Samurai films have had an undeniable impact on cinema history, and Harakiri is arguably the genre’s crowning achievement. It is currently the highest rated narrative feature on Letterboxd, and for very good reason.

During the Edo period, a ronin named Tsugumo Hanshiro arrives at the prosperous House of Iyi with one request; to perform ‘Harakri’ (or Seppuku) on their premises so that he may die honourably, as opposed to spending the rest of his days as a vagrant. The Iyi Clan suspects the man is actually seeking charity, but in their attempts to scare him off, Tsugumo Hanshiro’s true resolve begins to reveal itself…

Harakiri is a film that unites the humanist concerns of classic samurai cinema with the anti-authoritarian streak of the Japanese New Wave movement, and time has not diminished its bite or its relevance. Its plot is deeply engrossing, the direction of Masaki Kobayashi is laser focused, and the central performance by Tatsuya Nakadai is nothing short of titanic. The result is arguably the greatest samurai drama ever made, and one of the greatest films of all time.