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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98%

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80 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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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

4d

3.5/4

Kurosawa de-emphasizes battle sequences to concentrate more on substantial conversations about honor, compassion, redemption and strategy, infusing it with a more heady and philosophical bent than the norm, a welcome quality...

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

Aug 6

3.5/5

At the heart of The Samurai and the Prisoner is a deeply moving performance from Motoki (Departures) as a man who cannot deny his fate, even as he puts up a facade that only crumbles around Kanbei.

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Barry Hertz

Globe and Mail

Aug 6

There is a patience and commitment on display from Kurosawa that requires an equal investment and energy from his audience. But it also doesn’t take much to fully give in to this intricately constructed world of vengeance and mercy, order and dishonour.

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Trevor Leavell

Pop Culture Leftovers

1d

Sure, he's no stranger to the procedural, but this is the first period piece in Kurosawa's catalog. Not only that, he trades a foreboding atmosphere for something more delicate and contemplative.

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Josh Bell

The Inlander (Spokane, WA)

3d

2.5/4

Although he's best known for his horror films, Kurosawa has mastered multiple genres, and he does his namesake proud in the methodical but engrossing The Samurai and the Prisoner.

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Rene Sanchez

Cine Sin Fronteras

5d

3.5/4

Kurosawa turns this samurai drama into an atmospheric and beautifully crafted tale of intrigue, deception and moral complexity. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Justin

9h

Multi layered samurai mystery with a mystic! Preferable in the theater than at home streaming due to the detail.

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lerobinson

3d

Don’t go thinking your going to see a lot of sword dueling or samurai fighting. It’s an introspective, intrigue filled movie with a big take home message. In the end, it comes together but feels disjointed (at least for non Japanese viewers) the first 75% of the movie.

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Oliver B

5d

Gripping whodunnit/mystery.

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Isaac Martinez

5d

I really love this movie. The Samurai and The Prisoner feels like something that Akira Kurosawa would have done. Even with the lack of action or battle sequences, The Samurai and The Prisoner manages to get me hooked with the plot, characters and unexpected twists.

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Kirk

Aug 9

Extremely slow plot development. And focuses on an asinine mythical Japanese sherlock holmes mystery collection lionizing a tea maker Murashige that obtained status while happening to get away with never fighting Nobunaga.

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Ramsey H

Aug 9

I appreciated the mystery, though I had an early inkling of the resolution. Despite this, I found myself momentarily forgetting my initial suspicions, leading to a mild surprise upon the reveal, rather than a profound shock. While certain scenes experienced pacing issues, the dialogue was consistently strong. The incremental clues leading to the revelation were particularly well-executed. I did observe some elements that appeared artificial, such as the foliage and portions of the architectural structures, but this did not significantly detract from the overall experience.

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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
Box Office (Gross USA): $280.2K
Runtime: 2h 27m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.66:1)

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