WATCH | Trailer of 'The Samurai and the Prisoner', Kiyoshi Kurosawa's first jidaigeki mystery thriller
The gripping film plunges viewers into the tumultuous 16th-century Warring States period of Japan, a setting of intense conflict and political intrigue
The makers of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "The Samurai and the Prisoner" (Japanese: 黒牢城, Kokurojo) have dropped the first trailer for the historical mystery thriller. Directed and co-written by the Japanese genre master behind such acclaimed films as "Cure", "Serpent's Path", "Chime" and "Cloud", the film
The makers of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "The Samurai and the Prisoner" (Japanese: 黒牢城, Kokurojo) have dropped the first trailer for the historical mystery thriller. Directed and co-written by the Japanese genre master behind such acclaimed films as "Cure", "Serpent's Path", "Chime" and "Cloud", the film
The makers of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "The Samurai and the Prisoner" (Japanese: 黒牢城, Kokurojo) have dropped the first trailer for the historical mystery thriller. Directed and co-written by the Japanese genre master behind such acclaimed films as "Cure", "Serpent's Path", "Chime" and "Cloud", the film
The makers of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "The Samurai and the Prisoner" (Japanese: 黒牢城, Kokurojo) have dropped the first trailer for the historical mystery thriller. Directed and co-written by the Japanese genre master behind such acclaimed films as "Cure", "Serpent's Path", "Chime" and "Cloud", the film marks Kurosawa's first foray into the jidaigeki (feudal-era samurai) genre.
"The Samurai and the Prisoner" has been described by some critics as a tense psychological chamber piece that feels like a cross between "Seven Samurai" and "Knives Out". The film is set in the 16th century during Japan's brutal Warring States period, with the narrative unfolding within a heavily fortified castle under siege. After rebelling against the tyrannical Oda Nobunaga, warlord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) is trapped inside his own walls. Things get progressively worse when a series of gruesome, seemingly "impossible" murders begins to occur within the court. Tormented by paranoia and unable to find the traitor, Murashige seeks counsel from Kuroda Kanbei (Masaki Suda), a brilliant, cunning wartime strategist whom he has restrained inside his own castle dungeon. To survive the impending siege, the warlord must rely on the prisoner's sheer intellect to solve the castle's internal mysteries before the outer walls fall.
The screenplay is adapted from Honobu Yonezawa’s award-winning 2021 novel "Kokurojo", which won Japan's prestigious Naoki Prize. The film is structured into four seasonal chapters (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn), featuring interconnected mysteries.
Kurosawa shot on location, relying on historical temples and castles across Japan's Kansai region. Massive battles are reportedly kept off-screen, prioritising razor-sharp dialogue, long theatrical takes, and Shakespearean court intrigue.
Following its world premiere in the Cannes Premiere section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2026, the film was released theatrically in Japan on June 19, 2026. Janus Films handles the North American distribution and will release the film exclusively in U.S. theatres starting July 31, 2026.
Watch the trailer below: