Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, known primarily for his work in the J-horror genre, has long expressed a desire to make a jidaigeki — a traditional Japanese period drama, often involving samurai. Well, that time has finally come with The Samurai and the Prisoner, an incredibly handsomely crafted epic that might be difficult for Western audiences because of the complexity of its politics.

What is The Samurai and the Prisoner about?

Kurosawa’s film is adapted from Honobu Yonezawa’s novel Kokurojo, following a samurai who enlists the help of an imprisoned court strategist to investigate a seemingly unsolvable murder that happened within the castle’s walls. Like much of Kurosawa’s work, The Samurai and the Prisoner is not easily categorizable into a single genre, blending elements from multiple genres into a work that ultimately feels wholly unique.

The Samurai and the Prisoner Review

It is worth noting that The Samurai and the Prisoner is no Shogun. Kurosawa is uninterested in dumbing down the historical and political aspects of the film to be understood by audiences outside of Japan. Because of this, there are a lot of things that get somewhat frustrating, ‌such as throwing a lot of names and historical references at the audience. At a certain point, it becomes overwhelming, and you have to stop pretending that you will be able to follow everything that is happening in the story.

This also comes at the expense of the central mystery. The best murder mysteries are those in which the viewer gets to know and understand the cast of suspects. And since The Samurai and the Prisoner has a rather large ensemble, the shifting suspicions and allegiances are sometimes difficult to keep track of.

That being said, for a movie that is nearly two and a half hours long, The Samurai and the Prisoner moves quite quickly, if only out of the simple fact that so much is happening. This is not the most action-packed of Kurosawa’s films, with much of it leaning more into the mystery side of things to deliver a chamber drama, but it’s impressive how well he is able to hold tension (not that we should be surprised, considering the caliber of his past work).

And for what it’s worth, the few action sequences present are truly staggering. It’s interesting to see how Kurosawa balances the intimate nature of the story with the more epic tendencies of the genre in which he is working, resulting in a film that feels like it has a much larger scale than it actually does. And from the action we see, it’s obvious that Kurosawa’s talents would translate brilliantly to a blockbuster level of filmmaking. Hopefully, he gets that chance sooner rather than later to deliver a full-fledged samurai action flick.

But even beyond that, The Samurai and the Prisoner stands out as one of Kurosawa’s most technically accomplished works, which is saying quite a lot. The production design, costumes, cinematography, and everything else in the film visually do an excellent job of creating an immersive atmosphere, transporting audiences back to the era of feudal Japan.

Yet, at its core, the film wouldn’t work without its two eponymous characters, who are performed extremely well by Masahiro Motoki and Masaki Suda. Motoki, in particular, is impressive, delivering a performance that wonderfully splits the difference between cinematic hard-boiled detectives and iconic samurai.

Is The Samurai and the Prisoner worth watching?

The Samurai and the Prisoner is an impressive first outing for Kiyoshi Kurosawa into the jidaigeki genre, boasting impressive production values and Kurosawa’s characteristically excellent command of tension. Although its density might make it difficult for American audiences to fully appreciate, there’s enough here that is undeniably great to make it a worthy entry in an accomplished filmography.

The Samurai and the Prisoner premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 12-23.
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