HARA KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI

(A.k.a. ICHIMEI)

Faithful samurai Hanshiro (Ebizo Ichikawa) has been unemployed since the death of his master, Fukushima. A mixture of pride and disgrace lead him to the door of a feuding Lord’s home, the House of Li.

Here, as was their tradition in 17th Century Japan, Hanshiro requests permission to end his contract with his late master in the only way seen as honourable: by taking his own life. "Another one?" comes the cynical reply from one of the characters watching him like a hawk.

Instead of granting his wish, senior official Kageyu (Koji Yakusho) opts to regale Hanshiro with the tale of another samurai of Fukushima’s who darkened their door with a similar request, one year earlier.

We flashback to October 1634. Motome (Eita) is the young ronin in question, asking Kageyu for the right to commit hara kiri. However, one of the official’s advisors, Omodaka, informs the other members of the council that locals have seen a trend of poverty-stricken samurai turning up on feudal Lords’ doorsteps asking to commit suicide, but really hoping for sympathy and the offer of fresh employment.

"We must make a lesson of him (he means ‘example’ but we’ll forgive the subtitles on this occasion, eh?)", Omodaka sneers, "to stop this from happening again". Sure enough, October’s events culminate in a tense scene of painful, enforced suicide.

It is a cautionary tale that Kageyu tells to Hanshiro. Little does he know, however, that the samurai’s claims to not know of Motome are far from true: as more flashbacks and jumps in time sequence will soon reveal.

Suffice it to say, the scene is set for one bloody and beautiful tale of honour and revenge …

Director Takashi Miike first attracted International attention in the late 90s, with his violent take on Yakuza thrillers (SHINJUKU TRIAD SOCIETY; DEAD OR ALIVE) exciting Western audiences almost as much as the ungodly rate at which he seemed to churn these awesome films out. Movies such as THE BIRD PEOPLE IN CHINA and VISITOR Q continued to impress with their diverse styles and willingness to forego convention. AUDITION followed in 1999 and it was his big World Cinema hit, seeing in the 21st Century as one of the finest horror films of recent years. Shortly afterwards we had ICHI THE KILLER, possibly the most outrageous live-action Manga adaptation yet.

His biggest success, though, came just a couple of years back, with the excellent period piece 13 ASSASSINS.

So it’s fair to say Miike’s latest film comes with a fair bit of expectation attached to it.

Not only does it have such a fantastic (and prolific) legacy to hold itself up against, it also has the distinction of being the first ever 3D film to be put up for official selection at the Cannes Film Festival. Furthermore, it comes with the nod of box office success on its home turf and … most crucially, to my mind … it’s a remake of Masaki Kobayashi’s globally loved 1962 classic.

Could Miike’s film possibly live up to the level of expectancy these factors combine to weigh upon it?

Not quite.

It is a very good film. There is much, in fact, to recommend it. Strong themes of honour, loyalty, pride and revenge are intelligently woven into the non-linear storytelling, balancing traditional elements against more Western concerns such as the austere pacing and contradictory stirring score. The cinematography is breath-taking throughout, at times recalling the splendour of prime Nagisa Oshima. Even the opening credits sequence is gorgeous. Choreography impresses too, in a supremely controlled manner, during the sporadic forays into combat sequences.

Keen period dressing and detail lend another layer of authenticity to proceedings, as do some remarkable performances. These assist in making HARA KIRI one of Miike’s more emotionally satisfying movies: whereas most of his older work dazzles with technical skill but lacks in human warmth, the balance here is just about right throughout.

Finally, of the many plus points this film can boast, I must say that the dramatic arc contained within does allow for an investment in the characters and therefore lead to a satisfying pay-off.

So … flaws?

Well, it’s not a patch on Kobayashi’s film. Whereas that film took epic themes and channelled them into a deceptively simple story which held universal appeal, Miike cannot resist the temptation to flesh out backstories and fuck with time-travel storytelling trickery (we also get to visit 1616, 1630 and 1635 during Miike’s retelling) to no significant gain on the audience’s part. The literal simplicity of the original film is lost, and so too then is much of its poetry. As beautiful as Miike’s film frequently looks, the unnecessary and unwanted expansion of its predecessor’s barebones, allegorical tale was a mistake. I did appreciate Miike’s winks at animals, though: snails and cats being symbiotic of the soul in Eastern culture, the possible religious connotations of their inclusion here keep any reading of the film intriguing.

I have to say too that, although this screener DVD only contained the 2D version of the film, there doesn’t seem to be much content-wise to suggest this was necessarily made with 3D viewings in mind …

While the film may also feel a tad bloated at just over two hours in length, any concerns I raise are tantamount to nit-picking when you consider that Miike’s HARA KIRI is a quietly compelling prospect in its own right and is superbly controlled in terms of both visuals and performances throughout.

As mentioned above, Revolver Entertainment’s screener DVD contained the 2D version of the film only. There is also a 3D blu-ray release available.

Here, the film was presented uncut in anamorphic 2.35:1 and looked superb. Colours were rich and warm, detail was fine and sharp without obvious signs of enhancement. A clean, film-like sheen helped lend the transfer depth, while blacks and contrast were handled superbly.

Japanese audio was provided in both 2.0 and 5.1 mixes, the latter of which took the honours for its balance of frontal bass and well-mixed dialogue design. English subtitles were burned-in and largely proficient.

An animated main menu page led into a static scene-selection menu allowing access to the film via 12 chapters.

There were no extras on the screener disc provided.

Although Kobayashi’s original black-and-white classic remains superior, most films do. So don’t dismiss Miike’s otherwise enjoyable, brilliantly crafted period piece for that reason.

It does come recommended.

Just remember, viewers hoping to see the film in 3D will have to fork out for the blu-ray.

Review by Stuart Willis