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

Director:

Takashi Miike

Writers:

Kikumi Yamagishi (screenplay) and
Yasuhiko Takiguchi (novel)

Release Date:

20 July 2012 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An tale of revenge, honor and disgrace, centering on a poverty-stricken samurai who discovers the fate of his ronin son-in-law, setting in motion a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord. |

Plot Keywords:

Revenge | Samurai | 3 D | One Word Title | Jidai Geki

Awards:

5 nominations

Cast

Kôji Yakusho	...	Kageyu
Munetaka Aoki	...	Hikokuro Omodaka
Naoto Takenaka	...	Tajiri
Hikari Mitsushima	...	Miho
Eita	...	Motome Chijiiwa
Ebizô Ichikawa	...	Hanshirô Tsugumo
Hirofumi Arai	...	Hayatonosho Matsuzaki
Kazuki Namioka	...	Umanosuke Kawabe
Takashi Sasano	...	Sousuke
Ayumu Saitô
Goro Daimon	...	Priest
Takehiro Hira	...	Naotaka Ii
Baijaku Nakamura	...	Jinnai Chijiiwa
Yoshihisa Amano	...	Sasaki
Ippei Takahashi

Directed by
Takashi Miike

Writing credits
Kikumi Yamagishi		(screenplay)
Yasuhiko Takiguchi		novel "Ibun rônin-ki"

Produced by
Toshiaki Nakazawa	....	producer
Jeremy Thomas	....	producer

Original Music by
Ryûichi Sakamoto

Cinematography by
Nobuyasu Kita		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Kenji Yamashita

Art Direction by
Yuji Hayashida

Costume Design by
Kazuko Kurosawa

Sound Department
Kenji Shibazaki	....	supervising sound designer

Visual Effects by
Tsugutaka Fukuoka	....	visual effects artist

Stunts
Keiji Tsujii	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Yoshimi Watabe	....	gaffer

Other crew
Chiara Gelardin	....	business and legal affairs
Alainée Kent	....	development executive
Jonathan Lynch-Staunton	....	for hanWay films
Fabien Westerhoff	....	worldwide sales

Production Companies

• Recorded Picture Company (RPC)
• Sedic International
• Amuse Soft Entertainment
• Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, The
• Dentsu
• Kodansha
• OLM
• Shochiku Company
• Yahoo Japan
• Yamanashi Broadcasting System
• Yamanashi Nichinichi Shimbun

Distributors

• Rézo Films (2011) (France) (theatrical)
• Icon Film Distribution (2013) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Revolver Entertainment (2012) (UK) (theatrical)
• Shochiku Company (2011) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Tribeca Film (2012) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2011) (Germany) (all media)
• Ascot Elite Home Entertainment (2011) (Germany) (all media)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2012) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)

Other Companies

• Continental Far East  Dolby consultant
• Imagica  3d stereoscopic coordination
• Imagica  camera equipment supplied by
• Imagica  digital intermediate
• Imagica  prints
• Japan Pet Model Association  cooperation
• Kodak Japan  film stock supplied by

Also Known As:

"Ichimei" - Japan (original title)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

Japan | UK

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color | Color (3D Stereoscopic)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Japan:G | Hong Kong:III | UK:18 | South Korea:18 | USA:Not Rated | France:U (with warning) | Germany:16 | Australia:MA15+

Company:

Recorded Picture Company (RPC)

Trivia:

The first 3D title ever to be shown in official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: As the wooden wakizashi is pushed into the stomach (after the tip snapped off), you can see that the blade is sliding into the handle.

Movie Connections:

Version of Harakiri (1962)

Compared to the original this film is shallow and meaningless

Compared to the original 1962 Masaki Kobayashi film this movie is shallow and meaningless. But even taken on its own merits it's still pretty flawed.

An extremely powerful first act gives way to a ponderous middle, where the Ryuichi Sakamoto score over-dresses dreary long-winded sequences. Then it all culminates in a last act that is exciting both visually and intellectually... but completely unearned.

Miike has rarely been able to close in on a theme in his work with much accuracy (the two big differences that come to mind are Audition and Visitor Q, respectively being powerful explorations of misogyny in Japanese society and the collapse of the Japanese family), but when his films are crazed and breezy and fun that's rarely a criticism worth voicing. This time the subject matter demands something more and whatever Miike has to say about the Ruling Class or misplaced tradition or the role of the noble and ethical warrior in a time of peace comes out hopelessly convoluted.

Also, the 3D sucks and gives nothing to the experience except for muddling some gorgeous images with that dark uninspired light that those stupid glasses impose on even the best shot 3D films.

So what's good about it? Well, the projected lighting issues aside, it's a beautiful looking movie. Miike always knows where to place his camera, is never afraid of silence (sabotaged repeatedly by the uninspired score) and the movie has a wonderful seasons motif. Some of the acting is wonderful to watch and when it's being a powerful act of filmmaking, it's mighty powerful.

But here Miike doesn't quite have the right touch. And the lack of dedication to a deeper exploration of theme made the film seem little more than a sequence of events with little cohesion.