Review of Harakiri (1919) by Keenan S — 21 Jun 2014

Harakiri is a brilliant, under-appreciated drama that deconstructs the fantasy and illusion behind samurai ways, but also that of who we feel are heroes, and also the hypocrisy of what believe to be honor and integrity. It's a harsh and honest drama about life itself and it holds no illusions about such things.

The film is about a samurai named Hanshiro Tsugumo, who has come to the residence of the Iyi Clan with the intent to commit the ritual suicide practice of harakiri.

The members of the Iyi Clan are suspicious of his intentions, especially after a previous samurai named Motome Chijiiwa came to their residence with claims of the same thing, only it turned out he was there for money out of pity (Or possible employment) and had no intention of killing himself. However, the clan made him go through with it, by making him perform the ritual with his own bamboo sword, rather than give him one of their swords to use.

But, Hanshiro has no intentions of money or employment...he simply wants to die. But, before this, he wants the clan to listen to his life story of what led him to this point. Things become more troublesome for the clan when he reveals his connection with Motome, the fact that three of their members are suspiciously absent that day he requests them to be his second (The person who decapitates the person performing the ritual. They are also the main people responsible for Motome's death), and how he begins to criticize and tear apart their enclosed world to expose the hypocrisy rife throughout it.

The story is brilliant, especially how it so carefully unravels who Hanshiro is and how he so daringly picks apart at the samurai life and how it cost him everything in his life that should have been more important. He is by far the most interesting character and one of the most fascinating characters I have ever watched in a film because he is so well rounded and fully developed as a tortured soul.

Naturally, the actor playing Hanshiro, Tatsuya Nakadai steals the show as the lead character and it was damn-near impossible to take my eyes away from the screen as I watched him perform so brilliantly and absorbed himself completely in the role. The other actors are also quite good, like Akira Ishihama as Motome Chijiiwa and how he reveals who his character truly was, rather than how he is portrayed by the Iyi Clan and what drove him there. The acting at times almost feels like a product of divine intervention as so many brilliant actors were cast in a brilliant film as there is not a single weak element.

Harakiri is a must-see drama for anyone who loves a good drama. It's a scathing, honest, and brutal drama (The bamboo sword disembowelment scene made me cringe more than most gory films). It's also a great drama about the reflections about how harsh and terrifying life itself can be due to the cruelty and hypocrisy of human nature, especially in places where we would like to believe there was honor and integrity. Harakiri demolishes that fantasy, and it does so in an engaging, riveting, and masterful way. It's an important and masterful film that is worth seeing should you come across it.