If you ever get struck by lightning, the chances are you won’t survive or in this case be transported across time.
This is the scenario facing titular samurai Shinzaemon, mid-battle with a ronin, who is blasted 140 years into the future thanks to a lightning strike.
From here, there is a certain amount of sincere slapstick as he gets to grips with modern society; the other caveat being he’s been thrown onto a film set of battles that mimic his former life.
Instead of real swords, he switches to fake ones and learns how to act, even taking an apprenticeship to learn. His journey of self-discovery is upended when a shadow of the past reappears, but in turn makes the plot a lot tighter in terms of storytelling.
Director Jun’ichi Yasuda excels in the more intimate scenes as well as the action scenes, which make A Samurai in Time such a unique watch.
The performance of Makiya Yamaguchi really carries the film, even in its more mundane parts.
The comedy lands really well, but there is a tragedy to Shinzaemon, as he becomes overwhelmed with things we all probably take for granted, like rice balls or television.
Its runtime of 130 minutes may seem a bit daunting to some, but once you understand what the film is doing, the duration will fly by as it is so much fun to watch.
You won’t see many films like A Samurai in Time, one of the reasons it needs to be championed.
A Samurai in Time is released on digital and Blu-ray from Third Window Films on 28 April 2025.
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