REEL JAPAN

Score: 5/10

It is fair enough to depict a civil war as a chaotic, meaningless spasm of violence engulfing men and women of all classes. 11 REBELS revolves around the fate of ten prisoners given a last minute reprieve under orders to fight for their freedom and hold off an invasion force at a mountain pass. This invasion occurred during the Boshin War which raged across Japan in the 1860s. The film itself will not tell you anything about that war or the issues which caused it, nor how it was resolved. 11 REBELS is a violent, somewhat fast paced action movie replete with sword duels, snipers, acts of bravery and cowardice, and a surprising number of explosions. It harkens back to many Hollywood and Japanese action films set during WWII, the Wild West, or ancient times (300) in which a small number of men must hold off an army at a narrow pass. 

The premise of drafting condemned prisoners into this responsibility is also not new, but it 11 REBELS plays an intriguing variation: The excellent Abe Sadao portrays a wily councilor of the Shibata clan tasked with holding off the army while his lord plays both sides of the conflict. He sacrifices the prisoners and their samurai guards in a bid for time. Unfortunately the film struggles to keep up with the complexity of these details in its explication. Director Shiraishi Kazuya (BUSHIDO) and screenwriter Ikegami Junya do a good job of differentiating between the many characters through costume choices, nicknames, haircuts, and behavioral quirks. Unfortunately it takes a lot of screen time to build up this rapport between them and the audience and then we quickly observe their decimation, as if we are watching a slasher film. 

Yamada Takayuki (HOUSE OF NINJAS) is compelling as the lead, a prisoner who bears a grudge against the Shibata clan. Sakumoto Takara (SONG OF THE SAMURAI) steals many scenes as the childlike street urchin who follows him around. Nakano Taiga (BROTHERS IN ARMS) is dashing as the one katana-swinging samurai with a shred of honour left. Many of the action scenes are inventive and gripping. I was reminded of Spielberg’s INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM at times. As a samurai action flick, it is comparable to Miike Takashi’s 13 ASSASSINS (2010), but it does not live up to the quality of that film. My biggest criticism of 11 REBELS is that many scenes take place at night and Ikeda Naoya’s cinematography was too murky and hard to follow. There should be a special award for films that take place at night but don’t hurt your eyes; 11 Rebels would not win it. 

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