Directed by Takashi Miike. Starring Ichikawa Ebizo XI, Eita, Koji Yakusho, Hikari Mitsushima Club, IFI, Dublin, 126 mins

IF YOU DON’T like this Takashi Miike film, then don’t fret. Another one will be along in a moment.

The latest from the prolific Japanese director was the first picture to be screened in 3D at the official Cannes competition. It goes without saying that – excuse us dragging out the broken record again – the process adds nothing to the experience. But Hara-Kiri remains worthwhile.

Don’t let the word “samurai” lead you astray; swords aren’t brandished in anger until the picture’s final 15 minutes. Even then, they won’t hurtle out of the screen to poke you in the eye.

Following on from the recently released 13 Assassins, Takashi again sets out to remake and remodel a classic Japanese drama. Masaki Kobayashi’s Hara-kiri, an international hit in 1963, tells the story of a poverty-stricken samurai who asks – apparently insincerely – to commit ritual suicide in the grounds of a powerful feudal lord. His real aim is to be turned away with a few alms in his pocket.

Sadly, the kingpin chooses not to play ball. The poor fellow is forced to disembowel himself with a bamboo sword that is very ill-suited to the task. The blood-letting is far from pleasant. The horrible sound design is even more unsettling.

Told in flashback, the film describes how the hero, once a man of great pride, fell into destitution. It’s a sad story related with great economy and – considering Takashi is the director of the brilliantly horrible Audition – with great sensitivity. After that initial outbreak of violence, we have a long wait until swords are once more brandished in anger.

Mutating leaves trace the passing of the seasons. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s score swells to great effect. The camera moves with a grace and elegance that seems entirely appropriate to a picture so profoundly concerned with ritual.

At times Hara-Kiri seems, perhaps, a little too sedate.

Fans of the superb 13 Assassins may wonder why everyone seems so reluctant to indulge in decapitations. But that final bloody conflagration is worth waiting for – even if you’re forced to wear stupid glasses while watching it.