The Samurai and the Prisoner
2026 Japanese film
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The Samurai and the Prisoner (Japanese: 黒牢城) is a 2026 Japanese historical drama mystery film written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and based on the novel of same name by Honobu Yonezawa. It stars Masahiro Motoki, Masaki Suda, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Munetaka Aoki, and Ryota Miyadate.[1][2][3][4]
| The Samurai and the Prisoner | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Japanese | 黒牢城 |
| Directed by | Kiyoshi Kurosawa |
| Screenplay by | Kiyoshi Kurosawa |
| Based on | The Samurai and the Prisoner by Honobu Yonezawa |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Yasuyuki Sasaki |
| Edited by | Kôichi Takahashi |
| Music by | Yoshihiro Hanno |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Shochiku |
Release dates |
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Running time | 147 minutes |
| Country | Japan |
| Language | Japanese |
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Premiere section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on 19 May, it was followed by its theatrical release in Japan by Shochiku on 19 June.[5]
Plot
During the Azuchi era, Araki Murashige, a samurai who served Oda Nobunaga, eventually rebelled against his lord and barricaded himself within Arioka Castle. As the siege wore on, a bafflingly brutal murder occurred inside the castle walls. With no one able to solve the crime, fears and tensions are rising, Murashige turned to a man he himself had cast into a dungeon: Kuroda Kanbei. Regarded as one of the greatest military strategists of the Sengoku period, he began providing Murashige with clues to solve the mystery.
Cast
- Masahiro Motoki as Araki Murashige
- Masaki Suda as Kuroda Kanbei
- Yuriko Yoshitaka as Chiyoho, Murashige's wife
- Munetaka Aoki as Araki Kyuzaemon
- Ryota Miyadate as Inui Sukesaburo
- Tasuku Emoto as Saika Sagehari
- Joe Odagiri as Koori Juemon
- Yūsuke Santamaria as Akioka Shironosuke
- Mitsuo Yoshihara as Kawarabayashi Notonyudo
- Ryota Bando as Kitagawara Yosaku
- Yoshiyoshi Arakawa as Muhen
- Kiyohiko Shibukawa as Saika Magoroku
- Ikkei Watanabe as Takayama Dario
- Yoshimasa Kondo as Nakanishi Shinpachiro
- Toshihiro Yashiba as Ikeda Izumi
- Masatoshi Kihara as Nomura Tango
- Kochi Yamato as Itami Ichirozaemon
- Mutsuo Yoshioka as Mori Kahei
- Shusaku Kamikawa as Teraotoko
- Oshiro Maeda as Kuriyama Zensuke
- Bando Shingo as Oda Nobunaga
Production
The Samurai and the Prisoner is a film adaptation of Honobu Yonezawa’s novel Kokurojo, which won the 166th Naoki Prize. Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa praised the brilliance of the original story, while also admitting to some personal apprehension, as this marks his first foray into both the period drama (jidaigeki) and mystery genres.[6]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 16 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[7] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 77/100 based on eight critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[8]
