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HARA-KIRI: DEATH OF A SAMURAI (ICHIMEI)Movie Reviews
Japanese language drama about a samurai who arrives at the doorstep of his feudal lord, requesting an honorable death by ritual suicide in his courtyard. Cast:Ebizo Ichikawa, Eita, Hikari Mitsushima, Naoto Takenaka, Munetaka Aoki, Hirofumi Arai, Kazuki Namioka, Yoshihisa Amano, Takehiro Hira, Ippei Takahashi, Ayumu Saito, Goro Daimon, Takashi Sasano, Baijaku Nakamura, Koji YakushoDirector:Takashi MiikeRelease Date:July 20, 2012DVD Release:January 22, 2013From:Tribeca FilmsLength:2 hr. 6 min.
JANUARY 22, 2013
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei), Very Good Reviews Key Cities
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) played in key cities to very good reviews. • G. Allen Johnson wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle, "...sumptuous... Half the time it is a game of chess - the battle of wits between Motome and the lord. Half of the time it is a moving melodrama..." • And Mark Feeney wrote in the Boston Globe, "...superb filmmaking..." More Reviews Below...
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) Positive Reviews (19 Reviews, reviews below)
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) has not been reviewed by Broad National Press
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (6 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...as a portrait of good people in desperate circumstances, it is remarkably sensitive and moving... a credible critique of violence rather than an exploitation of its horror."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 07/20/12
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: EXCELLENT(cg) "...powerful... an indelible picture of a cold-hearted ruling class that has allowed self-interest and hypocrisy to override its own humanity."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 197 words, 07/20/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Miike brings a formal, elegant restraint to his usual flair for wild theatrics... its revelations are more character-derived than action-oriented..."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 07/20/12
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...it may well be Takashi Miike's best film, a patient, ominous piece of epic storytelling that conscientiously rips the scabs off the honorable samurai mythology."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 07/18/12
KEY CITIES (5 Reviews)
Barbara VanDenburgh, Arizona Republic: VERY GOOD(cg) "...far more calculated to tug at the heartstrings than the original.... It's manipulative, sure, but a pointedly old-fashioned and gorgeously staged exercise in formalism."(See all of Barbara VanDenburgh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 08/17/12
Mark Feeney, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...superb filmmaking... Miike places us in the household of Li, offering up rich, deep colors, with an almost painterly exploration of fields of depth and volume."(See all of Mark Feeney's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 625 words, 07/27/12
G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...sumptuous... Half the time it is a game of chess - the battle of wits between Motome and the lord. Half of the time it is a moving melodrama..."(See all of G. Allen Johnson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 297 words, 08/17/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "Unlike previous Miike films, such as 'Audition' and, especially, '13 Assassins,' 'Hara-Kiri' is low on blood and shock, emphasizing performance and atmosphere."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 239 words, 08/10/12
Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: VERY GOOD(cg) "...understated... there is violence and bloodshed, but Miike doesn't revel in it with the same ferocity he has used in the past.... compassionate, humane melodrama."(See all of Rene Rodriguez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 308 words, 09/21/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice/LA Weekly: OUTSTANDING "...it may well be Takashi Miike's best film, a patient, ominous piece of epic storytelling that conscientiously rips the scabs off the honorable samurai mythology."(See all of Michael Atkinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 570 words, 07/18/12
Miles Bowe, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "Takashi Miike seems to be single-handedly bringing the samurai movie back to its former glory; first with '13 Assassins,' and now this... gripping..."(See all of Miles Bowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 169 words, 07/26/12
Calum Marsh, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Miike lets his familiar -- but until-then repressed -- tastelessness get the better of him, relishing the grisly seppuku-by-bamboo in unnecessary detail."(See all of Calum Marsh's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,004 words, 07/16/12
Andrew Alexander, Atlanta Creative Loafing: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a fascinating and tense glimpse into the minute distinctions which made up the code of honor of the then-disappearing world of the samurai."(See all of Andrew Alexander's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 463 words, 08/10/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (4 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...as a portrait of good people in desperate circumstances, it is remarkably sensitive and moving... a credible critique of violence rather than an exploitation of its horror."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 07/20/12
Mark Jenkins, NPR: VERY GOOD "...formal, deliberate, leisurely almost to a fault.... the payoff isn't disbursed in blood and action. There are two violent sequences, but both are naturalistic."(See all of Mark Jenkins's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 07/19/12
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Miike brings a formal, elegant restraint to his usual flair for wild theatrics... its revelations are more character-derived than action-oriented..."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 07/20/12
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: OUTSTANDING "...concerned with the telling of stories, the passage of the seasons, and the physical, social and economic architecture that defines life in a caste-bound culture."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,007 words, 07/19/12
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Justin Chang, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...formally elegant... Takashi Miike's mournful variation on traditional samurai-movie themes of honor, sacrifice and retribution offers its own rewards..."(See all of Justin Chang's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 711 words, 05/18/11
Maggie Lee, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "As a critique of the hypocrisy and inhumanity of bushido it lacks a bitter sting, nor does it search for a new angle to the subject."(See all of Maggie Lee's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 621 words, 05/19/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "Miike brings a formal, elegant restraint to his usual flair for wild theatrics... its revelations are more character-derived than action-oriented..."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 242 words, 07/20/12
A.O. Scott, New York Times: EXCELLENT "...as a portrait of good people in desperate circumstances, it is remarkably sensitive and moving... a credible critique of violence rather than an exploitation of its horror."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 558 words, 07/20/12
13.6 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei)'s reviews are separated by an average 13.6 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) (19 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei)'s reviews cover 19.1% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 9,296 words involume (average is 20,172 words). Length:The film's reviews average 489 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) Coverage, Volume & Length (19 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 18 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei)'s reviews on average broke 18 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (Ichimei) (19 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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