With uneven pacing, the film keeps pulling a viewer away numerous times and giving a false sense that you are going to be get a full-on action film but more of a group trying to survive a tough race from beginning to end and trying to push each other to complete it, not knowing that assassins are planning to kill them. The film was mildly entertaining, average, nothing more and nothing less. But I do find it to be a mildly entertaining popcorn samurai film that some may feel is worth checking out.
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DIGITAL HD TITLE: Samurai Marathon
DOCUMENTARY YEAR: 2019
RUN TIME: 1:44:14
COMPANY: Well Go USA
Digital Release Date: May 12, 2020
Based on the novel by Dobashi Akihiro
Directed by Bernard Rose
Screenplay by Bernard Rose, Saito Hiroshi, Yamagishi Kikumi
Produced by Iguchi Takashi, Ikegami Tsutakasa, Ohno Takahiro, Sasaki Motoi, Yagi Seiji, Jeremy Thomas, Zushi Kensuke
Executive Producer: Yu Haifeng, Hatanaka Tatsuro, Kameyama Keiji, Kano Takaya, Kimura Masaaki, Toizumi Minoru, Watanabe Koichi, Yamada Hiroyuki, Yoda Tatsumi, Yoshizaki Keiichi
Music by Philip Glass
Cinematography by Ishizaka Takuro
Edited by Kamitsuna Mako
Casting by Anjo Yasuko
Production Design by Sasaki Takashi
Set Decoration by Sato Takayuki
Costume Design by Wada Emi
Starring:
Satoh Takeru as Karasawa Jinnai
Komatsu Nana as Princess Yuki/Kumanosuke
Moriyama Mirai as Tsujimura Heikuro
Sometani Shota as Uesugi Hironoshin
Aoki Munetaka as Ueki Yoshikuni
Kohata Ryu as Hayabusa
Koseki Yuta as Saburo
Takenaka Naoto as Jurita Mataemon
Tsutsui Mariko as Fukumoto Kiyo
Kadowaki Mugi as Karasawa Yui
Abe Junko as Uesugi Shiori
Nakagawa Taishi as The Interpreter/Fujii
From award-winning director Bernard Rose comes SAMURAI MARATHON, the action-adventure flick with a samurai twist debuting on Digital May 12 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Rose — whose wildly diverse career has spanned horror classics (Candy Man), historical romances (Anna Karenina) and indie dramas (Ivans xtc) — co-wrote the screenplay with Japan’s Hiroshi Saito and Kikumi Yamagishi based on the novel The Marathon Samurai: Five Tales of Japan’s First Marathon. Inspired by a race still held yearly, the film follows an aging lord who challenges his samurai to a grueling marathon—joined covertly by his daughter—and the group must overcome deadly odds to survive. SAMURAI MARATHON stars Takeru Satoh (Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter), Nana Komatsu (The World of Kanako, Silence), Mirai Moriyama (Rage, Vision), Shota Sometani (First Love) and Danny Huston (X-Men Wolverine, TV’s “Yellowstoneâ€).
The following review is the Digital HD version that was presented to me by Kino Lorber. This is NOT the Blu-ray version.
From English filmmaker and screenwriter Bernard Rose (“Candyman”, “Paperhouse”, “Anna Karenina”) comes a Japanese produced historical drama titled “Samurai Marathon”.
The film is a fictional story based on when the kurofune (black ships) from the United States came to Japan at Edo Bay in 1853 came to Japan with a total of four warships led by Commodore Perry threatening Japan that they would attack the country if they do not trade with the West.
For Japan, who has done what they can to close the country and shut off from the outside world, as the Japanese saw the Americans as Barbarians, there is talk that all Samurai may be called to prepare for war.
Lord Itakura (portrayed by Hasegawa Hiroki) is not phased by the arrival of the Americans but he wants the samurai to prove themselves in a test to take part in a 37-mile marathon.
But unknown to Lord Itakura, a ninja clan who has mysteriously and secretly have spied on the villagers to report back to the shogun and the Karasawa Jinnai (portrayed by Satoh Takeru), who is spying, misinterprets the marathon race as a call to arms, which leads the capital to dispatch a squad of assassins and bandits to quell the uprising. For Jinnai, realizing how wrong he was and knows he must make things right.
Within the village is a Usesugi Hironoshin (portrayed by Sometani Shota), who has a goal of joining the warrior class and will be participating in the race.
Meanwhile Lord Itakura (portrayed by Hasegawa Hiroki) wants his daughter Princess Yuki (portrayed by Komatsu Nana) to marry his veteran retainer Tsujimura Heikuro (portrayed by Moriyama Mirai).
But not even caring about his daughter’s interests, Princess Yuki leaves home, has cut her hair and gets rid of her kimono and dresses as a warrior who intends to join the race.
Before I go on with my review, let me first say that this film is fictional and there was no marathon among samurai’s to prove their worth to their lord. Second, it’s important to know that the writer of this film, Dobashi Akihiro, is the same man who wrote the 2014 film “Samurai Hustle”, another film about a race against time.
With that being said, one has to have an open mind when watching “Samurai Marathon”. To think that there is a film that kicks off with the factual black ships with black steam from the burned coals and the fear of the Japanese who saw them is a true story.
The story of Commodore Perry threatening the Japanese that the Americans would burn the city to the ground is a true story.
Was there an actual samurai marathon? It is true that the lord of Annaka Domain during the Edo period organized a race of 27.5 km to train feudal retainers and the race, Ansei Toashi continues in the second Sunday of May in the region.
So, when you watch the film’s first half hour, seeing the storyline about a possible uprising, samurai’s and ninja spy’s, the first thing that comes to mind is a storyline full of action and violence. But that’s not the case. As evident of the title of this film and people who were wondering why the title “Samurai Marathon” is being used, the second half of the film shows Samurai trying to prove their worth to the Lord by taking part in a major race, not knowing that assassins are going to attack them.
This sudden shift of storyline from an engrossing story, to a race and then later to actual acting sequences and back to a race, made the film feel out of place. And when the race begins, you just wonder how long is the film going to focus on the race and how long will it take to get to some action!
There are some qualities of the film that made it entertaining. You have notable talents such as actor Toyokawa Etsushi, Satoh Takeru, Sometani Shota, fashion model Komatsu Nana who are featured in the film. You also have Danny Huston taking on the role of Commodore Perry.
I felt cinematographer Ishizaka Takurao did a wonderful job in with the overall capturing of the race and fillmaker Bernard Rose was able to focus on the actors as an ensemble, instead as individuals but how to make an entertaining film to captivate viewers on the basis of a samurai race? Also a big kudos to Philip Glass for the captivating music!
With the cheering Japanese similar to a marathon, the film’s storyline felt as if it was a film released to time itself of the recently postponed Tokyo Olympics.
With that being said, as I mentioned, the film is fictional and to bring together a samurai film with a marathon just doesn’t seem like it would work, thanks to Bernard Rose, he manages to make it entertaining. But it’s like enjoying part 1 and part 3, while being bored of part 2.
With uneven pacing, the film keeps pulling a viewer away numerous times and giving a false sense that you are going to be get a full-on action film but more of a group trying to survive a tough race from beginning to end and trying to push each other to complete it, not knowing that assassins are planning to kill them.
The film was mildly entertaining, average, nothing more and nothing less. But I do find it to be a mildly entertaining popcorn samurai film that some may feel is worth checking out.