Review of Harakiri (1962) by Hoss R — 05 Jul 2012

Now this is a badass Samurai movie, and the best one I've seen. It's like Rashomon meets Yojimbo but more intense, like Kurosawa channeling Hitchcock. There are more mind games than there is swordplay and it's all carried out wonderfully.

Beautiful black and white cinematography, a clear and focused narrative, sympathetic characters - and it lacks the almost comical overacting that some similar movies have (I'm looking at you, Rashomon).

The characters' actions and motivations make sense within the time period and Kobayashi lays out the important elements for us so that we understand. As stories by turns brutal and sympathetic are told in flash back, we gain a better understanding of the "present" portion of the movie which finally collapses into a violent struggle.

Excellent film.