Horror's Kiyoshi Kurosawa pivots to power plays in the absorbing 'The Samurai and the Prisoner'

Frequently successful Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “The Samurai and the Prisoner,” characters importune that the film’s main setting, a subject compound known arsenic Arioka Castle, is impenetrable. It’s surely beautiful: Lovingly production-designed by Tetsuo Harada, it’s a feast of affluent wood and gorgeous earthy light, an earthly paradise nestled successful the mountains of Japan successful the precocious 16th century, its beardown walls seemingly impervious to invaders.

But the longer we walk clip astatine Arioka, the much that paradise starts resembling a prison. The dangers are mounting extracurricular and distrust simmers within.

Based connected Honobu Yonezawa’s 2021 caller and already a smash successful Japan, the movie centers connected feudal conflicts and the ever-present menace of war. But structurally, “The Samurai and the Prisoner” revolves astir a bid of mysteries that unfold, 1 aft another, implicit the people of astir a year. Recently turned 71, Kurosawa is renowned for fearfulness classics similar 1997’s “Cure” and 2001’s “Pulse.” Yet the writer-director has worked successful different genres and his latest finds him trying his manus astatine a whodunit wrong the trappings of a humanities drama. In the process, he’s made a warfare movie with astir nary conflict scenes and a quality survey successful which audiences whitethorn not cognize however they consciousness astir the protagonist by the end. “The Samurai and the Prisoner” contains nary scares but is suitably haunted.

Masahiro Motoki plays Murashige, a real-life warrior of the epoch whose clan broke with the hawkish Oda (Bando Shingo), seeking refuge successful Arioka Castle. Although surrounded by Oda’s soldiers conscionable beyond Arioka’s walls, Murashige’s men guarantee him not to worry. But helium is visited by Kanbei (Masaki Suda), an envoy from a antithetic clan, who tells him that much and much factions are siding with Oda, spelling definite doom for Murashige. In response, the person of Arioka orders Kanbei beryllium thrown successful the castle’s impeccably dingy dungeon. It’s a stinging insult: By the samurai code, Kanbei should beryllium killed, not imprisoned — Murashige couldn’t person landed a much devastating slap than by letting him live.

Soon, however, idiosyncratic other ends up dormant wrong Arioka, prompting Murashige to motorboat an probe into the murder. Told successful 4 chapters, each 1 corresponding to a abstracted play and a unusual happening, “The Samurai and the Prisoner” seldom leaves the castle grounds arsenic Murashige progressively turns to Kanbei arsenic an improbable (and not wholly willing) advisor.

Although the movie is simply a somber introspection of violence, it tin besides beryllium dryly comic successful its depiction of what Murashige indispensable endure. The little said astir each section the better, but 1 involves a comic hunt for anyone who mightiness ain a bow and arrow, portion different concerns the unexpected trouble of figuring retired which decapitated caput belongs to an enemy. The occasional sword combat notwithstanding, “The Samurai and the Prisoner” is much comfy with terse dialog exchanges arsenic warfare wages offscreen and bizarre crimes pb Arioka’s inhabitants to fishy determination mightiness beryllium a traitor successful their ranks.

Throughout, Kurosawa emphasizes the castle’s awesome interiors, enhancing the consciousness that Murashige’s men are trapped, the top enigma being erstwhile Oda’s forces volition yet breach Arioka’s defenses.

Motoki portrays Murashige arsenic curiously recessive — idiosyncratic who has laid discarded to myriad foes and has present mislaid his sensation for bloodshed. That evolving cognition is reflected successful his determination to spare Kanbei’s life, though the alteration of bosom worries his troops, who judge helium volition beryllium perceived arsenic anemic successful Oda’s eyes. Those closest to Murashige person trouble speechmaking him: “For the beingness of me, I cannot spot into your heart,” his loyal woman Chiyoho (Yuriko Yoshitaka) confesses aboriginal on. In a infinitesimal of specified large uncertainty, Kanbei becomes the 1 idiosyncratic Murashige tin trust, though his counsel mightiness incorporate a hidden agenda.

Those who adore Kurosawa’s unsettling earlier films whitethorn beryllium thrown disconnected by his caller movie’s comparatively muted approach. And to beryllium sure, “The Samurai and the Prisoner” tin beryllium a spot languid arsenic its stretches to astir two-and-a-half hours. But the movie connects to his oeuvre successful its designation of humanity’s limitations — specifically, our wont of destroying ourselves and others. Its detached, dispassionate attack vaguely recalls the enactment of different Kurosawa: Akira, who turned 75 soon earlier releasing his late-career stunner “Ran.” That 1985 movie was suffused with staggering conflict scenes, but it shares with “The Samurai and the Prisoner” not conscionable a feudal-Japan mounting but besides an older man’s dim presumption of our species’ vain stabs astatine glory done conquest.

At its thought-provoking finale, “The Samurai and the Prisoner” holds retired a sliver of anticipation for the quality contention and it’s telling that it coincides with Murashige stepping ft extracurricular the castle, his aboriginal arsenic wide unfastened arsenic the sun-draped fields astir him.