Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Historical Mystery 'The Samurai and the Prisoner' Reviewed
The New Yorker reviews Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film 'The Samurai and the Prisoner,' a historical mystery set during Japan's Sengoku period. The film follows warlord Murashige Araki (Masahiro Motoki) who imprisons strategist Kanbei Kuroda (Masaki Suda) after defying conqueror Nobunaga Oda. Over a year-long siege, four seasonal acts present locked-room murders that Kanbei must solve from his cell. Adapted from Honobu Yonezawa's 2021 novel, the film blends detective fiction with samurai drama, exploring themes of honor, religion, and pacifism. Kurosawa, known for 'Cure' and 'Cloud,' makes his first historical drama, focusing on dialogue and deduction rather than battle scenes. The review highlights the film's philosophical density and its critique of martial violence and mass manipulation.
Key facts
- Film directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Set in 1578 during Japan's Sengoku period
- Based on 2021 novel by Honobu Yonezawa
- Stars Masahiro Motoki as Murashige Araki and Masaki Suda as Kanbei Kuroda
- Features four acts corresponding to seasons
- Murders are locked-room mysteries solved by Kanbei
- Kurosawa's first historical drama
- Explores themes of samurai code, war, religion, and pacifism
Entities
Artists
- Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Masahiro Motoki
- Masaki Suda
- Honobu Yonezawa
- Yuriko Yoshitaka
- Nobunaga Oda
- Murashige Araki
- Kanbei Kuroda
- Akira Kurosawa
- Kenji Mizoguchi
- Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Koji Fukada
Institutions
- The New Yorker
- Cannes Film Festival
- Tokyo University of the Arts
- AnOther
Locations
- Japan
- Cannes
- France