Back in 2011 I got the chance to go to the premiere of Takashi Miike’s remake of this film at the Cannes Film Festival. I remember really enjoying the film, but having not seen the original version by Masaki Kobayashi. This was really well done. I specifically loved how Kobayashi lets moments land in silence. The other star of the film is the cinematography by Yoshio Miyajima. His slow zooms never feel like too much, but are constantly in the film as a means of getting closer and closer to the characters as they tell their stories. By not seeing Motome’s harakiri, for the the most part, it makes you hurt more than the red stained blood in the 2011 version based solely on performance, cinematography, and sound design. That moment in the film hurts so much watch that it chills your bones on a visceral level. I never noticed it when I saw the remake, but this is really making a commentary on job loss and poverty. It is especially noticeable now that I lost my job due to Coronavirus. The newly classed ronin are getting released out into Japan in droves, similar to the massive layoffs of today and who is responsible for that. Both Hanshirō and Saito have valid arguments about who is ultimately responsible for Motome’s death. Films that are able to toe the line of making both arguments strong tend to gain my affection. It is a fantastic argument of ethics.
