An homage to? - or ripoff of? - Seven Samurai

Whether the Japanese film 13 Assassins is an homage to Kurosawa's 7 Samurai or just a ripoff - it's hard to say, maybe both. Obviously, it's nowhere near as good as 7S, but 7S is one of the greatest films of all time. Twice as many samurai (minus 1) does not make the film twice as good. The structure is almost exactly the same: an older samurai called upon to recruit a team for a near-impossible task, and even the team itself has exactly the same elements: the young warrior, his hero and mentor, the crazy non-samurai in the role made famous by Mifumi, What's different here is that, instead of coming to the rescue of a village plagued by robbers, these assassins are hired to kill the 2nd in command to the Shogun (like an emperor), who's crazy and sadistic. It makes for a more intense and vivid antagonist, but on the other hand the village life in 7S that added a whole new dimension to the genre is missing. Killing the sadistic leader raises some interesting questions, as they struggle with the question: what is the true role of the samurai? To be loyal to the leader no matter what? Or to take on any assignment, and to protect the life of the people? This was apparently a key topic in Japan in the 19th century - and in England in the 16th - as dramatized, for one, by Shakespeare (Richard II in particular). So there's a sociopolitical element, which is good; there also is some very vivid imagery, as style and mores have changed a lot since the 1950s, so this film in some ways feels more vivid and present the 7S. The fight scenes, which dominate the last 30 minutes of course, are pretty dull unfortunately: lots of close-ups and quick cuts and sounds of slashing swords, all mean to put us "in the action" but that actually make the action look very staged - not balletic, as in say Crouching Tiger; plus, with 13 count 'em assassins it's hard to focus on any one and some are completely obscure.