The Last Samurai (2003)

An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle.

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers:

John Logan (story), John Logan (screenplay)

Stars:

Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 62 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ken Watanabe	...	Katsumoto
Tom Cruise	...	Nathan Algren
William Atherton	...	Winchester Rep
Chad Lindberg	...	Winchester Rep Assistant
Ray Godshall Sr.	...	Convention Hall Attendee
Billy Connolly	...	Zebulon Gant
Tony Goldwyn	...	Colonel Bagley
Masato Harada	...	Omura
Masashi Odate	...	Omura's Companion
John Koyama	...	Omura's Bodyguard
Timothy Spall	...	Simon Graham
Shichinosuke Nakamura	...	Emperor Meiji
Togo Igawa	...	General Hasegawa
Satoshi Nikaido	...	N.C.O.
Shintaro Wada	...	Young Recruit

Storyline

In the 1870s, Captain Nathan Algren, a cynical veteran of the American Civil war who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing imperial army in modern warfare using firearms. The imperial Omura cabinet's first priority is to repress a rebellion of traditionalist Samurai -hereditary warriors- who remain devoted to the sacred dynasty but reject the Westernizing policy and even refuse firearms. Yet when his ill-prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. Badly wounded Algren's courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto spare his life; once nursed to health he learns to know and respect the old Japanese way, and participates as advisor in Katsumoto's failed attempt to save the Bushido tradition, but Omura gets repressive laws enacted- he must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when ...

---

Plot Keywords:

samurai | japan | emperor | honor | captain | 

---

Taglines:

In the face of an enemy, in the Heart of One Man, Lies the Soul of a Warrior.

---

Genres:

Action | Drama | History | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and battle sequences

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Warner Bros. [Spain]

Country:

USA New Zealand Japan

Language:

English Japanese

Release Date:

5 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Samurai

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$140,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$2,630,243 (Japan) (5 December 2003)

Gross:

$111,110,575 (USA) (4 April 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros., Bedford Falls Company, The, Cruise/Wagner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This not only marks the first time Ken Watanabe starred in an American-made film, but it is also the first time he spoke English in a film.

---

Goofs

Nobutada's blood around his mouth disappears and then reappears while talking to his father before his death.

---

Quotes

Simon Graham: [first lines]
Simon Graham: [narrating] They say Japan was made by a sword. They say the old gods dipped a coral blade into the ocean, and when they pulled it out four perfect drops fell back into the sea, and those drops became the islands of Japan. I say, Japan was made by a handful of brave men. Warriors, willing to give their lives for what seems to have become a forgotten word: honor.

---

Crazy Credits

The opening Warner Bros. logo is light blue on a solid black background.

---

Connections

Referenced in Chris Stuckmann Movie Reviews: Complete Blu-Ray Collection (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Kagura-No-Netori
Performed by Tokyo Gakuso
Courtesy of Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.

User Reviews

Wonderful Film

I disagree with a lot of the reviews of this film. Yes, it is true that it does glorify a lifestyle in an exaggerated and unfairly sublime way, but I think we're missing the point. This film is romanticism vs. modernism. It's purity vs. corruption. It's not so much the premise or believability, but the substance behind it.

Tom Cruise is an actor who is both idolized (by fans) and ridiculed (by critics) In this film he dazzles us as a drunken U.S General haunted by a bloody past. I was pushing for him to get an Oscar Nod, but alas, None came. "The Last Samurai" wasn't particularly well received and that was disconcerting to me. I'd recommend it to anyone with a taste for romance and for anyone who simply longs for a little less "celebrity wedding" and a little more "help the old lady across the road".