---
title: "Harakiri: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/harakiri/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/harakiri"
critics_score: 86
critics_reviews: 7
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Harakiri (1962): what the critics said

Critics' score 86 from 7 reviews: 7 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative.

The reviews are unanimous in their approval, and the praise settles on the same two things. Nearly every critic reads the film as an attack on the samurai code, exposing the cruelty and hypocrisy beneath its rituals, and most find that argument as sharp now as it was on release. Tatsuya Nakadai’s performance as the ronin Hanshiro Tsugumo is singled out again and again, and several critics point to Kobayashi’s control of the widescreen frame and to the way the flashbacks are laid against the present-day ritual so that the tension keeps tightening. Takemitsu’s score gets a mention as well.

The spread is narrow. The one real reservation comes from The New York Times, whose critic admires the visual style and the irony of the revenge but finds the storytelling slow and at times obscure. Variety, otherwise admiring, warns that it is not for the squeamish. Nobody disputes what the film is doing; the only question raised is pace.

## RogerEbert.com

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 February 2021. 

The critic calls Kobayashi’s film the greatest anti-samurai movie ever made, praising its exposure of the hypocrisy and emptiness behind the samurai code and its enduring relevance as an anti-establishment work. They single out the powerful, symbolic imagery—especially the opening and closing shots of an empty suit of armor—and Tatsuya Nakadai’s commanding performance as the ronin Hanshiro Tsugumo.

[Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/why-harakiri-is-the-greatest-anti-samurai-film-ever-made)

## Sight and Sound — Michael Brooke

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2011. 

The critic calls Harakiri one of the greatest Japanese films for its fierce critique of the hypocritical samurai code of honour. Kobayashi's masterful control of widescreen compositions and tension is singled out, with the ritual staging contrasted against harrowing flashbacks.

[Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/6504)

## The New Yorker — Michael Sragow

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 12 September 2014. 

The film exposes the cruelty and hypocrisy of the samurai code through a hypnotic story of a ronin seeking vengeance; Nakadai’s performance and Takemitsu’s music are highlights.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/harakiri)

## Variety — Variety Staff

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1961. 

A stunning somber tragedy raging against militarism and rigid systems; Kobayashi directs with assurance in a technically audacious film with strong acting, though not for the squeamish.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/1961/film/reviews/seppuku-1200420111/)

## Slant Magazine — Budd Wilkins

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 October 2011. 

The critic describes Kobayashi’s film as a riveting and ruthless critique of the corrupt samurai honor code from its inception, praising its intricate structure with present-past flashbacks that build tension like time bombs and its powerful social commentary.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/harakiri/)

## The New York Times

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 August 1964. 

The critic finds the film a somber, measured samurai tale with ironic revenge and striking visual style, though the narrative can be slow and obscure.

[Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/05/archives/screen-samurai-with-different-twistkobayashis-harakiri-arrives-at.html)

## Collider — Andre Dellamorte

Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 November 2011. 

The critic praises Kobayashi’s film as a gripping, master-class samurai epic that builds tension through flashbacks and delivers a powerful climax. It stands out for its riveting storytelling and intense action, far surpassing many contemporaries in the genre.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/carlos-harakiri-kuroneko-criterion-blu-ray-revieww/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/harakiri.md