When you think of samurai movies, you probably think of sword-slashing action. There are plenty of swordfights in A Samurai in Time, but they don't turn out how you might expect in this charming time-travel comedy.
A Samurai in Time is a real hidden gem. Available to rent (£3.49) and buy (£7.99) on Amazon Prime Video in the UK, this 2024 film turned its tiny budget into a surprise smash hit in Japan.
It was an audience favourite at the Fantasia Festival last year, while it carries a Rotten Tomatoes score of 100 per cent (although admittedly that is based on only seven reviews!)
The story involves a jaded samurai living in the Edo era, the setting for stories like Shogun. Drawn into a swordfight in the rain, he's struck by lightning – and then very confused to wake up surrounded by people dressed like him, but acting very strangely.
Turns out he's been zapped through time to the present day and ended up on the set of a historical drama. Luckily, he's able to put his skills to good use: by becoming a sword-swinging extra in samurai movies and TV shows.
Writer and director Junichi Yasuda planned the film while working as a rice farmer, and did pretty much everything on the film himself. The cast and crew were so small that the actor Yuno Sakura, who plays an assistant director in the story, was the actual assistant director of the real-life movie.
Yet despite the small scale of the production, A Samurai in Time works on various levels. It's a comedy, with a touch of romance. It's anchored by a touching performance from Makiya Yamaguchi as the bewildered samurai, whose 25-year career spans several historical TV and films like those depicted in the film.
His subtle but affecting acting ensures the fish-out-of-water gags are very funny, while also making us feel for this lost soul dealing with a confusing new world.
A Samurai in Time is also a loving tribute to the heritage of Japanese films and TV, in particular the nameless stunt performers who repeatedly die to make the hero look more heroic.
It's fun to see behind the scenes of this uniquely Japanese genre, but the atmosphere is also tinged with melancholy: the popularity of samurai stories ebbs and flows, with these fictional warriors in danger of disappearing like their real-life historical counterparts. And when it seems like the hapless time traveller has found a place for himself, A Samurai in Time builds to a surprisingly intense climax.
Even if you're not familiar with samurai movies, this is a heartwarming tale worth making time – and paying the nominal rental fee – for.
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