Harakiri (1962)

 Masaki Kobayashi's "Harakiri"

Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 jidaigeki film "Harakiri" is one of the most striking and subversive samurai films of its era. Starring the incomparable Tatsuya Nakadai, the film centers on a ronin in 1930 who presents himself before the estate of the Iyi clan wanting to commit seppuku within their courtyard palace. What really drives the film is the mystery surrounding the reason of this request. 

Aspects of Kobayashi's direction felt Hitchcockian to me. There's a solemn intensity in the atmosphere that creates an inherent sense of suspense. Kobayashi is very kinetic with his shots and camerawork. Throughout the formal environment of the estate, he seems to revel in an anti-formalist approach to his direction. This deftly benefits the sense of growing intrigue. The plot creeps along knowing its audience is anticipating its next step. As we continue down the path of revelation, the protagonists intentions grow increasingly clear. With that clarity, comes anticipatory excitement of a climatic explosion. 

Kobayshi's themes, which seem in lock-step with the thematic points of his previous work, indicate a pointed observation of the hypocrisy of power and tradition itself. Our protagonist ronin's final accomplishment is illustrating the hollowness of the clan's power and the hypocrisy of their own members in following tradition. The film boldly questions the traditions of the samurai way and how it was used by the powerful to shield them from accountability and righteousness. 

"Harakiri" was a thrilling experience that always kept me engaged with its next move. Suspenseful, action-packed, and philosophically thrilling, it packs a thematic punch while maintaining a sense of entertainment value. Not only Kobayashi's best film of his career so far, it also manages to be one of the best Japanese films of the 1960s.