Synopsis
A tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.
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Cast
- Koji YakushoKageyu
- Ichikawa Ebizo XIHanshirô Tsugumo
- Eita NagayamaMotome
- Hikari MitsushimaMiho
- Naoto TakenakaTajiri
- Kazuki NamiokaUmanosuke Kawabe
- Hirofumi AraiHayatonosho Matsuzaki
- Munetaka AokiHikokuro Omodaka
- Takashi SasanoSousuke priest
- Gorō DaimonPriest
Recommendations
- 100
Village Voice
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is more than just another bid for respectability, like "13 Assassins" -it may well be Miike's best film, a patient, ominous piece of epic storytelling that conscientiously rips the scabs off the honorable samurai mythology. - 83
The A.V. Club
Arriving on the heels of "13 Assassins," Miike's gloriously irreverent take on the samurai action genre, Hara-Kiri seems conventional by his standards, especially in a long middle section that occasionally dips into sentimentality. - 80
The Guardian
The endlessly prolific Takashi Miike returns with this superbly acted revenger's tragedy. - 80
Time Out
What most distinguishes the redo is the often remarkable use of 3-D: Miike turns the format's inherent limitations, especially the tendency toward visual murkiness, to his advantage, fully immersing us in a world suffused with moral and ethical rot. - 80
New York Daily News
Deftly weaving double plotlines, gorgeous camera work, and deep compassion, Miike contrasts ritualistic "honor" with the truly honorable, as poor but noble squires face off against powerful lords cushioned by tradition and pride. - 80
The New York Times
More moving than shocking, it proceeds slowly and gracefully, and the few scenes of bloodshed are emotionally intense rather than showily sensational. - 75
IndieWire
With its lethargic pace, Hara Kiri may disappoint more often than it delights, but the payoff is extreme in more ways than one. - 60
Empire
If Miike's re-tune of Masaki Kobayashi's bleak samurai tale is a surprisingly subdued affair, aficionados will still find enough sword-based shenanigans to keep them engrossed.
