Beautiful and profound morality tale in the samurai sub-genre, a sensitively told drama of Shakespearean proportions, aided by its director's usually stunning camerawork.

This film's luxurious pacing accentuates its severity, and allows for a wonderfully nuanced performance to come through what could easily have been a straightforward story. Nakadai's manic disposition passes effortlessly from extreme stoicism to humorous resignation, which makes his characters evolution interesting despite a conclusion that is clear from early in the film. The shifting world in which it is set struck me as eternally relevant, as it shows time displacing the individual.

Unsettling, depressing, and absolutely superbly made.

I pinned this move about halfway through and I could tell how great it was going to be, even with the brilliant twist beginning. The last half hour really took me in with all the swordplay and instantly made it one of my favorite movies of all time. Again, another brilliant tale of conservatives bending traditions to their agenda, and of course, when the hypocrisy is thrown right in their faces, they turn to the way of the gun to silence the truth.

This film is so haunting, so hypnotyzing, I had dreams in japanese after watching it :o. A heart-crashing performance from Nakadai, single-handedly exposing the absurdity and hypocricy of the samurai code. However the most amazing thing is how the story unfolds, it just sucks you in completely.

The cream of the crop of chanbara films. It's hard to imagine that a film that runs well over two hours and consists of a samurai sitting on a mat in a garden telling a story would be captivating at all. But this is by far the best samurai film I've ever seen. And it gets better with each subsequent viewing.

Great cinematography and direction, and its ending battle is incredible.

The narration is way ahead of it's time and the directing and cinematography are quite superb. A tad slow and long, but it's a minor bother.

Powerful social critque of Tokugawa Japan

A brilliant, and very dark film. Simply a classic!

The film has the best scene of sword fighting I've ever seen. But there's much more than that. This is a profound study of human needs. One of the many masterpieces of Masaki Kobayashi.

Despite being shot in black and white in the 1960s, the bamboo sword seppuku scene succeeds in being more brutal and harder to watch than anything Takashi Miike has ever done.

Easily one of the best samurai movies ever made. Flawlessly fits into the genre while, at the same time, dismantling the (often romanticized) concept of the samurai. The story unfolds slowly at first, but the last hour was riveting, due in part to Kobayashi's innovative direction and Nakadai's compelling performance. Kobayashi certainly gives Kurosawa a run for his money.

A movie about death, and the downfall (of samurai) in the broadest sense. A magnificent movie full of symbolism and subtle tension, though losing a lot of it's momentum somewhere after the middle, regains it's power towards the end.

"Harakiri" is a brilliant piece of thought provoking drama executed with stunning vision and depth by Kobayashi; it truly leaves you speechless. What is honor?

#966

Damn great samurai movie. The plot, the suspense, and the thrills are so intertwined with the very concept of Bushido that it wouldn't work without it. It helps that it's also very smart about its subject, having its protagonist meticulously deconstruct the absurdity of their way of life while still trapped in the system he reviles.. The cinematography is of a rare quality, especially towards the end when the slow, contemplative duration of the film gives way to incredible sequences of action.

Wonderfully efficient story telling and thematic building. Every element of the film drives home its central premise: the codes of honor and organization that we build around ourselves are ultimately nothing more than an empty suit of armor, inhabited by no greater truth than that which we supply ourselves.

A truly incredible story, every part works well and it's perfectly paced and executed.

I would have given this closer to a full 100 if it had been tighened up a bit. It could easily be 20 minutes shorter with another trip to the editing room. As it stands, it's still a good morality tale, a commentary on modern (and not so modern) politics, and the realities of having to deal with an ever changing world that can leave certain members of society behind. Highly recommended, but bring your patience for a slower than necessary presentation of a good story.

Provoking, great structure and excellent story. The cinematography and music weren't imo that great though. Pacing was a bit off at some moments and the action scenes in the end were horrible.

A fascinating and unorthodox take on the samurai genre. If its pacing takes a while to get used to, rest assured that it's both warranted and entirely worth what can sometimes feel like a trudge. The effect is that at times, you will want to wriggle free but the film, in its relentlessness, simply won't let you.

Has one of the best final acts to grace cinema.

This works masterfully as a human drama, with effective plot twists and fine acting, but, more than anything, the film impresses as a vicious attack on the feudal system and Japan's values and society in general. Oh, and the cinematography is perfect. Criterion bluray highly recommended for maximum boner explosions.

What a powerhouse of a movie. Every reveal makes the story more tragic and fascinating to watch, with a gripping finale to top it all off. Outstanding acting and some sweet camerawork too.

Its plot at once generic and pleasantly fresh, this Samurai film relies on slow-burning suspense, and is a cinematographic marvel to behold.