I didn’t know anything about The Samurai and the Prisoner outside of the title before seeing it at Alamo Drafthouse last night. The title, though, is straightforward and, in fact, the new movie from Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa is about a samurai and a prisoner. The plot is a little more involved, comprised of smaller, seemingly isolated, mysteries that point to multiple, overarching threads of castle intrigue.
Based on the award-winning novel by Honobu Yonezawa, The Samurai and the Prisoner is historic fiction, set during the siege of Arioka Castle in 1579. Araki Murashige takes Kuroda Kanbei as a prisoner. Both of the characters are actual, historical figures. The story that unfolds takes on a Rashomon-meets-Columbo quality. “With a little bit of Zatoichi,” my husband added when we talked about the movie while waiting for the train home. That said, if you like samurai films and mysteries, The Samurai and the Prisoner is the movie for you.
This is a long movie, but it’s divided into four chapters that follow a specific formula. A murder or betrayal happens, Murashige investigates by questioning his people, few of whom seem like particularly reliable witnesses. He takes the information to the dungeon and presents it to Kanbei and the prisoner offers some wisdom that allows Murashige to solve the mystery. If this were a TV show, I would watch it every week.
But, to give the classic television mystery structure a cinematic twist, there are a couple overarching questions that come to the foreground in the final chapter, offering a few twists. If you watch a lot of mysteries, or soap operas, you might see the twists coming, but that doesn’t make them any less exciting.
I’m keeping this review short because I don’t want to unintentionally give away too much. Just go see The Samurai and the Prisoner while it’s in theaters.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.
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