Plot Summary:In 1838, on the penal colony of Hachijo Island, the ex-courtesan Toyogiku, convicted of arson in the capital, holds court over a motley assembly of criminals and corrupt officials. There are neither cells nor guards, and the only rule is that everyone is on their own to survive. Toyogiku herself exploits the only currency available for her use: her own sexuality, in give-and-take bargaining reducing life to the absolute essentials - essentials fueled with simmering, unreleased passions. Hatred, desire, love, life and death, the joy and sorrow of being alive: human drama unfolds in the harshest of atmospheres on this solitary island in a distant sea. This marks the 2nd Directorial effort of Eiji Okuda, who won several awards internationally (A total of 8 awards including the 17th Paris Film Festival, Thessaloniki, AFI Film Festival 2002) for his first film 'Shoujyo - an adolescent', a small-town love story set among locals in modern-day Japan. Conversely, 'RUNIN' marks a 180 degree turn: shot in grand, epic-style, it is a period piece set on Hachijo Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Keiko Matsuzaka, a top rank actress in her native Japan and International Ballet Superstar Kazuhiro Nishijima makes his debut alongside her. Screenwriter Izuru Narushima and Director of Photography Hirokazu Ishii rejoin the director for their 2nd consecutive film collaboration. Conviction and creative vision of Eiji Okuda brought together both the old and the new generations of Japanese talent on this project.
天保9年（1838年），日本正处于江户时代末期。时法令严酷，任何犯罪之人都将被流放至有魔鬼岛之称的八丈岛，犯人至此九死一生。 吉原花魁丰菊（松坂庆子 饰）因纵火被流放八丈岛，这里气候炎热、水和食物资源严重不足。为了早日离开这个人间地狱，丰菊不惜出卖肉体来换取返回江户的赦免令。绝望之际，丰菊认识了因赌博罪名来到八丈岛的喜三郎（西岛千博 饰）。二人渐渐爱上对方，并希望凭借潮汐的规律逃出此地…… 本片荣获洛杉矶Method Fest电影节最佳影片、最佳导演两项大奖。
