Revolver Entertainment is releasing Takashi Miike’s remake of Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai in cinemas today and here is the UK trailer.
Takashi Miike, director of Audition, followed up his remake of 13 Assassins with another remake only this time it was the cult classic made by Masaki Kobayashi in 1962. It premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival where it competed for the Palme d’Or. It stars Hikari Mitsushima (Sawako Decides), Koji Yakusho (Cure), Eita (Monsters Club), and Kabuki actor Ebizo Ichikawa.
Following on from today’s theatrical release the DVD and Blu-ray will get a release on the 7th of May. The DVD is priced at £15.99 while the Blu-ray is priced at £17.99
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
Release date: 15th October 2011 (Japan)
Running time: １２６mins.
Director: Takashi Miike
Writer: Kikumi Yamagishi, Yasuhiko Takiguchi
Starring: Ebizo Ichikawa, Hikari Mitsushima, Koji Yakusho, Eita, Naoto Takenaka,
17th century Japan was a time when the samurai class struggled to find work. Poverty stricken samurai Hanshiro Tsukumo (Ebizo Ichikawa) requests to commit ritual suicide at the House of Ii, run by obstinate Lord Kageyu Saito (Koji Yakusho) in a desperate attempt for an honourable end. In an effort to persuade Hanshiro to rethink his request, Kageyu tells the tragic story of a similar plea from another young ronin named Motome (Eita). Hanshiro is stunned by the story but undeterred and makes one last request which results in the shocking revelation of a bittersweet tale of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord.
Not a big fan of re-makes and Kobayashi’s original is going to be impossible to top frankly. I think I’ll wait until the library has it.
It’s funny, it didn’t even register that this was a remake of Kobayashi’s film. A film I seen for the first time just this year! I should have recognized the story!
According to many reviews none of Miike’s remakes are a patch on the originals (they are held in very high regard) but I had so muh fun watching 13 Assassins I’ll try and watch this. Hopefully it’s on at a cinema near me.