Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is a 2011 Japanese drama film.

From legendary film-maker Takashi Miike (13 Assassins, Audition) comes a classic tale of love, honour and revenge amidst the fall of the Samurai in 17th Century Japan. Seeking a noble end, poverty-stricken Samurai Hanshiro requests to commit ritual suicide at the House of Li, run by headstrong Kageyu. But after being told a tragic story of another Samurai's agonizing suicide, that of Hanshiro's close friend Motome, Hanshiro sets in a motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of this feudal lord.

Subtitled

Awards

Nominated: Cannes Film Festival, Pale d'Or(2011) – Takashi Miike
Nominated: Asian Film Award(2012) – Best Composer, Ryûichi Sakamoto

Reviews

“Miike salutes golden-age Japanese cinema the right way—by respecting its heart and celebrating its iconic dazzle. In fact, his detour away from the hyperactive gore and genre excess that made him famous, by way of this deep-dish morality tale, feels positively heroic.” – Village Voice

“A formally elegant, dramatically faithful retelling of Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 b­lack-and-white classic “Harakiri,” …Miike’s mournful variation on traditional samurai-movie themes of honor, sacrifice and retribution offers its own rewards, and his latest tip of the hat to Japanese pics of yesteryear should find an appreciative arthouse niche…” – Variety