User reviews

Samurai Marathon is apparently based on a true story, or, at least, on true events. That is why the movie was just a bit ... I wouldn't say boring but it lacked intensity. Usually, with samurai movies you expect action scenes that can take your breath away, wonderful speeches about greatness and deep emotions. Here, you get nice characters, but a flat story.

The action scenes were okay, but just a bit boring. The characters, moreover, were interesting, but they were too many to follow and that's why the movie couldn't handle them and they ended up falling through the cracks and disappearing.

The performances, as expected, were brilliant. The movie was packed with Japan's big names (I mean Sato Takeru was one of the leads and that is enough reason to watch this one).

So, overall, six out of ten.

As a big fan of the golden age of chanbara I've been enjoying the recent revival of Samurai movies that possibly started as far back as Samurai Fiction and the Castle of Owls remake and then got its big push with Kitano's Zatoichi adaptation. However despite their creative new take on the genre even the best recent chanbara like shinobi no kuni, sanada ten braves, sekigahara or Tsukamoto's Killing usually suffer from many internal inconsistencies in tone and quality which prevents them from truly ushering in an era of new classics if you will.

Samurai Marathon is among the first to feel like a complete movie. Great acting and production value, lots of drama, sprinkles of humour and warmth, meaningful action scenes and a memorable score by freaking Philip Glass(!?!). I didn't expect much but I was pleasantly surprised.

The movie starts off deliberately slow, introducing all the characters and their little rural castle town one by one, you'd think this will just be a fairly light-hearted feel-good movie set to the backdrop of the waning years of the Samurai rule in feudal Japan. Each character has their own motivations why they would want to win the marathon. The price: they can ask whatever they wish from their lord. Some are in it for selfish reasons, others just want a better life for their families. The stakes are already high enough here when the movie starts to shift gears dramatically once the marathon starts, introducing a deadly threat to the entire town that is bigger than each characters' troubles combined. I'm not going to give the plot away but the last third is legitimately tense without ever feeling forced.

Part of what brings all the elements together so well is veteran Bernard Rose's expert direction. He has a real sensibility for the genre and for japanese culture. It never feels like you're watching a movie by a foreign director. The pacing comes off like a throwback to older chanbara movies leaving lots of space inbetween action scenes, where you can just soak in the atmosphere and the beauty of the landscapes. The DP here was Takuro Ishizaka who also lent his hand to the underrated Sakuran and the live action Rurouni Kenshin films. There is other miscellaneous personnel overlap most notably in main actor Takeru Sato, but the whole cast is on point, the biggest standout for me being relative newcomer Nana Komatsu.

This is one movie to check out. Enjoyable from beginning to end, sometimes funny, sometimes violent, sometimes dramatic. A full package.

Partially based upon historical events, Bernard Rose's Samurai Marathon portrays how a Japanese lord sends his men on an exhausting run to get them prepared for a potential attack by Western forces after centuries of isolation. The movie follows different characters involved in the marathon such as a boy attempting to honour his father, a conflicted spy whose loyalty gets tested and a rebellious princess longing for freedom. The main plot revolves around a misunderstanding as the military dictator misunderstands the marathon as a rebellion and sends his assassins to murder the feudal lord.

The movie convinces on quite a few levels. The settings are chosen with care and bring feudal Japan to life in an authentic way that will please historians despite a few minor inaccuracies. The different characters have depth and make the story diversified. The plot includes a few interesting twists and turns. The final thirty minutes are intense and feature some realistic fighting scenes. The vibrant score is epic and enhances the movie's menacing atmosphere.

However, the film isn't without its flaws. The introduction to the different characters and settings takes half an hour which makes for a somewhat plodding start. There are no noteworthy action scenes until the sixty-sixth minute. Those who are expecting a gripping sword fighting movie might be disappointed. This movie is a surprisingly slow paced drama with some action elements in the final third. Especially the ending should have been more intense as the film rather fades out than ends with a bang.

In the end, Samurai Marathon is recommended to those interested in Japanese culture, history and traditions. The diversified characters and dynamic story make for a convincing drama. The movie however also has its lengths and fails to leave a deeper impression. It certainly disappoints if you have been expecting an action film from the misleading trailers. The movie recalls samurai movies from the fifties and sixties by Kurosawa Akira, Misumi Kenji and Uchida Tomu.

C'mon man. I give it a solid 8. The Japanese film makers are really just masters at story telling. This is a great story with numerous side-stories of a remote Japanese regional "Lord" ordering a Marathon to his retainers, as he is supicious of the newly arrived Americans and wants to see if his retainers are in shape. There has been peace in Japan at this point well over 200 years. The Big Shogun gets a mistake message sent to him by one of his spies that the guy is preparing to war with Shogun, so Shogun sends out some assassins with American-gifted pistols...it is impeccably acted and photographed, a nuanced story that is historic, amusing and just hints at tragedy in a very clever way. Not everything has to be special effects and blazing action. A good story is the root and DNA of film, more thn anything else.

I'm used to seeing Japanese movies which are way over-the-top and crazy. I'm thinking of Machine Girl, Prison School, Battle Royale, etc. But some of their movies are sort of a documentation of Japanese history and culture. This one was presented with both a sense of drama, and a sense of humor. This movie is high quality. I gave it only six stars; because I rate movies on how much I enjoyed them, not on their perceived quality. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site.

This historical Japanese action/drama is a good story and reasonably well acted. However, the one issue that I believe lets it down is the translation. It always appears ,based on actors replies to other comments, that more has been said, or explained. Thus pertinent information is missing. These omissions probably would have given greater depth to the movie and may have enjoyed it more.

When the credits roll and the show is over, one feels like they have actually run through the beautiful landscapes of the Yamagata Prefecture, thanks to remarkable lights and a superb cinematography. With a balanced mix of humor, action and tragic moments, Bernard Rose has managed to release something personal, beyond the parody and tribute to the genre. The ensemble cast is superb, the young actors and the more experienced ones are all popular stars in Japan.

I pretty much enjoyed this flick. It was a pretty simple story, bunch of ppl wanted to go on a healthy run, they all have their reasons, the local Lord wants everyone to be at peak physical condition after seeing the incoming westerners and their weapons, promises the winner a gift/request of their choice. Then drama. Especially that last half hour when the stakes get high and the direction gets intense. As a film its pretty engaging, as a Samurai film not like Blade of the Immortal level of swordplay, the characters feel pretty tragic and likeable. I give it my 9/10 because 6 is way too low, 8 is more accurate.

A masterpiece. Nothing is misplaced in this film. I saw a trailer and within the first 20 seconds I stopped watching from sheer excitement. I had an inkling it was going to be brilliant - the reason being; it reminded me of Battle Royal (2000) directed by Kinji Fukusaku. Being a hardcore martial arts fan, I highly recommend this film. Great plot and I reiterate, there is nothing misplaced - so you will find the action is in exactly the right place, the score is also exceptional.

It is literally a film about a marathon, so there's not much action. It is interesting though, to see people cheat in the marathon even back then!

This was a good movie. And I mean good like the way movies made for people that don't exclusively watch martial arts movies are good, not good as in there was lots of abs and action so I enjoyed it. In fact, not much abs and minimal action, just a good film.

There were interesting characters, it was well shot and directed, the story was interesting. I really enjoyed it. I am a long distance runner though, so maybe that had something to do with my enjoyment.

The fresh acting of young actors was good. well. ... something good

If u a lover of Anime, you'll really enjoy this One. A Japanese twist of Vantage Point (if u remember that flick) Without getting too technical, it's a Really good watch 👏🏾😎

I don't know what's more surprising: that this should be a co-production between Japan and the United Kingdom, or that it's co-written and directed by the same man who gave us the modern horror classic 'Candyman.' For good measure, add in recognizable American actor Danny Huston, and American composer Philip Glass. More concerning is how terribly heavy-handed the picture is from the outset, making a poor first impression, and the character writing, scene writing, and direction that - somewhat being both blunt and cheekily playful, and amplified or embellished for dramatic effect - readily intone modern U. S. or British cinema more than the sensibilities of modern Japanese period pieces, let alone classic jidaigeki that count among some of the very best films ever made. Furthermore, I can't help but wonder if the production values of 'Samurai marathon' aren't too pristine and flawless for its own good, as there can be a very thin line between perfection on the one hand, and sterility and contrivance on the other, especially where modern cinema is concerned. The very first instance of violence that we see rather accentuates all these points.

Now, maybe given Rose's career in the American and British film industries, there was never any chance that he could have echoed the supremacy of Kurosawa Akira, Kobayashi Masaki, Inagaki Hiroshi, or for a more recent example, Yamada Yoji. Maybe it should be fully acceptable that Rose brings modern western sensibilities of movies to this co-production. Maybe I lean too hard on my past experiences with movies of all stripes; maybe I'm nitpicking, and being too harsh. After all, even as these issues are foremost for me in the viewing experience, I do not doubt the earnestness of anyone's intent, it's certainly not as if the feature is poorly made, and none of these matters are so severe as to completely dampen the overall quality. So what if there are clashes to some degree between the period setting, the modern sensibilities, and the styles of East and West? Glass is a reliably great composer and his score here is lovely, scrutinize as we may how it fits in; just as one way or another the production values at large meet the highest standards of the twenty-first century, Ishizaka Takuro's cinematography is faithfully crisp, vivid, and smart. Imperfect and sometimes even gawky as the screenplay may be as Rose co-writes with Saito Hiroshi and Yamagishi Kikumi - adapting Dobashi Akihiro's novel - the story is compelling and absorbing, with many moving parts at a major turning point in Japan's history. I've no doubt that the prose is more rich, expansive, and fully fleshed out, as is routinely the case when such works are adapted to the screen, but in and of itself 'Samurai marathon' is engaging, enjoyable, and keeps us watching.

There are airs of drama and adventure (and light touches of humor) that are not sullied by any amount of hard-nosed assessment, and as the course of events progress with all these characters we're firmly invested to see just where it's all going to end up. There is a world of potential in the saga of a daimyo concerned by the arrival of Commodore Perry; an overzealous spy who misunderstands the daimyo's intentions as he tests the prowess of the samurai in his domain with a marathon; and the competing interests, motivations, and personalities of all figures herein. Him and haw as one may, that potential is met much more than it is not. There is much to admire in these hundred-odd minutes, and the feature really is well made. The filming locations are gorgeous, and so to is the production design and art direction; like care was poured into even the costume design, hair, and makeup. Just as some moments in the writing or direction are more questionable, some are kind of altogether brilliant, and Glass' music can also claim some shrewd finesse (even as another particular, repeated piece of music is downright ill-advised). While the first example is an unfortunate counterpoint, the stunts, choreography, and action sequences are broadly fantastic as the peril to all involved grows alongside the drama. The cast give strong, commendable performances, with no one necessarily standing out above the others save for the prominence of their roles. Even the editing and sound design are pretty sharp.

In fact, all told, I quite believe 'Samurai marathon' is excellent. It's just regrettable that some key choices pointedly diminish that excellence, representing a different variety of cinema that is at odds with too much else about the title. Such issues persist all the through to the end as the last ten to twenty minutes are plagued with curious tonal peculiarities amidst outright sloppy resolution, as if Rose didn't entirely know how it all should end. I don't specifically blame Rose, nor Glass, nor co-producer Jeremy Thomas, nor anyone else, but I do wonder if it's not the case that this Japanese story would have been better off left in the hands of a purely Japanese production to tell it. Where the sum total succeeds, it is inarguably superb; where it missteps, I feel outright dismayed at how wrong it went. I really do like the picture when all is said and done, and I'm pleased to give it my recommendation - and so long as one is aware that it's a recommendation paired with an asterisk and considerable caveats, then it's well worth checking out if one has the opportunity.

Plot not very complex but still well multifaceted and structured that makes a very simple samurai marathon very interesting thanks to very beautiful gimmicks both from the point of view of the action with the whole question of the imminent battle that broke out due to a misunderstanding and also from the comic point of view which thanks to the subplot of the child with the old man manages to lighten the film well. So we can say that the film is very nice and very entertaining by dragging the viewer well into all the subplots, giving each one the time and space necessary to be fully understood without giving too much importance to any particular subplot.