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The Last Samurai (2003)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
5 December 2003 (USA)
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Tagline:
In the face of an enemy, in the Heart of One Man, Lies the Soul of a Warrior.
Plot:
An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars.
Another 15 wins
&
39 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(209 articles)
'47 Ronin' Lands a Director
(From CinemaSpy. 18 November 2009, 11:00 PM, PST)
Ridley Scott's Son-In-Law Will Make Keanu Reeves A Samurai
(From Cinema Blend. 18 November 2009, 9:32 AM, PST)
(From CinemaSpy. 18 November 2009, 11:00 PM, PST)
Ridley Scott's Son-In-Law Will Make Keanu Reeves A Samurai
(From Cinema Blend. 18 November 2009, 9:32 AM, PST)
User Comments:
This bullet, or arrow?, missed its target
more (886 total)
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 |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
MPAA:
Rated R for strong violence and battle sequences.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
154 min
Country:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Malaysia:18SG |
Iceland:16 |
Canada:13+ (Quebec) |
Argentina:13 |
Australia:MA |
Brazil:14 |
Canada:14A |
Chile:14 |
Finland:K-15 |
Germany:16 (bw) |
Hong Kong:IIB |
Mexico:B |
Netherlands:16 |
New Zealand:R13 |
Norway:15 |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Singapore:PG |
South Korea:15 |
Spain:13 |
Sweden:15 |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) |
Switzerland:16 (canton of the Grisons) |
UK:15 |
USA:R (certificate #40226)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Over 500 Japanese extras, trained for 10 days at the Clifton Rugby Grounds, in New Plymouth for the lead up to the filming.
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Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Graham, Algren and Gant are examining the Japanese texts, Grant remarks that the Samurai are still wearing Armour. Graham responds to this remark by claiming that the Japanese were the most advanced people in the world while at the same time the Irish were still in loincloths, clearly an insult aimed at Gant. Billy Connolly is however Scottish as is his accent, not Irish.
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Quotes:
[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.
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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.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Samurai: The Last Warrior (2004) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
Kagura-No-Netori
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FAQ
Is Omura fired as the emperor's adviser?more
more (886 total)
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The Last Samurai is a movie about the fascination of Americans for Japanese culture, more specifically Japanese heroism. But focusing on heroism alone dangerously narrows down the subject and approaching it from an American viewpoint warps and twists it into a failure. Before explaining why, here is a short summary of the plot.
American army captain Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise, is disillusioned after participating in gruesome slaughter of native American Indians. A friend of him convinces him to come to Japan to help strike down revolts of Japanese samurai, who oppose the new Meiji government's reforms. Soon he faces them, is beaten and captured, but samurai leader Katsumoto, played by Ken Watanabe, spares his life and patiently lets him experience the Japanese lifestyle, specifically bushido, the samurai warrior code. Algren is so gripped by them that he joins their side and helps them in their final efforts to plea and fight for their cause.
This could have have been a nice movie. All ingredients are there: A period of turmoil with great historical importance, a clash of cultures, heroic warriors and of course a solid budget. But the movie never succeeds in convincing. There are a number of reasons for that. First, the acting is mediocre. Nobody really flunks, but never do you see one of them really being their character, instead of pretending to. Secondly, the plot follows a very predictable Hollywood path, never surprising, increasingly boring. The only surprise is that Algren manages to get into a romance with a Japanese lady, which is only surprising because you would not expect the writers to insert such a standard thing into a story that does not suit it at all. Thirdly, the sparse action scenes are shot with an overload of pomp and drama, similar to Mel Gibson - Braveheart / Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings style, with long drawn out views of heroes dying heroically, or should I say refusing to die for minutes on end? Especially the final battle is pathetically overdone and suggest that the only purpose of the samurai was to die with honor. Did anyone ever consider that samurai also lived lives? Some people have compared this Edward Zwick - Tom Cruise combo product to the works of Akira Kurosawa, who seems to be their own hero. My advice: If you want to see a good movie about Japanese samurai, go watch movies made by the Japanese themselves. For instance, the works of aforementioned Akira Kurosawa, who could have taught Zwick and Cruise some moves.