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
