“The Samurai and the Prisoner” Fits a War Epic Into an Elegant Puzzle Box

'The Samurai and the Prisoner' Blends Agatha Christie And Akira Kurosawa — And It Really Works

Janus FilmsThe Samurai and the Prisoner follows the blueprint of a cozy mystery. It’s a chamber piece, and takes place in a small town of sorts — a walled castle under siege — where an amateur sleuth — the lord of the castle, Murashige Araki (Masahiro Motoki) — solves a series of mysteries. These are all classic whodunnits, mysterious murders that happen offscreen and are resolved by the time the seasons change and the next chapter begins. For t…

“The Samurai and the Prisoner” Fits a War Epic Into an Elegant Puzzle Box

In Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s historical drama, a series of puzzling crimes at a besieged fortress yields even more confounding questions about faith, war, and leadership, writes Justin Chang.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa used to want to scare us. Now he plays a longer game, fascinated by power

The director became emblematic of two of J-horror's most haunting achievements, 'Cure' and 'Pulse.' 'The Samurai and the Prisoner' is a turn toward complexity.

The Samurai And The Prisoner Review: Period Mystery Is Intriguing, Thoughtful & Cold

Kiyoshi Kurasawa’s new samurai mystery is handsomely mounted and intellectually compelling, though not as emotionally involving as it could’ve been.

The Samurai and the Prisoner Review - Doubt Cuts Deeper Than Steel

Although Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s The Samurai and the Prisoner may look like a sweeping samurai epic, it is a different film. Anyone waiting for nonstop sword fights may be surprised. The film focuses on the damage people cause through secrets, suspicions, and carefully chosen words. At the center is Lord Murashige Araki. A real figure from 16th-century Japan, Murashige has broken with the powerful warlord Nobunaga Oda and sealed himself inside his fo…

The Samurai and the Prisoner — Kiyoshi Kurosawa [Review]

Over 40 years and as many movies into his career, Kiyoshi Kurosawa has finally made his first samurai film. Maybe it was the looming shadow of that other Kurosawa keeping him from the most iconic Japanese genre. Or perhaps it was just a matter of budget, since achieving the look of the distant past is [...] The post The Samurai and the Prisoner — Kiyoshi Kurosawa [Review] appeared first on In Review Online.