Was anyone else reminded of Taxi Driver?

Yes. Scorsese stated in several interviews that Seppuku was a big influence on Taxi Driver.

I watched Taxi Driver the night before watching Harakiri. Both I think are standing up agianst corruption. Travis is standing up against corruption that is not necessarily sanctioned by society and, I think, Nakadai's character is standing up to sanctioned corruption. Both are trying to fix social wrongs too. both devolve into violence. Hmmmmm, I'm starting to see a connection to Straw Dogs now too.

I watched these two films back to back for no other reason than I like them. I recenetly watched Paul Schrader's Mishima and that is why i watched Harakiri. I assume you know Schrader wrote both Mishima and Taxi Driver.

Well, the slow-motion bloodbaths started in the japanese cinema (this and Kurosawa movies), then Peckinpah learnt it and of course, later American movies too.


Starry Vere, God bless you!

Another two large influences on Taxi Driver are Bresson's Pickpocket and John Ford's The Searchers. Scorsese has basically said that Taxi Driver is a remake of the Searcher's set in post-Vietnam New York.

But, now that you mention it, there are certainly many similarities between the two.

I'm not going there to die. I'm going to find out if I'm really alive.