Kiyoshi Kurosawa has spent decades turning genre into a vessel for dread, paranoia, and existential unease, from J-horror landmarks like “Cure” and “Pulse” to more recent works including “Cloud.” Now, the master Japanese filmmaker is moving into new territory with “The Samurai And The Prisoner,” his first samurai film and a classical jidaigeki with a murder-mystery engine.
Janus Films has released the trailer for “The Samurai And The Prisoner,” which opens in theaters on July 31. Written and directed by Kurosawa, the film follows Lord Murashige, who rises against the tyrannical Oda and finds himself besieged within his own castle. But as Oda’s army closes in, the fortress begins to unravel from within, with mysterious crimes plunging the court into fear and suspicion.
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The setup sounds like a natural playground for Kurosawa: a sealed-off location, paranoia spreading through a brittle social order, and the possibility that the real danger may come from within the walls. With a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei, a brilliant and dangerous strategist imprisoned in the castle dungeon, as the two try to uncover the truth before time runs out.
The film stars Masahiro Motoki, Masaki Suda, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Joe Odagiri, Munetaka Aoki, Ryota Miyadate, and Tasuku Emoto.
Here’s the official synopsis:
When Lord Murashige rises against the tyrannical Oda, he finds himself besieged within the walls of his own castle. Isolated, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court, plunging the fortress into fear and suspicion. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei, a brilliant and dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon, as he must outwit his enemies and uncover the truth before time runs out.
“The Samurai And The Prisoner” opens in theaters July 31 via Janus Films. Watch the trailer below.
