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Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

Drama · History · 2011

A 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.

Movie details

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

“Love Honour Revenge.”

2011 Drama · History 2h 8m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.2 / 10

Community rating

A 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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Samurai Rebellion

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The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.

The Insect Woman

The Insect Woman

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A woman, Tome, is born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The title refers to an insect, repeating its mistakes, as in an infinite circle. Imamura, with this metaphor, introduces the life of Tome, who keeps trying to change her poor life.

Taboo

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Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.

Shoplifters

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Drama · 2018

In the outskirts of Tokyo, a poor but close-knit group living on the fringes of society survives through shoplifting and odd jobs. When Osamu and his son take in a neglected young girl, their already fragile existence begins to unravel. As the family grows attached to her, buried secrets surface, forcing them to confront the true meaning of love, belonging, and what makes a family.

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final

Rurouni Kenshin: The Final

Action · 2021

In 1879, Kenshin and his allies face their strongest enemy yet: his former brother-in-law Enishi Yukishiro and his minions, who've vowed their revenge.

Samurai Marathon

Samurai Marathon

Action · 2019

When feudal lord Itakura Katsuakira decides to prepare his samurai troops for the onslaught of modernization by having them compete in a marathon, his independent-minded daughter Yuki secretly joins the race.

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins

Adventure · 2012

In 1868, after the Bakumatsu war ends, the ex-assassin Kenshin Himura traverses Japan with an inverted sword, to defend the needy without killing.

Sword of the Beast

Sword of the Beast

Action · 1965

Legendary swordplay filmmaker Hideo Gosha's Sword of the Beast chronicles the flight of the low-level swordsman Gennosuke, who kills one of his ministers as part of a reform plot. His former comrades then turn on him, and this betrayal so shakes his sense of honor that he decides to live in the wild, like an animal. There he joins up with a motley group who are illegally mining the shogun’s gold, and, with the aid of another swordsman, gets a chance not just at survival but to recover his name and honor.

Three Outlaw Samurai

Three Outlaw Samurai

Action · 1964

Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Takashi Miike

Written by

Kikumi Yamagishi

Koji Yakusho

Koji Yakusho

Kageyu

Ichikawa Ebizo XI

Ichikawa Ebizo XI

Hanshirô Tsugumo

Eita Nagayama

Eita Nagayama

Motome

Hikari Mitsushima

Hikari Mitsushima

Miho

Naoto Takenaka

Naoto Takenaka

Tajiri

Kazuki Namioka

Kazuki Namioka

Umanosuke Kawabe

Hirofumi Arai

Hirofumi Arai

Hayatonosho Matsuzaki

Court is in session

Put Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.