13 Assassins | Blu-ray

It's rare that a remake can standup up against the original thing. Too often the sensibilities of the time when a film was first made are an essential part of the end product, and something that gets lost in an update.

Takashi Miike's retelling the 13 Assassins, however, is a great example of a director bringing just the right new voice to a project while losing little of its original impact. The original is a somber, stylish affair that—while not without action—very much centers dialogue as the focus of its court intrigue. Miike's version, by comparison, is a much bloodier movie with an emphasis on the brutality and violence of feudal life in Japan.

Both movies do a wonderful job relaying a classic narrative in chambara film and are absolutely worth treasuring all on their own. Miike's 13 Assassins is one of the best entries in the samurai genre following its heyday in the 60s & 70s.

Special Features

• Interview with Director Takashi Miike
• Deleted scenes
• Theatrical trailer