13 Assassins,’ good but not Kurosawa

When all was said and done, limbs severed and bodies drained of blood, I wondered what seemed so familiar about the movie “13 Assassins,” which is playing at the Magic Lantern. And then I remembered: “The Seven Samurai.”

In fact, there are only two real differences between the films. One, Akira Kurowawa has standing as a giant of 20th-century cinema (Japanese director Takashi Miike, while being a notable talent, still has a long way to go to touch Kurosawa). Two, the two groups of men on a suicide mission have different priorities.

Re. those priorities, “The Seven Samurai” — and later, in one of the greatest Westerns ever made, John Sturges’ adaptation “The Magnificent Seven” — is all about a bunch of ronin, wandering samurai, looking to make one last stand in defense of a small village threatened by bandits. Their quest is, to most observers, a futile, meaningless gesture. In contrast, “13 Assassins” is about a bunch of samurai — one of whom is a ronin, another who is no samurai at all but a minor-league bandit — who look to sacrifice themselves in an effort to save their whole country (by assassinating a psycho who dreams of becoming shogun).

Both sacrifices are made in the name of honor, sure. But one is all about personal honor. The other blends that sense of personal honor with a grand kind of larger mission, which is a lot easier for anyone to understand.

One of my favorite lines from “The Magnificent Seven” speaks both for the Sturges and Kurosawa films. It’s Calvera (played by Eli Wallach ), unable to grasp why he has even had to fight these crazy Americans: “You came back — for a place like this. A man like you. Why?”

The man to whom the question is directed, Chris (Yul Brynner), doesn’t say anything. It’s a perfect example of, if you have to ask, you’ll never understand the answer.

Some of us understand perfectly.

Below : Takashi Miike’s “13 Assassins.”