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The Last Samurai (2003) 7.7
Ratings:
7.7/10 from 209,841 users
Metascore: 55/100
Reviews: 900 user | 184 critic | 44 from Metacritic.com An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle. Director:Edward Zwick |
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Title: The Last Samurai (2003)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Ken Watanabe | ... | ||
| Tom Cruise | ... | ||
| William Atherton | ... | ||
| Chad Lindberg | ... | ||
 |
Ray Godshall Sr. | ... | |
| Billy Connolly | ... | ||
| Tony Goldwyn | ... | ||
| Masato Harada | ... | ||
| Masashi Odate | ... | ||
| John Koyama | ... | ||
| Timothy Spall | ... | ||
|
|
Shichinosuke Nakamura | ... | |
| Togo Igawa | ... | ||
|
|
Satoshi Nikaido | ... | |
|
|
Shintaro Wada | ... | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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 ... Written by KGF Vissers
Taglines:
In the face of an enemy, in the Heart of One Man, Lies the Soul of a Warrior.Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
Rated R for strong violence and battle sequences | See all certifications »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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Details
Country:
USARelease Date:
5 December 2003 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Samurai See more »Box Office
Budget:
$140,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend:
$136,898 (Finland) (30 January 2004)Gross:
$111,110,575 (USA) (2 April 2004)Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
Edit
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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Performed by Tokyo Gakuso
Courtesy of Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Japan's first Caucasian samurai was actually an Englishman named William Adams, born in 1564 in Gillingham, Kent, UK. He was a sailor and fought the Spanish Armada not long before he left for the far East when he eventually was taken by Samurai and refused to leave Japan because of his ship making qualities. Lord Ieyasu gave him two swords, the trade mark of a samurai because he was of great asset to Ieyasu. See more »Goofs
At the beginning of the film, the narrator says a "sword" was dipped into the sea and the four islands of Japan were formed. This is factually incorrect; it was actually a jewelled spear, called Ame no nuhoko and is detailed in the Kojiki, the book of the Shinto faith. See more »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.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The opening Warner Bros. logo is light blue on a solid black background. See more »Connections
Referenced in The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Marshall Herskovitz (2007) See more »Soundtracks
"Kagura-No-Netori"Performed by Tokyo Gakuso
Courtesy of Columbia Music Entertainment, Inc.
See more »
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".