After its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this year, Janus Films has dropped the first trailer for Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s upcoming period drama The Samurai and the Prisoner.
The next film from the Japanese master follows a samurai who rebels against his lord and, during a siege, barricades himself within the Arioka Castle, but as time goes on, a set of impossible murders takes place inside the castle walls, with no one able to solve the crime; tensions begin to rise.
The film stars Masahiro Motoki, Masaki Suda, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Munetaka Aoki and Ryota Miyadate. Suda starred in Kurosawa’s previous film Cloud as the internet reseller known as Ratel, who gets terrorised by the people he rips off.
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is one of Japan’s most prolific auteurs, with films such as Pulse and Cure under his belt, but beyond his two most popular hits, the director has made masterful features such as Chime, Tokyo Sonata, Retribution, Serpent’s Path, Charisma, Eyes of the Spider, and many more.
Despite many thinking he peaked during that late 90s to early 2000s run, Kiyoshi is still putting out film after film, never wavering in quality. He is known for his dissection of violence and progression of internet culture, always able to update his provocations for contemporary happenings.
The director’s influence is incredibly vast, visible in the many limp recreations of his horror sensibilities and unmatched mise-en-scene. Still, no one has ever managed to top what he does. With that being said, The Samurai and the Prisoner looks to be a new page in Kurosawa’s book from a genre standpoint, with period dramas uncommon in his filmography.
The Samurai and the Prisoner is set to release in US cinemas on July 31st; a UK release date is TBC.
Discover more from
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
