Prisoners of the Ghostland is a painfully unique American action/horror extravaganza directed by Sion Sono and starring the ever-versatile Nicholas Cage. The plots centers upon a hilarious freak accident involving a bus containing violent prisoners and a truck pulling highly volatile nuclear waste—all taking place within the radioactive wasteland of Samurai Town, an interesting (if putrid) mixture of feudal Japan and the Wild West. Samurai Town is ruled by a sadistic despot known as “Governor” (Bill Moseley), who tasks a previously imprisoned, hardened bank robber, referred to only as “Hero” (Nicholas Cage), to retrieve one of his runaway “granddaughters” Bernice (Sofia Boutella), whom he has enslaved for sex. This mission is a dangerous one, as inhabitants of Samurai Town refer to the outside region as Ghostland, where rumor tells of radioactive ghouls that roam freely, striking fear and terror into all who dare enter.
Now, of course, no one would ever willingly set foot into Ghostland, where the odds of being brutally murdered by crazed avengers are as high as a katana is sharp. Hero, however, is motivated by a one-piece leather suit laced with explosives on the neck, arms . . . and testicles. (The word testicles is fittingly plural in this instance, as the suit literally features one bomb per testicle, a detail for which the costume department deserves a shoutout.) As such, knowing it would be a huge “pain in the balls” not accomplish his task, Hero sets forth into Ghostland, hellbent on retrieving the lost Bernice and keeping his body intact. So, yes, the story is pretty nuts (no pun intended).
All threats of bodily (i.e., genital) mutilation aside, if you’re looking for a confusing ride lightly sprinkled with engaging action sequences, katana fights, and violence, then you’re in the right place. If you’re looking for a cohesive and engaging narrative that utilizes the great talent it has conscripted, then you may be a little disappointed. The story takes you from a typical bank robbery-gone-awry all the way to a radioactive, Mad-Max-style checkered flag, with quite a few flat tires and red flags along the way. This isn’t to say that Prisoners of the Ghostland is devoid of cool parts, as there are quite a few visually engaging elements at play. The choreography is generally on point, and the fighting is fun to look at, though the violence could have been a bit more exaggerated to match the obviously exaggerated tone of the film. The ending didn’t tie a whole lot up in terms of what would become of Samurai Town after the events of the film—nor did it do much to explain how the characters arrived there in the first place—but hey, swords and testicle bombs, am I right?
You can catch Prisoners of the Ghostland Shudder, but remember, “no one escapes the ghostland,” by which they really mean that “no one escapes the ghostland fully satisfied.” You’ve been warned!