DVD : 4/5 Rating : Harakiri

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IMHO REVIEW :
saw this yesterday - another great flick! made in 1964 - black and white and also from the "Criterion Collection" - it's writer also wrote "Rashomon."

what can i say about this movie - it's a great story. again - shocked that it was made in 1962 - but i guess a good movie stands the test of time. it's a great story of a ronin - once a samurai down on his luck - coming to a diamyo's house to ask to use his courtyard to perform 'harakiri' - which is basically the ritualistic act of cutting one's stomack horizontally then vertically (thus the dvd cover graphic).

apparently a lot of ronins who are masterless and unable to make a living try this to get money from the various houses. so the daimyo has a plan... which turns out badly for our lovely ronin... one year later another ronin appears asking for the same thing - stating he is from the same former house as the ronin from a year ago... stories are told... things are exposed... i don't want to give too much away - but it's a great story which unfolds.

i watched some of the extras in this movie and found out this was the first 'anti-samurai' movie. meaning samurai are suppose to act a certain way - all samurai movies uses these as their main themes and measure of it's hero. the story here distroys this concept. the director / writer was raved by the critics for this theme of the movie. if you're anti-authority you'll love this movie. if you love good stories - you'll love this movie.

trust me - it's good. (warning - it is a bit long) but it's a good story. it'll suck you in.