It all comes down to actor Satoh Takeru to prevent the worst case scenario as a secret government agent in Candyman and Anna Karenina helmer Bernard Rose’s latest, Samurai Marathon 1855. The film is based on Dobashi Akihiro’s 2014 novel, “Bakumatsu Marason Samurai”, and currently sits as one of our Five-A-Day entries of titles to look forward to in 2019.
At the end of Edo period, a lord of Annaka clan gathers his retainers and announces to hold a marathon to train themselves for potential attacks from overseas. With a carrot dangled in front of them, retainers join the marathon to get a prize.
In the meanwhile, the central Edo government sends an assassin to kill the Annaka lord, after receiving a message from their spy Jinnai who has mistaken the assembly as a sign of rebellion. To straighten out the fatal misunderstanding, Jinnai and other retainers run desperately to save the domain head from the assassin.
Rounding out the cast are actress Komatsu Nana (The World of Kanako), Moriyama Mirai (Rage), Sometani Shota (Parasyte 1 & 2), Aoki Munetaka (Rurouni Kenshin trilogy), Takenaka Naoto (Shall We Dance?), Toyokawa Etsushi (Her Granddaughter), and Hasegawa Hiroki (Shin Godzilla). The film is produced by Jeremy Thomas, Nakazawa Toshiaki from a script by Rose and co-scribe Saito Hiroshi Saito, and features a score by Phillip Glass.
Samurai Marathon 1855 is repped internationally by Gaga and will release in Japan on February 22.
