Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s exquisitely crafted samurai murder mystery finds a Lord and his captured prisoner work together to solve a series of shadowy murders inside the palace compound as civil war rages around them. An elegant and probing portrait of power, violence and honour, which world premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
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Classic and contained, this is a samurai flick that ends up denouncing the sacred code samurais used to live by.
The Samurai and the Prisoner 2026
黒牢城
Japanese auteur Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s name has become synonymous with unnerving psychological horror over his multi-decade career. But now, he’s turned his attention to the jidaigeki genre, with this stately and fascinating adaptation of Yonezawa Honobu’s award-winning novel, The Samurai and the Prisoner, which received widespread praise following its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Elegantly blending samurai drama, murder mystery and period political thriller, Kurosawa thrusts us into the turmoil of the late 16th century Warring States era, as Lord Araki Murashige, together with his captured prisoner Kuroda Kanbei, probe a series of shadowy murders inside the Lord’s palace compound.
As Lord and prisoner set about solving a murder case over each season, the film blossoms into a stunning portrait of strategic brilliance at play in the most chaotic of environments as war rages outside the palace walls.
Unfolding with a measured and masterly touch, Kurosawa transforms this samurai murder mystery into a very timely exploration of power, violence and honour codes. Curious viewers may like to reach their own conclusions about how all this might respond to the current state of Japanese politics…
– Cho Jinseok