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poster of The Last Samurai
Rating: 7.584/10 by 6553 users

The Last Samurai (2003)

Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.

Directing:
  • Edward Zwick
  • Jayne-Ann Tenggren
  • Allen Kupetsky
  • Nilo Otero
Writing:
  • John Logan
  • John Logan
  • Edward Zwick
  • Marshall Herskovitz
Stars:
Release Date: Fri, Dec 05, 2003

Rating: 7.584/10 by 6553 users

Alternative Title:
Poslednji samuraj - RS
Samurai - US
The Last Samurai: Bushidou - US
Ostatni Samuraj - PL
ラスト・サムライ:2003 - JP
El último samurái - ES

Country:
New Zealand
United States of America
Language:
English
日本語
Runtime: 02 hour 34 minutes
Budget: $140,000,000
Revenue: $456,800,000

Plot Keyword: japan, samurai, swordplay, general, sense of guilt, war veteran, sword, war crimes, loss of loved one, self-discovery, arms deal, homeland, katana, emperor, language barrier, mountain village, foreign legion, insurgence, mercenary, campaign, leader, war strategy, gettysburg, slaughter, soldier, period drama, alcoholic, u.s. soldier, japanese army, warrior, 19th century, war trauma
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Tom Cruise
Nathan Algren
Ken Watanabe
Moritsugu Katsumoto
Timothy Spall
Simon Graham
Tony Goldwyn
Col. Benjamin Bagley
Billy Connolly
Zebulon Gant
Togo Igawa
General Hasegawa
William Atherton
Winchester Rep
Chad Lindberg
Winchester Rep Assistant
Scott Wilson
Ambassador Swanbeck
Ray Godshall Sr.
Convention Hall Attendee
Masashi Odate
Omura's Companion
John Koyama
Omura's Bodyguard
Shintaro Wada
Young Recruit
Seizō Fukumoto
Silent Samurai
Shoji Yoshihara
Sword Master
Kosaburo Nomura IV
Kyogen Player #1
Takashi Noguchi
Kyogen Player #2
Noguchi Takayuki
Kyogen Player #3
Sven Toorvald
Omura's Secretary
Yuki Matsuzaki
Soldier in Street #1
Mitsuyuki Oishi
Soldier in Street #2
Jiro Wada
Soldier in Street #3
Yusuke Myochin
Sword Master's Assistant
Hiroaki Amano
Samurai Ensemble
Kenta Daibo
Samurai Ensemble
Koji Fujii
Samurai Ensemble
Makoto Hashiba
Samurai Ensemble
Shimpei Horinouchi
Samurai Ensemble
Takashi Kora
Samurai Ensemble
Shane Kosugi
Samurai Ensemble
Takeshi Maya
Samurai Ensemble
Seiji Morita
Samurai Ensemble
Lee Murayama
Samurai Ensemble
Takeru Shimizu
Samurai Ensemble
Shinji Suzuki
Samurai Ensemble
Hisao Takeda
Samurai Ensemble
Ryoichiro Yonekura
Samurai Ensemble
Ryoichi Noguchi
Samurai Ensemble

TopKek

Edward Zwick's "The Last Samurai" is about two warriors whose cultures make them aliens, but whose values make them comrades. The battle scenes are stirring and elegantly mounted, but they are less about who wins than about what can be proven by dying. Beautifully designed, intelligently written, acted with conviction, it's an uncommonly thoughtful epic. Its power is compromised only by an ending that sheepishly backs away from what the film is really about. Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe co-star, as a shabby Civil War veteran and a proud samurai warrior. Cruise plays Nathan Algren, a war hero who now drifts and drinks too much, with no purpose in life. He's hired by Americans who are supplying mercenaries to train an army for the Japanese emperor, who wants to move his country into the modern world and is faced with a samurai rebellion. The role of the samurai leader Katsumoto (Watanabe) is complex; he is fighting against the emperor's men, but out of loyalty to the tradition the emperor represents, he would sacrifice his life in an instant, he says, if the emperor requested it. But Japan has been seized with a fever to shake off its medieval ways and copy the West, and the West sees money to be made in the transition: Representatives from the Remington arms company are filling big contracts for weapons, and the U.S. Embassy is a clearinghouse for lucrative trade arrangements. Into this cauldron Algren descends as a cynic. He is told the samurai are "savages with bows and arrows," but sees that the American advisers have done a poor job of training the modernized Japanese army to fight them. Leading his untried troops into battle, he is captured and faces death -- but is spared by a word from Katsumoto, who returns him as a prisoner to the village of his son.

r96sk

Recommended. 'The Last Samurai' features some very cool and entertaining battle sequences, which are shot excellently. The premise itself is attracting, it's acted out astutely by the noteworthy cast list. It probably lasts too long, but I never truly got a feeling of it dragging out though. Tom Cruise is fantastic as Capt. Nathan Algren. It's no secret or surprise as we all know that guy can act, he adds a great deal to his character here; especially on the emotional side of things. As for what happens with Algren, it's all good even if the love interest parts are undercooked. Ken Watanabe is splendid in the role of Katsumoto, while Masato Harada (Omura) and Timothy Spall (Graham) give positive performances. It's also nice to see Billy Connolly (Gant) and Scott Wilson (Swanbeck) appear. Hans Zimmer's score is, as presumed, grand. That would be one of a number of reasons why I'd say you should watch this.

CinemaSerf

"Nathan Algren" (Tom Cruise) is a disenchanted, alcoholic Captain who, post American Civil War, is offered the chance of a fresh, lucrative, start in Japan training some raw recruits to form the basis a standing Imperial Army. He arrives and is presented to the young, forward-looking but somewhat intimidated Meiji Emperor and it subsequently becomes clear that his purpose is primarily to assist Ômura, the Prime Minister, to create a military force capable of defeating the traditionalist, but loyal, Samurai clan of "Kausumoto" (Ken Watanabe). The first skirmish doesn't quite go to plan, and "Algren" is captured. Over the harsh winter, he befriends his warlord captor and the film begins to introduce us to the honourable and upright values of the man and of his beliefs and fundamental, if at times, ruthless decency. It mixes truth with fiction in a clever, unsentimental manner - Watanabe's performance is considered and engaging as the man on the cusp of a new era which neither he, nor his people, want or understand. Cruise is clearly the man behind the concept and is to be commended for bringing this gloriously good looking story to the screen; he is not, however, especially good in the lead - the part calls for a sophistication that he, as an actor, simply doesn't possess. There is also a curious role for Scots comedian/actor Billy Connolly who originally enlists "Algren" to the cause - with an accent that is all over the place. Masato Harada delivers well as the devious Minister who, in his own way, wants his society to adapt and flourish and Shichinosuke Nakamura gives the person of the Meiji emperor a caring, aspirational vulnerability that helps give the whole film a sense of truth and authenticity. The technical standards - especially during the frequently brutal battle scene are consistently high.


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