I love movies with sub-titles. Ergo, I love foreign movies.
Last night Amo, Gareth and I peered up at the not-very-large screen in San Francisco's smallest theater, and loved 13 Assassins. Well, I say "loved" ..... Gareth and I really liked it, while Amo thought it was too long.
Admittedly, the first hour was spent in dimly-lit homes in 1840s rural Japan, watching Sir Doi recruit his team of samurai to kill the evil Lord Naritsugu Matsudaira. The second hour delivered what must be the longest sword fight in movie history.
Both halves of the film drew me in and captivated me.
Every fan cites "miles better than anything Hollywood has delivered lately", or similar sentiments.
The battle, wherein Doi and team attempt to whup the evil Lord, came across like The Alamo, or Rorke's Drift in Zulu - absolute mayhem with a small group of our heroes defending against massive odds - in this case 13 Assassins versus 200+ Naritsugu-ers.
Fine stuff, and if you believe the postscript, rooted in real history.
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