Harakiri (1962)

Harakiri rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.6/10· 91K votes

Rotten Tomatoes100%

Metacritic85%

TMDb8.431/10· 1K votes

With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.6/10 on IMDb and 85/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About Harakiri

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.

Cast of Harakiri

• 

  Tatsuya Nakadai

  as Hanshiro Tsugumo

• 

  Akira Ishihama

  as Motome Chijiiwa

• 

  Shima Iwashita

  as Miho Tsugumo

• 

  Tetsuro Tamba

  as Hikokuro Omodaka

• 

  Masao Mishima

  as Tango Inaba

• 

  Ichirō Nakatani

  as Hayato Yazaki

• 

  Kei Satō

  as Masakazu

• 

  Yoshio Inaba

  as Jinai Chijiiwa

• 

  Hisashi Igawa

  as Retainer

• T

  Toru Takeuchi

  as Retainer

• 

  Yoshirō Aoki

• 

  Tatsuo Matsumura

Harakiri facts

Original title

切腹

Our take on Harakiri

Kobayashi's 1962 masterpiece begins with a destitute ronin requesting a place to commit ritual suicide — then peels back a devastating story that turns the samurai code's honour inside out. Coldly beautiful and quietly furious, it's a slow-burning indictment of hypocrisy and cruelty masquerading as tradition. If its measured tension and moral weight gripped you, seek out classic samurai dramas that wield restraint and a single, shattering swordfight to indict an entire system.