Harakiri (1962)

Original title

切腹

Directed by

Masaki Kobayashi

Genre

drama film, samurai cinema, action film, historical film, historical drama

Country

Japan

Runtime

2h 15m

Rated

NR

Rating

8.4 of 10 from 1,233 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A masterless samurai requests to perform ritual suicide at a feudal lord's estate. Through flashbacks, he reveals the harsh code of the samurai and the tragic events that led him to seek this violent end.

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What happens

Harakiri (切腹, Seppuku) is a 1962 Japanese jidaigeki film directed by Masaki Kobayashi. The story takes place between 1619 and 1630 during the Edo period and the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate. It tells the story of the rōnin Hanshirō Tsugumo, who requests to commit seppuku (harakiri) within the manor of a local feudal lord, using the opportunity to explain the events that drove him to ask for death before an audience of samurai. The film continues to receive critical acclaim, often considered one of the greatest films of all time. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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