloody battle scene on a par with the very best cinema has to offer - and it lasts for nearly an hour.
