‘Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai’ Trailer: Can Takashi Miike Repeat His ‘13 Assassins’ Success?
Japanese directorTakashi Miikeis among the most prolific directors working today, and has held that distinction for many years. With that prolific work habit comes a rather spotty track record, and for every great Miike film there are a couple middling efforts and often one really bad one.
So which one isHara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai? The film is Miike’s second period samurai remake in recent years, following his truly excellent13 Assassins. The latter movie is one of Miike’s best, so there were pretty heavy expectations on this remake of Masaki Kobayashi’s 1962 film Harakiri. But reviews out of the film’s first appearance on the festival circuit weren’t great. Was the chilly reception thanks to over-inflated expectations in the wake of13 Assassins, or isHara-Kirijust one of Miike’s middling efforts?
The movie was Miike’s first in 3D, and the trailer is rather nice-looking, especially in some of the duel sequences. Check it out below.
That’s a well-cut trailer for a film that has been reported to be a bit dull. Miike is almost always good for an exciting sequence or two, and there’s clearly enough material to cut into a compelling two and a half-minute presentation. It’s enough to make me want to catch the full film, despite the reviews.
Applehas the trailer.Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samuraihits VOD July 18th, and opens in 3D in New York and LA July 20th.
