Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting H...

Runtime

2h 15m

Director

Masaki Kobayashi

Cast

Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita

Shiba, a wandering ronin, encounters a band of peasants who have kidnapped the daughter of their dictatorial magistrate, in hopes of coercing from him a reduction in taxes. Shiba takes up their fight, joined by two renegades from the magistrate's guard, Sakura and Kikyo. The three outlaws find themselves in a battle to the death.

Runtime

1h 33m

Director

Hideo Gosha

Cast

Tetsuro Tamba, Isamu Nagato, Mikijiro Hira

A bravado period action film set at the end of Japan's feudal era in which a group of unemployed samurai are enlisted to bring down a sadistic lord and prevent him from ascending to the throne and plunging the country into a war-torn future.

Runtime

2h 21m

Director

Takashi Miike

Cast

Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya

Manji, a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu. Th...

Runtime

2h 20m

Cast

Takuya Kimura, Hana Sugisaki, Sota Fukushi

The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.

Runtime

2h 1m

Director

Masaki Kobayashi

Cast

Toshirō Mifune, Yōko Tsukasa, Gō Katō

Comprising train and track footage quickly shot just before a heavy winter's snowfall was melting, the multi-award-winning classic that emerged from the cutting-room compresses British Rail's dedication to blizzard-battling into a thrilling eight-minute montage cut to music. Tough-as-boots workers struggling to keep the line clear are ...

Runtime

8m

Director

Geoffrey Jones

"Rail" captures British Railways at a major turning-point in its history. In certain respects, this was a period of considerable upheaval and loss. There was a facing-up to the increasing need for a big modernisation drive. Full and speedy electrification, or the wider promotion of diesel-power on remaining lines, became a matter of to...

Runtime

14m

Director

Geoffrey Jones

Collage film about the history of trains set to music.

Runtime

16m

Director

Geoffrey Jones

Directed by Geoffrey Jones.

Runtime

2m

Director

Geoffrey Jones

Directed by Geoffrey Jones.

Director

Geoffrey Jones