Saw Harakiri, a samurai movie that opens with a samurai asking a noble house for a place to commit harakiri. The nobles explain to each other that this is a scam - the samurai wants to be offered a job just to avoid the messiness of a harakiri. They examine his sword and find it's bamboo, his real sword has been pawned off years ago. In a fit of cruelty, they force him commit harakiri with the bamboo sword. His death is graphic, slow, and horrible. At this point, I was very excited. No more assassinations of bureaucrats, no chilly discussions of honor, this film was clearly willing to go someplace new.
The film makes good on its opening, continuing as a morbid and melodramatic film. The nut of the film is conflict between human nature and harsh, unyielding rules. This is reflected in the settings as well. The noble house is all strong, rigid beams and lines. When we see the protagonist's house, it's a poor hovel - all warped wood. The pillars are there, but the lines bend.
As with the other films (the bureaucrat assassination ones) this one comes down in opposition to authority, even giving us an unsatisfying ending to ensure that it sticks uncomfortably in our craw. The nobles, with their rigid dehumanizing view of samurais and the samurai code, are the clear villains.
Anyway, I liked this movie. It's very a-typical of the samurai movies I've seen from the 60s. It feels very modern, both in its sensationalism and in its handling of violence and in its anti-authoritarian message. This is a gem.
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