| Samurai Marathon | |
| Director: | Bernard Rose |
| Producer: | Jeremy Thomas Toshiaki Nakazawa |
| Screenplay: | Bernard Rose Hiroshi Saito Kikumi Yamagishi |
| Starring: | Takeru Satoh Nana Komatsu Mirai Moriyama Shōta Sometani Munetaka Aoki Naoto Takenaka Danny Huston Etsushi Toyokawa Hiroki Hasegawa |
| Music: | Philip Glass |
| Cinematography: | Takuro Ishizaka |
| Distributor: | Well Go USA Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 104 minutes |
| Country: | Japan United Kingdom |
| Language: | Japanese English |
is a 2019 Japanese-British historical action adventure film co-written and directed by Bernard Rose and starring Takeru Satoh, Nana Komatsu and Mirai Moriyama. It is based on the 2014 novel The Marathon Samurai: Five Tales of Japan’s First Marathon by Akihiro Dobashi, itself inspired by the origin story of the Ansei Toashi 30-km footrace held annually in Annaka City.[1]
In 1855, a daimyo sends his men on a grueling marathon to discover if they're tough enough to face the newly arrived Americans. Misunderstanding his intent, the Shogun dispatches assassins. [2]
The film was released in theaters in Japan in February 2019.[4] It was later featured at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2019.[5] Well Go USA Entertainment acquired North American distribution rights to the film in July 2019.[6] The film was released on VOD and digital platforms in May 2020.[7] It was also released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the United States on July 21, 2020.[8]
The film has rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[9] James Hadfield of The Japan Times awarded the film three stars out of five.[1]