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The Samurai and the Prisoner

Play trailer 2:09 Poster for The Samurai and the Prisoner In Theaters Jul 31 2h 27m Mystery & Thriller Drama Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
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95% Tomatometer 22 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Verified 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.
Coming Soon In Theaters Jul 31 Buy Tickets

Cast & Crew

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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

Critics Reviews

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Jordan Mintzer The Hollywood Reporter May 26
Classic and contained (the action rarely ventures outside the castle), this is a samurai flick that ends up denouncing the sacred code samurais used to live by. Go to Full Review Rory Doherty AV Club May 22
B+
A delightful detour for the genre master. Go to Full Review Jessica Kiang Variety May 21
Kurosawa’s highly entertaining adaptation knows that just because you are chained does not make you a prisoner, any more than having wealth and power can reliably make you free. Go to Full Review Maxance Vincent InSession Film 4h
A
It is a slight intellectual challenge to parse everything together, but it’s also such an utterly fascinating piece in Kurosawa’s oeuvre. Go to Full Review Robert Kojder Flickering Myth 6h
3.5/5
The sum of The Samurai and the Prisoner yields more than its sometimes unwieldy and sluggish structure, but the third act also recontextualizes the whole into something with greater complexity Go to Full Review Sarah Gorr The Spool 6h
That the director explores [the questions raised] with a text this dense and yet so utterly watchable is something of a miracle. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
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The Samurai and the Prisoner

The Samurai and the Prisoner: Trailer 1 The Samurai and the Prisoner: Trailer 1 2:09 View more videos
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The Samurai and the Prisoner

The Samurai and the Prisoner (2026) View more photos

Movie Info

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