Thanks to films like Suicide Club, Why Don’t You Play in Hell?, and Tokyo Tribe, filmmaker Sion Sono has proven himself a peerless visionary when it comes to ambitious genre storytelling, a trend which he continues with Prisoners of the Ghostland. The new film marks Sono’s first English-language film, which also enlisted one of the most unpredictable actors of his generation, Nicolas Cage, marking for what will likely be one of the year’s most surprising and entertaining efforts. Prisoners of the Ghostland premiered earlier this year at the virtual Sundance Film Festival and is slated to hit theaters and On Demand on September 17th. Check out the first trailer for the film above.
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Prisoners of the Ghostland is set in the treacherous frontier city of Samurai Town where a ruthless bank robber (Nicols Cage) is sprung from jail by wealthy warlord The Governor (Bill Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Sofia Boutella) has gone missing. The Governor offers the prisoner his freedom in exchange for retrieving the runaway. Strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within three days, the bandit sets off on a journey to find the young woman—and his own path to redemption.
Directed by the acclaimed Japanese director, Sion Sono (Why Don’t You Play in Hell?), the film was written by Aaron Hendry and Rexa Sixo Safai (Western Wonderland). The film stars Nicolas Cage (Mandy), Sofia Boutella (The Mummy), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off), Bill Moseley (Texas Chainsaw Franchise), Tak Sakaguchi (Tokyo Tribe), and Yuzuka Nakaya (The Forest of Love). Joseph Trapanese (TRON: Legacy, The Raid: Redemption, The Greatest Showman) composed the original score.
With 70 reviews calculated, Prisoners of the Ghostland sits at 76% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, which says of the film, “Prisoners of the Ghostland is far from Sono’s most distinctive work, but viewers in the mood for a deliriously gonzo genre mash-up featuring an explosive performance from Nicolas Cage just might have a ball.”
In Bloody Disgusting‘s review from Meagan Navarro, she notes, “There’s exciting depth bubbling beneath the surface of a wild genre effort that stands on its own. It’s smaller-scaled than expected, and its peculiar tone will be divisive, but it’s a bonkers ride that will keep you captivated throughout. There’s no weak link among the cast or crew; it’s all a preference of taste and tone. Either way, Sono’s first English language feature is a triumph for bizarro cinema.”
Prisoners of the Ghostland hits On Demand and theaters on September 17th.
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