Ičimei
Directed by:
Takashi MiikeScreenplay:
Kikumi YamagishiCinematography:
北信康Composer:
Ryūichi SakamotoCast:
Ebizō Ichikawa, Eita Nagayama, Hikari Mitsushima, Kōji Yakusho, Naoto Takenaka, 青木崇高, Hirofumi Arai, Takashi Sasano, Baijaku Nakamura, Kazuki Namioka, 西沢仁太Plots(1)
Maverick Japanese director Miike Takashi directs this period samurai film, a remake of Kobayashi Masaki's 1962 classic Harakiri. In 17th century Japan, a samurai called Hanshiro (Ichikawa Ebizô) turns up at the Li household to request permission to commit ritual suicide after falling into shameful poverty. Suspicious of Hanshiro's motives, Li boss Kageyu (Yakusho Koji) tries to dissuade him from his path by telling him of the horrific fate of the last ronin to have made this request, a young man called Motome (Eita Nagajama). Hanshiro appears undeterred, but as his own story unfolds in flashback it becomes clear that his true motives are very different from those he first declared. (Universal Pictures UK)
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Reviews (2)
Takashi Miike once again proves that he is capable of adopting the slow storytelling style that is so traditional for samurai films. The aesthetics of the feudal era are basically perfect in his movies, and in this case, it's another excellent dramatic piece. Additionally, there is seppuku, which truly manages to leave a lasting impression on you. And I thought I had seen enough of them in movies.
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Pure, precise craftsmanship that can accommodate both pathetic melodrama and chambara with the theme of samurai honor. An excellent composition with an "overpriced" drastic event, which immediately acquires a completely new motivation and recessed narration in the narration. A wonderful performance by Koji Yakusha. Miike again very much keeps his feet on the ground and is old-fashioned, but some scenes are very engrossed in brutality and well-chosen detail. I would hardly have anything to complain about if it weren't for the 3D: I didn’t get why I should watch an intimate film based on dialogues and often dark scenes with two duels with glasses, especially since the third dimension murders the details of faces in dark interiors. After Thirteen Assassins, again a genre-pure and a unique extraordinarily consistent craftsmanship pleasure - although this time it is for lovers of intimate meditations, ballads and disillusioning reflections on the nature of heroism.
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