★★★★☆ (4/5) Recommended for: History buffs, runners, and fans of Japanese cinema looking for something different. Watch it on: Available on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and select Blu-ray/DVD editions.
In the pantheon of samurai cinema, we often see stories of bloody clan wars, ritual suicide (seppuku), or the silent stoicism of a lone swordsman. But Samurai Marathon (2019) offers a refreshingly unique premise: a footrace. Samurai Marathon
The official reason? To improve physical fitness and military readiness at a time when Western "black ships" (Commodore Perry had arrived just two years earlier) threatened Japan’s isolationist policy. ★★★★☆ (4/5) Recommended for: History buffs