11 Rebels - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

11 Rebels



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:

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Movie
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a non-gonzo film from Japan in recent years. Back in the days of Toshiro Mifune and Shintaro Katsu, Japan was producing Samurai movies at a rapid pace, but until recently, the genre had largely fallen out of favor with modern audiences. Takashi Miike and other more “exploitative” directors kept Japan’s film industry working, but it's been a LONG time since I’ve seen a Samurai film come out of there that I liked. But hey, I’m all for a resurgence of classic Samurai honor and betrayal, so color me a little excited when I saw that Well Go USA was importing Kazuya Shiraishi’s (The Devil’s Path, The Blood of Wolves) modern take on an age-old genre.

Playing out a bit like Seven Samurai meets The Dirty Dozen (with a lot more Dirty Dozen), 11 Rebels takes us back to 1800s Japan just a couple of years after our Civil War ended. Japan was in absolute turmoil as the feudal lords duked it out over who would side with the new government, or who would resist. Known as the Boshin civil war, it barely lasted 1.5 years before the creation of the so-called “Meiji restoration”, but left thousands upon thousands dead during the conflict. While there was a sense of black and white with The Dirty Dozen regarding who were the good guys and who were the bad guys, 11 Rebels plays things a little more loosey goosey. It seems that the new Emperor’s forces are being held at bay by rebel lords who have formed an alliance under the title of “The Coalition”. Said Coalition has been off at the Shibata domain for not giving conscripts to the war effort, and are about ready step in and seize control of the Shabata clan to conscript their people for troops.

However, Mizoguchi Takumi (Sadao Abe), of the Shibata clan, has figured out a plan that could save them. Send a band of 10 convicted criminals along with a skeleton crew of Samurai out to a long outpost to hold off the Imperial forces until they can get the rest of the coalition to back them up. The incentive for the 10 criminals is that they get their freedom if they manage to hold the fort until reinforcements arrive. Unbeknownst to the criminals (and the samurai overseeing the operation), Mizoguchi is pulling a bit of a double cross on everyone. The Shibata forces aren’t coming for reinforcement, as Mizoguchi’s plan hinges on the criminals masquerading as one of the other Coalition clans, and to engage the Imperial forces long enough for the Shibata’s to evacuate their castle and defect over to the side of the new Emperor. An ingenious double cross that will probably result in the lives of the 10 rebels he sent out there, and hopefully, enough time to greet the Imperial forces before the rest of the Coalition finds out. That is, unless our 10 miscreant causing wild cards have a say in things.

Honestly, I had a good time with 11 Rebels. It’s not an instant classic that will rival the likes of Seven Samurai or Hara Kiri, but it manages to make an effective old-school film with some bloody battle scenes. Playing like a series of vignettes combined with copious battle scenes, we watch the 10 criminals bicker, fight, and generally mess things up until they realize that they’re screwed on both ends. Their lords have hung them out to dry with no intention of freeing them, and the Imperial forces are out for their heads. Leaving them no choice but to fight like cats and dogs in true guerrilla fashion. The battles are intense and fast, with some great sword work (the battle between the old criminal and the imperial squire is probably one of the best fights in the movie, along with the final one), and the use of explosives adds a fun layer of gore and excitement to everything. There’s not a WHOLE lot of emphasis on the more nuanced character-driven portions of the film, but there’s enough emotion to carry you along and keep the viewer invested. One thing that actually caught my attention when I dug into the history of the flick, was that over in Japan the film was supposedly screened at over 2.5 hours, but was cut back to exactly 2 hours on the nose for the home video release, leaving me to wonder if there was more character development cut out. Or possibly it was superfluous stuff that the director simply thought was bogging down the story. I’m not sure, but it certainly leaves me curious.




Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

As I mentioned in the 4K UHD review, I couldn’t find out much information about the master used for this disc, but being that it was shot using a variety of Sony digital cameras with high resolutions, I’m going to simply assume that the DI was a native 4K one, and that they simply down converted it for Blu-ray. That being said, the end result is generally spectacular. Ala the 4K disc, there is tons of details ranging from the dirty and grimy outfits the 10 rebels wear, to the bloody stumps and sawed off limbs of war victims. Blood splatter looked very obviously CGI fake, but other than that, this is a nice looking film that makes great use of shadows and country green landscapes alike. I did notice some crush and banding going on in the dark hovels of the fort, but overall it was barely noticeable, making this a fairly spectacular looking disc.







Audio:

While the video was “almost” perfect, I’m going to give the Japanese Dolby Atmos track a perfect rating. It’s a wildly exciting track that features some really cool and nuanced surround effects for the Atmos heights. The copious battle sequences fill out all the rear and side channels with traditional action aplomb, but as I said, the overheads get some cool work as well with more subtle effects. There’s some score usage in the overheads, but most of said overhead usage is from ambient effects such as a staff swooshing down onto someone’s head, or a blast from one of the criminal’s homemade grenades. LFE usage is powerful and deep without being overbearing, but certainly knows when to shake the rafters when needed (the 41:40 mark where the Imperial forces start bombarding the fort with cannon fire is just jaw-dropping). Vocals are crisp and clear, and quite simply, I couldn’t find anything wrong with this mix, AT ALL.







Extras:

• Well Go USA Previews
• Theatrical Trailer

Final Score: ​

Acting as a weird foil to The Last Samurai (which also took place during the Boshin war, but taken from a completely different point of view on the Samurai involved), 11 Rebels is a fun little war time samurai flick that made me wish for a comeback of the great 60s and 70s era Samurai films of old. It’s not perfect, but still enticing enough for newbies and classic fans alike. The Blu-ray disc isn't as spectacular looking as the 4K UHD disc, but it sports the same amazing Atmos track and at least the trailer extras that is typical of Well Go USA films. Fun watch all around.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Takayuki Yamada, Taiga Nakano, Riho Sayashi, Yuya Matsuura, Takara Sakumoto
Directed by: Kazuya Shiraishi
Written by: Jun'ya Ikegami, Kazuo Kasahara
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: Japanese: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), English DTS-HD MA 5.1, Japanese, English DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, French
Studio: Well Go USA
Rated: NR
Runtime: 121 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 10th, 2025

Recommendation: Fun Watch