Janus FilmsIn 1578, Lord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki), the head of the Setssu clan, has his back against the wall. Janus FilmsMurashige’s decision to keep Kanbei captive rather than kill him—as is dictated by samurai code—is an initial sign that he doesn’t play by the rules. To wit: by chaining up rather than beheading Kanbei, Murashige signals to Nobunaga that Kanbei must have switched sides—an insinuation that puts Kanbei’s son (who remains in Nobunaga’s care) in grave trouble. The Samurai and the Prisoner has the formal confidence one expects from the Japanese filmmaker, and its poised construction smartly contrasts with Murashige’s increasingly tumultuous reality. There’s a certain modernity to The Samurai and the Prisoner’s portrait of Murashige, who’s cast as a thoughtful leader determined to ascertain a peaceful way out of his quandary.