by Alex Billington
June 25, 2026
Source: YouTube
“Believe in me! Believe in our castle’s strength!” Janus Films has revealed their main official US trailer for the film The Samurai and the Prisoner, the acclaimed Japanese samurai murder mystery film made by maestro filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa. I’ve been posting multiple trailers for this already over the last few months, under the original Japanese title Kokurojo, also Kokurojo: The Samurai and the Prisoner in full. It premiered in Cannes and will be released in US theaters soon. A gripping, large-scale psychological mystery set in the Warring States period, where the conflicting ambitions of various characters collide! A murder in the castle’s closed room as well as a series of other bizarre incidents. The lord and his imprisoned genius strategist confront the mystery. Starring Masahiro Motoki, Masaki Suda, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Takashi Aoki, Ryota Miyadate, Tasuku Emoto, and Joe Odagiri. Set during the Feudal era in Japan, this is Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s very first period piece feature film. This looks like an intense and thrilling tale set in the past. The film premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival to many good reviews and is releasing in US theaters starting in July – not very long of a wait at all. Reviews describe it as “a work that feels a bit like Agatha Christie, a bit like Shakespeare, and even a bit like Samurai Columbo.” Sounds great! Watch below.
Official US trailer (+ poster) for Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s film The Samurai and the Prisoner, via YouTube:
You can rewatch the main JP trailer for Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Kokurojo film right here + first teaser trailer.
When Lord Murashige (Masahiro Motoki) rises up against the tyrannical Oda, 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, a brilliant & dangerous strategist held prisoner in the dungeon, as he must outwit his enemies and uncover the truth before time runs out. The Samurai and the Prisoner, also known as Kokurojo or 黒牢城 in Japanese, is written and directed by prolific Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa, director of many acclaimed films including Sweet Home, Cure, License to Live, Charisma, Pulse, Bright Future, Doppelganger, Retribution, Tokyo Sonata, Real, Seventh Code, Journey to the Shore, Creepy, Daguerrotype, Before We Vanish, To the Ends of the Earth, Wife of a Spy, Chime, Serpent’s Path, and Cloud recently. Based on Honobu Yonezawa’s “Kurojō” book. Produced by Satoko Ishida. This initially premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival out of competition. It released in Japan first on June 19th earlier this month. Janus Films opens Kurosawa’s The Samurai and the Prisoner in select US theaters starting July 31st, 2026 this summer. Want to watch this?
