Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) (2011)

80% of critics liked it
(10 reviews)
71% want to see it
(125 ratings)

Seeking a noble end, poverty-stricken samurai Hanshiro requests to commit ritual suicide at the House of Ii, run by headstrong Kageyu. Trying to dismiss Hanshiro's demand, Kageyu recounts the tragic story of a similar recent plea from young ronin Motome. Hanshiro is shocked by the horrifying details… More Seeking a noble end, poverty-stricken samurai Hanshiro requests to commit ritual suicide at the House of Ii, run by headstrong Kageyu. Trying to dismiss Hanshiro's demand, Kageyu recounts the tragic story of a similar recent plea from young ronin Motome. Hanshiro is shocked by the horrifying details of Motome's fate, but remains true to his decision to die with honor. At the moment of the hara-kiri, Hanshiro makes a last request to be assisted by Kageyu's samurai, who are coincidentally absent. Suspicious and outraged, Kageyu demands an explanation. Hanshiro confesses his bond to Motome, and tells the bittersweet tale of their lives... Kageyu will soon realize that Hanshiro has set in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against his house. -- (C) Cannes

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 6 min.
Directed By: Takashi Miike
Written By: Yasuhiko Takiguchi, Kikumi Yamagishi
Genres: Drama, Action & Adventure, Art House & International

Critic Reviews

Philip French, Observer [UK]
The moving story reaches its climax in a beautifully choreographed fight between a platoon of samurai and a man wielding a wooden sword.
Emma Simmonds, The List
It's far from perfection but those who are more interested in consideration than carnage might find that such dignified imperfection will do.
Donald Clarke, Irish Times
The camera moves with a grace and elegance that seems entirely appropriate to a picture so profoundly concerned with ritual.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
This has the lineaments of a classic and would make a great double-bill with Miike's 1999 film Audition on the theme of revenge.
Adam Woodward, Little White Lies
Seek out Kobayashi's superior original instead.
Anton Bitel, Eye for Film
no comin'-at-ya entrails or stereoscopic sensationalism; instead Miike's first experiment with 3D expands the enclosures of the Ii house into a resonant, multi-dimensional staging ground for complex moral drama.
Simon Crook, Empire Magazine
A surprisingly subdued affair, [but] aficionados will still find enough sword-based shenanigans to keep them engrossed.
Paul M. Bradshaw, Total Film
The 3D is completely redundant and the action sporadic but unexpected gearshifts provide plenty of narrative meat.
Mike D'Angelo, AV Club
It doesn't help that Miike shot Hara-Kiri in 3-D, which as usual accomplishes nothing save for making the action look as if it's taking place during a partial eclipse of the sun.
Mayer Nissim, Digital Spy
The closing reels make up a fight scene even Quentin Tarantino would have thought too one-sided for Uma and her second-hand yellow jumpsuit in Kill Bill.

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

George M

Now, this was a totally pointless film. It adds nothing to the great original, it only downgrades every aspect of it. The incompetend actors couldn't possibly compare with the standard Tatsuya Nakadai and the others set 40 years before. As a result, the stoicism, melancholy and… More
Now, this was a totally pointless film. It adds nothing to the great original, it only downgrades every aspect of it. The incompetend actors couldn't possibly compare with the standard Tatsuya Nakadai and the others set 40 years before. As a result, the stoicism, melancholy and magnificence that Nakadai, with his characteristically deep voice, brought to the original role of Hanshiro is totally lost in a superficial performance by Ichikawa. The other actors fall short too of their tasks and especially the actor playing the young son of Hanshiro and the actors playing the vicious samurais of the li house. They are all too young and look more like they are bullies in a school than experienced samurais. The music is ridiculous. Soft piano accompanies most of the melodramatic scenes of Hanshiro's flashback. Now, of all the nonsense to do in a period film with samurai this takes the crown! I won't mention the ludicrously emphasised disgusting sound effects. The 3D gives nothing essential to the film. It only distracts with 'pretty' but unneeded weather effects that pretend to give some symbolic significance to the drama. The final showdown at the finale of the original is probably one of the most breathtaking fighting scenes in the history of cinema (it was exhilerating, suberbly acted, choeographed with precision, looked totally realistic and most of all, it worked like katharsis), but this remake totally ruins the actual significance of the scene by emphasizing the melodrama of the character (the 'bad-ass' glances of the main actor don't help either). The film overall gives the feeling of a superficial, light piece to be consumed by the younger generations and lucks the focus and the purity of Masaki Kobayashi's masterpiece. The cinematography is very good though with nice colours and subtle camera movements. The overall rhythm suffers too with overlong melodramatic moments and overlong finale (after the death of the hero).

Cast

Ebizô Ichikawa
as Hanshiro
Koji Yakusho
as Kageyu
Hikari Mitsushima
as Miho

Eita
as Young Ronin
Naoto Takenaka

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Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) (2011)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

George M

Cast

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