Thirteen warriors risk their lives and honor in an attempt to assassinate Matsudaira Naritsugu and his men on their way home. Naritsugu is a brother of the current Shogun and is unpunished for his crimes. He is notorious for killing and raping several people. No one can touch him however and he is surrounded by skilled bodyguards who are loyal to him despite his eccentric and sadistic way of doing things. Doi Toshitsura, a government official, has to act before Naritsugu gains more political power and bring chaos to the land. He hires Shinzaemon to do the task for him.
The first half of the movie focused on the preparations made and the acquisition of skilled samurai who would join their group. They decided to barricade a town because it was the only way to block the progress of Naritsugu's entourage. The group seemed confident that they had an advantage but they learned that instead of seventy, 200 men now escort Naritsugu.
This movie is not for the faint-hearted. There are plenty of bloody scenes and some of Naritsugu's victims might shock the viewer. The fight scenes were good and almost realistic. They didn't do any fancy techniques like flying or running on the walls. The main characters bled like normal humans would. However, the number of remaining soldiers from Naritsugu's side after the first attack seemed more than 130 (Shinzaemon did say there were only 130 left). The ending wasn't quite satisfying considering the gravity of Naritsugu's crimes. He had an easy death. Then again, I don't think it would be honorable for Shinzaemon to have stooped down to his opponent's level.
This movie has a little bit of history to it and has almost the same story as Seven Samurai. I recommend this to those who have seen the said movie (or even the anime version). I'm giving this a 7 out of 10 rating.
