This week, we review Harakiri (1962), Masaki Kobayashi's samurai drama about honour, hypocrisy, and the brutal cost of the bushidō code. Tatsuya Nakadai stars as Hanshirō Tsugumo, a masterless samurai, opposite Rentarō Mikuni as the stern clan counsellor Kageyu Saitō, in a story about one man's quiet revenge against the rigid institutions that destroyed his family. When Tsugumo arrives at the Iyi clan's estate in 1630 asking to commit ritual suicide in their courtyard, the clan suspects a bluff. Then he calmly begins to tell the story of his son-in-law, Motome (Akira Ishihama). The film raises intriguing questions about power, poverty, and whether the samurai ideal was ever more than a convenient façade.

Is this samurai classic a cut above or a bamboo blunder? Listen on to find out on this week's episode of our movie podcast and film review show, packed with honest movie reviews!

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