The latest from genre-master Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Cure, Pulse) is an engrossing historical thriller set in the palatial environs of 16th-century Japan. When Lord Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against the tyrannical Oda (Bando Shingo), he finds himself besieged within the walls of his own castle. Isolated, he is confronted with a series of mysterious crimes that shatter the fragile order of his court, plunging the fortress into fear and suspicion. With Oda’s army closing in and a traitor hiding among his ranks, Murashige is forced into an uneasy alliance with Kanbei Kuroda (Masaki Suda), a brilliant yet dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon. Helped by his wife Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) and his most loyal generals, Murashige must uncover the truth before the castle falls.
The Samurai and the Prisoner
Wednesday, Aug 12
Thursday, Aug 13
Friday, Aug 14
Saturday, Aug 15
Sunday, Aug 16
Monday, Aug 17
Tuesday, Aug 18
Wednesday, Aug 19
Thursday, Aug 20
1:30Showtimes updated on Tuesday evenings
Legend
OCOpen Captioned
Special Content
35mm
SFSensory Friendly
Cinema Studies
The Samurai and the Prisoner
2026. 147 m. Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Janus Films. Japan. Japanese with subtitles. Rated NR.
Tickets: $11 (members), $16 (nonmembers)
"Kurosawa has made one of his best films, a work that feels a bit like Agatha Christie, a bit like Shakespeare, and even a bit like Samurai Columbo."
"Samurai is classical, if pared-back, in approach — at once a satisfyingly linked series of rousing whodunnits, a tricksy game of mental cat-and-mouse and a trenchant, often rather moving, exploration of the nature of true leadership, in all its solitude and sacrifice."
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