Samurai Marathon (Japanese: サムライマラソン, Hepburn: Samurai Marason) 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][2][3]
Plot summary
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.[4]
The film was released in theaters in Japan in February 2019.[5] It was later featured at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June 2019.[7]Well Go USA Entertainment acquired North American distribution rights to the film in July 2019.[1] The film was released on VOD and digital platforms in May 2020.[8] It was also released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the United States on July 21, 2020.[2]
