The Samurai and the Prisoner

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The Samurai and the Prisoner

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2h 27m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Crime

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96%

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48 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

When Lord Murashige Araki (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against the tyrannical Nobunaga Oda (Bando Shingo), 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 Kuroda (Masaki Suda), a brilliant yet dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon. Helped by his wife Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and his most loyal generals, Murashige must uncover the truth before the castle falls.

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Critics Consensus

Orchestrated with an intelligence as sharp as a katana's edge, The Samurai and the Prisoner is an elegant mystery that offers further proof of director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's mastery in any genre.

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Justin Chang

The New Yorker

2d

The Samurai and the Prisoner may be set centuries earlier, but it’s a Kurosawa movie through and through. The talk is grave, the editing unhurried; the camera holds multiple characters in the frame and watches them from a sedate remove.

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Zachary Barnes

Wall Street Journal

3d

Mr. Kurosawa, among our most contemporary-minded auteurs, has never been one to venture so far into the past, but here he brings it to vivid and complicated life.

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Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

3d

4/5

An epic sweep and a beautiful sense of balance define this brutal, brainy, war-and-intrigue thriller set in the 16th century.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

5h

3.5/4

... like something Agatha Christie might have written after binge-watching a bunch of Akira Kurosawa.

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Chris Mello

In Review Online

5h

All the hallmarks of the genre, from stern, strategically minded samurai warriors to swordplay and palace intrigue, are in some measure present in [the film], but the qualities that buoy the film are those specific to Kurosawa’s filmmaking.

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Chad Collins

Dread Central

2d

4/5

The Samurai and the Prisoner, as expected from one of this generation’s very best—if not, dare I say, absolute masters—is as resolved and seductive as ever.

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Sean W

@seanwang.94 2d

Wanted to love but needlessly confusing

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Jo S

2d

R u kidding me? Who will understand this?!

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B P

@Bradster69 2d

The Samurai and the Prisoner, as expected from one of this generation’s very best—if not, dare I say, absolute masters—is as resolved and seductive as fans might expect.

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Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Director

Masahiro Motoki

Murashige Araki

Masaki Suda

Kambee Kuroda

Yuriko Yoshitaka

Chiyoho

Munetaka Aoki

Kyuzaemon Araki

Shingo Bando

Nobunaga Oda

The Samurai and the Prisoner: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When Lord Murashige Araki (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against the tyrannical Nobunaga Oda (Bando Shingo), 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 Kuroda (Masaki Suda), a brilliant yet dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon. Helped by his wife Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and his most loyal generals, Murashige must uncover the truth before the castle falls.

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Producer: Satoko Ishida
Screenwriter: Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Distributor: Janus Films
Production Co: Shochiku, Tokyo Broadcasting System
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama, Crime
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 2h 27m