Harakiri

Sometimes bad things happen and you just want to kill yourself. Or Not. Or Maybe. Or Maybe after you get someone back really good. So gos Harakiri (1962), a Japanese movie I watched on Tv recently. Harakiri is a terrific movie about a destitute ronin Samurai asking permission to commit ritual suicide in a respectable clan house. The movie is told in a series of flashbacks depicting a stories first told by the representative of the clan and then by the Samurai as he prepares for suicide. It's over two hours long, but the movie is a marvel of pacing and story structure. The movie slowly reveals bits about the different characters through the flashbacks and their actions in the present.

Thematically, Harakiri is about defining the Samurai code of honor. What is respectable and what is not divides on a narrow line. The point of view from the person's station in life ultimately defines it. When the Samurai requests to commit Harakiri, the House officials debate on how to handle this. Should they allow it? Should they give him money to go away? Should they insist on it? The House's response to the request shows a strict traditional point of view based on power and a perception of entitled honor from a general view.

The Samurai embodies a perception of honor from a personal view, where family, compassion and caring take precedent over tradition and rules. The slow burning intensity of the clash between the two brings passion and magnetism to what should be a dry arguement.

The direction is epic but not overblown. The acting is first rate throughout the cast, all players are thoroughly convincing in their roles. Again, the pacing and unpredictability of the plot makes it watchable and suspenseful. A true classic film.