Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai [Blu-ray]

This is so much more than simply a "samurai" movie with flashing swords and action. The characters are well developed. The story moves well and has strong emotional content. For the discourse on honor and what honor truly is (i.e., being human and seeing all others as human, living with dignity and compassion), this movie is worth the cost to either rent on Amazon Video (which this one just did) or to buy when it is released (which this one intends to do). The cinematography is spectacular and often breath taking, with a depth of atmosphere seldom seen in modern films. The only complaint this one would have is with the closed caption translations of Japanese (as an example, "I don't understand" was often translated as "I am sorry" and in the context of the dialogue, such was not correct. There are other examples however, for those who do not speak Japanese, the presented dialogue generally conveyed the story adequately). This one is sorry that he can not give this film more than five stars. It is a truly wonderful film far surpassing what one might expect from a film in this genre. Miike-san did a subperb job.

This movie was terrific. Some may not understand it, but for those who understand the way of the samurai and Japanese honor, you will really enjoy this movie. Not to give spoilers, but keep in mind during watching this that the main character isn't out for just revenge, he's out for honor and you will understand how it ends a lot more. Every flashback is important and every part of the storyline that is explained contains pertinent information. This is not a movie where you can not pay attention and grasp the full meaning. This being said,it is also not for the light of heart. You will be saddened, you will be shocked and let down at things. But all these elements combine to make a solid movie. If you study their culture and understand the Japanese, you will absolutely understand and honor this movie for the work of art it is. The cast and crew were chosen very wisely, and each plays their role greatly. Please enjoy !!

This film is a slow sad flick that deals mostly with attitudes about honor within Japanese culture. If you are looking for something similar to 13 Samurai you may be surprised by what you get. That being said this is an extremely well-made, and sad flick. There is some impressive action that I won't spoil, but understand that the action within the film only lasts around 15 to 25 minutes and is almost entirely at the end of the film. If you enjoy or feel comfortable watching a slow burning film you'll love this, if you like fast paced media you may find this film testing at certain parts.

Masterful cinematography, script writing and an adept subtlety of imagery and symbolism characterize this movie. It is an incredibly solid work of art by a skilled director. The story is simple, powerful and filled with moral and philosophical themes of injustice, honor and the justifications of cultural ideals and how they should be lived out. The issues and themes are as much a part of the story as it's direct plot. The direct story itself is poignant and heart wrenching. The characters are ones who feel more. The skillful directing possesses that magic that makes a film truly emotional and moving. And the acting is incredible. The Seppuku in this film is harrowing and disturbingly portrayed but not very graphic. Little is shown. Your opinion on it may differ. It is not for the faint-hearted or queasy. While quite disturbing and riveting it is not explicitly gory. As the end credits rolled I felt a feeling of having witnessed a work of absolute mastery. It is a very good film.

This is one of my favorite samurai movies. I enjoyed the original, but this version really connects on an emotional and intellectual level. Cinematography is fantastic, as well as superb acting. By the final few minutes of this movie I felt like a had been through the emotional wringer. This is a seriously depressing film. Miike never lets you finish one of his movies without feeling disturbed or mentally wracked with sadness. Mostly just disturbed..... This one is the latter.

The cinematography alone is reason enough to watch this tale of Bushido in feudal Japan. I recently purchased Blade of the Immortal and this masterful samurai tale and am completely blown away. This movie is powerful yet subtle as events begin to build to the action filled conclusion. I would compare this movie to the great western "Unforgiven". The film centers on the family life of a samurai retainer who becomes a ronin following the whims of the Shogun. If you are a fan of Takashi Miike do not hesitate and buy this work of art.

I can understand the negative reviews this remake got by people loyal to the original. I unfortunately have never seen the original. I imagine I wouldn't like a remake of seven samurai if they made that either but you got to give the film makers credit. The film wasn't modernized with snotty smart mouthed young actors like all these other movies. They didn't get actors like Tom cruise or some other white actors to play Japanese people. The film was in Japanese with English sub titles so they didn't sell out either. I think they did a good job on this film. I really liked it and I got to say there were quite a few parts where I was like whoa I didn't see that coming. I recommend seeing it.

I am a big fan of old Japanese movies and have collected some of the best ones. This one will not be a part of my collection. The story was altered and some of the details left several "why?s" in my mind. This movie has some beautiful scenes as well as very gory scenes and the main actors were great. I could tell that Miike had deep respect to the original movie. I hope this movie will bring attentions to the original one, which I believe is one of the best Japanese movies of all time. By the way, the original one is not really gory despite of it's title.

Visibile solo in lingua originale coi sottotitoli inglesi, è un discreto dramma giapponese che vede il ritotno del regista sul tema dei samurai dopo 13 assassins. Questo film presenta però uno stile nettamente diverso dal precedente, confinando le scene d'azione nel suggestivo finale sotto la neve. Ci si avvicina quindi ai lavori sull'argomento diretti da Yoji Yamada (Twilight samurai; The hidden blade; Love and honor) anche se Miike non rinuncia comunque a qualche eccesso tipico dei titoli della sua infinita filmografia. La trama del film vede il giovane samurai Motome trovarsi in una situazione di estrema povertà. La sua posizione si aggrava ulteriormente quando la moglie e il suo figlio neonato cadono vittime di una brutta malattia. Per riuscire a pagare le cure, Motomoe deve così vendere la sua spada da samurai sostituendola con una di legno. A seguito della notizia di un samurai che aveva finto la volontà di volersi suicidare, con il vero scopo di chiedere carità, Motome decide imitarne il gesto. Kegeyu, il ricco capo del clan, si promette di punire in maniera esemplare i samurai che chiedono un finto suiciduo. Il giovane samurai viene così obbligato a compiere un terribile Hara Kiri con la sua spada di legno. Il padre adottivo di Motome, interpretato dall'ottimo Ebizo Ichikawa,si presenterà davanti a clan di Kageyu deciso a compiere una vendetta simbolica... Per la visione è necessaria una conoscenza minimale della lingua inglese, la distribuzione italiana lascia spesso molto a desiderare. La storia non è però particolarmente e complessa e i dialoghi non sono troppo difficili da seguire. Per il resto il film risulta sicuramente valido e intenso, non violento e sopra le righe come alcuni lavori girati in passato da Miike. Certo non bisogna aspettarsi un nuovo 13 assassins, il ritmo è infatti decisamente lento ponendo le situazioni drammatiche in primo piano rispetto all'azione. Da queste premesse, se si gradiscono le pellicole sui samurai può essere sicuramente consigliato.

Versión remasterizada de este clásico del cine japonés. Evidentemente el original no disponía de la calidad que solemos manejar ahora pero creo que se ha hecho un buen trabajo y esta edición es disfrutable. También creo que tiene un precio razonable por lo que pienso que merece la pena.

Parfait merci bcp

meh,,almost frame by frame copy of the better original still done by Miike so i double dipped

Very slow but it is a good film as I expected