To date, I have not exposed myself to a lot of Takashi Miike’s work. Then again, who truly has given the 70+ films the man has made since 1991! I’ve definitely had the pleasure of viewing his remake of Eiichi Kudo’s 13 Assassins a few times though. That film deserves every single accolade it has received, including the praise Lord Nunziata bestowed upon it. Hell, if I wasn’t out of town, I’d probably pop it in and give it another go right now.
It seems Miike felt he still had a mark to leave on samurai cinema and remade yet another classic, Masaki Kobayashi’s Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai. As with most Miike films, this one is hitting our shores a year after its debut. Better late than never! Hara-Kiri will be arriving on iTunes on July 17th and rolling out as a limited theatrical release* shortly after. This one doesn’t seem to be as beloved as 13 Assassins, but I’m still excited nonetheless. If you are lucky enough to have it grace screens in your area, please go see it! You owe it to the rest of us who don’t have that opportunity. In the meantime, here’s a new trailer to salivate over…
Source | AICN
* – Hara-Kiri was shot in 3D and released as such elsewhere. I can only assume that it will arrive in the format on US screens as well, but cannot find any official confirmation on the matter.