Review of Harakiri (1962) by Andres Felipe B — 16 Aug 2009

Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 masterwork is a film of great power, perfectly realized, and told in a simple uncluttered manor. The shots are painstakingly choreographed as are it's few bursts of action. A work that doesn't revel or glorify the code of the samurai but instead chips away at it's rigid code of hypocrisy.

Tatsuya Nakadai stars as Hanshiro Tsugumo a penniless ronin who having lost all that is dear to him arrives at the gate of the lyi clan to commit the act of Harakiri, the honorable method of suicide practiced by samurai involving disembowelment. As Hanshiro sits in the courtyard of the lyi clan, he tells the story of how he came to arrive at this point that reveal his ulterior motives and his satisfaction in exposing the clan as far from honorable.

At times a human drama, a revenge saga, and a glimpse into a world of flawed values-"Harakiri" is a bona-fide film classic that will continue to endure.