The Last Samurai (2003)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

John Logan (story)
John Logan (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

5 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Drama | War

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.

Plot Keywords:

Samurai | Emperor | Japan | Honor | Captain

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 39 nominations

Cast

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
Shin Koyamada	...	Nobutada
Hiroyuki Sanada	...	Ujio
Shun Sugata	...	Nakao
Koyuki	...	Taka
Sosuke Ikematsu	...	Higen
Aoi Minato	...	Magojiro
Seizo 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
Scott Wilson	...	Ambassador Swanbeck
Yuki Matsuzaki	...	Soldier in Street #1
Mitsuyuki Oishi	...	Soldier in Street #2
Jiro Wada	...	Soldier in Street #3
Hiroshi Watanabe	...	Guard
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 Mori	...	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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Darin Fujimori	...	Gatling gun operator (uncredited)

Directed by
Edward Zwick

Writing credits (WGA)
John Logan		(story)
John Logan		(screenplay) and
Edward Zwick		(screenplay) &
Marshall Herskovitz		(screenplay)

Produced by
Tom Cruise	....	producer
Michael Doven	....	associate producer
Tom Engelman	....	producer
Ted Field	....	executive producer
Marshall Herskovitz	....	producer
Scott Kroopf	....	producer
Graham Larson	....	associate producer
Charles Mulvehill	....	executive producer
Yôko Narahashi	....	associate producer (as Yoko Narahashi)
Richard Solomon	....	executive producer
Paula Wagner	....	producer
Vincent Ward	....	executive producer
Edward Zwick	....	producer

Original Music by
Hans Zimmer

Cinematography by
John Toll		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Victor Du Bois		(as Victor Dubois)
Steven Rosenblum

Casting by
Victoria Thomas

Production Design by
Lilly Kilvert

Art Direction by
Christopher Burian-Mohr		(as Chris Burian-Mohr)
Jess Gonchor
Kim Sinclair

Set Decoration by
Gretchen Rau

Costume Design by
Ngila Dickson

Makeup Department
Janice Alexander	....	hair department head
James Allen	....	prosthetics coordinator
Karen Asano-Myers	....	hair stylist
Michele Barber	....	makeup artist
Jennifer Barrons	....	hair department coordinator
Jennifer Barrons	....	makeup department coordinator
Marc Boyle	....	additional hair stylist
Lois Burwell	....	makeup department head
Leo Corey Castellano	....	makeup artist
Jeffrey Cruts	....	hair technician
Maggie Elliott	....	makeup artist
Martha Fein	....	prosthetic painter
Rick Findlater	....	additional makeup artist
Sean Foot	....	prosthetic technician
Michael Germain	....	makeup artist
Hitomi Golba	....	hair stylist
Warren Hanneman	....	hair stylist
Tina Harrelson	....	makeup artist
Shaune Harrison	....	special makeup technician
Jennifer Hegarty	....	makeup artist
Catherine Heys	....	crowd makeup artist
Teressa Hill	....	assistant hair stylist
Duncan Jarman	....	prosthetic makeup artist
Connie Kallos	....	hair stylist
Michael Krehl	....	crowd makeup artist
Denise Kum	....	additional makeup artist
Colleen LaBaff	....	hair stylist
Davina Lamont	....	makeup artist
Fiona Leech	....	additional makeup artist
Waldo Mason	....	special makeup effects artist
Tracey L. Miller	....	additional makeup artist
Angela Mooar	....	additional hair stylist
Gilbert A. Mosko	....	makeup artist
Kenny Myers	....	key makeup artist
Greg Nelson	....	makeup artist
Conor O'Sullivan	....	prosthetics supervisor
Mimi Palazon	....	special makeup effects artist
Gabriella Pollino	....	hair stylist
Kath Rayner	....	prosthetic technician: Los Angeles (as Kath Rayner)
Shannon Reese	....	makeup production assistant
Stephen Rose	....	key hair stylist: crowds
Elaina P. Schulman	....	hair stylist
Loulia Sheppard	....	hair stylist
Matthew Smith	....	prosthetic makeup artist
Ron Snyder	....	makeup artist
Kimberley Spiteri	....	hair stylist
Randa Squillacote	....	assistant hair stylist
Roddy Stayton	....	hair stylist
Rick Stratton	....	makeup artist
Annie Townsend	....	hair stylist
Terrie Velasquez	....	hair stylist
Michael F. Blake	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Martin Kopulsky	....	hair stylist (uncredited)
Russell Latham	....	additional hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Anne Bruning	....	production supervisor: New Zealand
Mitchell E. Dauterive	....	production supervisor
Kevin De La Noy	....	unit production manager
Kyoko Kageyama	....	production supervisor: Japan
Charles Mulvehill	....	unit production manager
Ray Quinlan	....	unit production manager
Bill Draper	....	executive in charge of production (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Drew Bailey	....	additional third assistant director
Louise Boothby	....	off-set third assistant director
Guy Campbell	....	offset second assistant director
Gary Capo	....	second unit director
Del Chatterton	....	off-set additional third assistant director
Lisa Chu	....	dga trainee (as Lisa Chu Dietze)
Emma Cross	....	additional second assistant director
Geoff Dibben	....	key off-set second assistant director
Mathew Dunne	....	first assistant director: second unit
Kazmer Harangozo	....	additional third assistant director
Gene Keelan	....	additional third assistant director
Frank Kostenko Jr.	....	second second assistant director: Los Angeles
Allen Kupetsky	....	second assistant director
Ed Licht	....	second second assistant director (as Edward Licht)
Nilo Otero	....	first assistant director
Joanne Pearce	....	off-set additional second assistant director
Jack Steinberg	....	second second assistant director: New Zealand
Paul Sullivan	....	second assistant director: second unit
Eddie Thorne	....	third assistant director: second unit
Andrew Ward	....	second second assistant director: New Zealand
Amy Wilkins	....	additional second assistant director: New Zealand
David Williams	....	trainee assistant director
Eric Houghton	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Ronald S. Baratie	....	greens foreman
Roy Barnes	....	set designer: Los Angeles
James R. Bayliss	....	set designer: Los Angeles
John Berger	....	assistant art director
Tristan Paris Bourne	....	art director: Japan
James W. Boyce	....	set dresser
Steve Brennan	....	key on-set dresser
J.C. Brown	....	graphic designer
Thomas E. Brown	....	paint supervisor
Jon J. Bush	....	leadman
Milton Candish	....	set dresser
Peggy Casey	....	props
Sourisak Chanpaseuth	....	paint artist
Peter C. Clarke	....	assistant property master
Dan Crawley	....	props
Paul Cunningham	....	set dresser
Max Daly	....	set decoration associate
Dave DeGaetano	....	construction coordinator
Oscar Delgadillo	....	set dresser
Elizabeth Flaherty	....	assistant art director
Paul Ford	....	set decoration foreman
Nathan Franson	....	props
Christopher Glass	....	storyboard artist
John P. Goldsmith	....	set designer: Los Angeles
Adrian Gorton	....	set designer: Los Angeles
Nathan Gray	....	props assistant
David Gulick	....	property master
Ted Haigh	....	graphic designer
Troy Hannett	....	set painter
Wade Hannett	....	set painter
Ann Harris	....	set designer: Los Angeles
Brock Helfer	....	set dresser
Guy Hietala	....	set painter
Klara Holubova	....	props
Andrew L. Jones	....	model maker
Neil Kirkland	....	construction supervisor
Lori A. Lopes	....	art department coordinator: Los Angeles
Lori A. Lopes	....	props/set dressing coordinator
Simon Lowe	....	stand-by greens
Kathy Lucas	....	assistant set decorator
P.K. MacCarthy	....	storyboard artist
Ray Massa	....	paint artist
Bryan McBrien	....	greens foreman
Richard A. McCarthy	....	plaster foreman
E. Cedar McClure	....	art department coordinator
Michael McCombe	....	greensman: Japan
Frank McEldowney	....	greens coordinator
Frank McEldowney	....	greensperson
Andy McLaren	....	set dresser: New Zealand
Jean-Paul Menard	....	set dresser
Michael Mosley	....	set dressing buyer: Japan
Harry E. Otto	....	assistant art director
Anthony D. Parrillo	....	set designer: Los Angeles
Josh Patterson	....	greens foreman
Chris Peterson	....	set dressing gang boss
Ben Price	....	WETA props maker
Helen Rasmussen	....	drapery foreperson
Steve Rice	....	greens foreman
Brian Roll	....	props production assistant
Kathleen Rosen	....	buyer
Lori Rozzi	....	property maker
Liza Rudolph	....	draper
Trevor Rudolph	....	set dresser
Tommy Samona	....	set dresser
George Sartiano	....	property creator
Ugo Serrano	....	head of department prop maker
Michael Smale	....	set designer
Paul Stanwyck	....	head painter
Samuel J. Storey	....	set designer
Patte Strong-Lord	....	set designer: Los Angeles
Parker Swanson	....	assistant property master
Brent Tasker	....	stand-by greens
Philip Thomas	....	set designer
Nick Weir	....	co-lead man
Michael White	....	greens leading hand
Greg Wilkinson	....	set dresser
Helen Wilson	....	property maker
David Forline	....	blacksmith: historical reconstructions (uncredited)
Christopher Humbracht	....	propmaker (uncredited)
Francie McGirr	....	art runner (uncredited)
Michele Mulkey	....	props (uncredited)
Sid Nicholson	....	props (uncredited)
George Sartiano	....	props (uncredited)

Sound Department
Christopher Assells	....	sound effects editor
Bob Beher	....	sound editor
Anna Behlmer	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Bires	....	sound engineer
Derek Casari	....	adr engineer
David A. Cohen	....	dialogue editor
Don Coufal	....	boom operator
Robert Deschaine	....	adr mixer
Dino Dimuro	....	sound effects editor
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	dialogue editor
Victor Ray Ennis	....	first assistant sound editor (as Victor Ennis)
John P. Fasal	....	additional sound (as John Paul Fasal)
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	assistant sound editor
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Phillip A. Hamilton	....	adr recordist
Laura R. Harris	....	dialogue editor (as Laura Harris)
Craig S. Jaeger	....	supervising foley editor (as Craig Jaeger)
Kenneth L. Johnson	....	sound effects editor
Michael Kamper	....	sound designer
Michael Kamper	....	sound effects editor
Randy Kelley	....	sound effects editor
Anna MacKenzie	....	adr editor
Caitlin McKenna	....	adr editor
Michael Miller	....	adr mixer
Andy Nelson	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Ormandy	....	additional sound
Kelly Oxford	....	adr editor
Michelle Pazer	....	adr editor
Michelle Pazer	....	sound editor
Alan Rankin	....	sound effects editor
Charleen Richards	....	adr mixer (as Charleen Richards-Steeves)
Abel Schiro	....	sound utility
Frank Smathers	....	foley editor
Greg Steele	....	adr mixer
Mark P. Stoeckinger	....	supervising sound editor
Rin Takada	....	sound assistant: Japan Unit
Bruce Tanis	....	sound effects editor
Jon Title	....	sound designer
Mike Westgate	....	sound mixer
Jeff Wexler	....	production sound mixer
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley artist
Ben Wilkins	....	sound effects editor
Kerry Dean Williams	....	supervising adr editor
Craig Heath	....	sound recordist (uncredited)
Dean Hurley	....	sound apprentice (uncredited)
Bruce Maddocks	....	mastering engineer (uncredited)
Peter Michael Sullivan	....	sound designer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Alistair Anderson	....	special effects technician
Stan Blackwell	....	special effects coordinator: first unit
Stan Blackwell	....	special effects foreman
Thomas Blake	....	sculptor: creature effects
Joel P. Blanchard	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Joel Blanchard)
Dave Booth	....	special effects technician
Thomas Brown	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Thomas H. Brown)
Dean Bushby	....	special effects technician
Karl Chisholm	....	special effects technician
Dean Clarke	....	special effects technician
Peter Cleveland	....	special effects technician
Scott Conner	....	special effects
Thomas M. Craven	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Thomas 'Mike' Craven)
Val Crawford	....	hair/fur department
Jeff Cunningham	....	lab technician
Geoff Curtis	....	special effects technician
Lenny Dalrymple	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Steve Dearth	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Steven Dearth)
Kim Derry	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Joe Dunckley	....	standby armour & weapons technician
Terry Erickson	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Ian Eyre	....	special effects office coordinator
John Fagan	....	special effects technician
Doug Falconer	....	special effects technician
Guy C. Feldman	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Guy Feldman)
James Fredburg	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as James K. Fredburg)
Scott Garcia	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Oliver Gee	....	special effects assistant
Daniel Gilmore	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Flax Glor	....	special effects crew
Scott Harens	....	special effects technician
Jeremy Hays	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Brent Herrmann	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Andy Hunt	....	sculptor: creature effects
Iain Hutton	....	special effects technician
Steve Ingram	....	special effects coordinator: second unit
Giacomo Iovino	....	moulder: creature effects
Giacomo Iovino	....	sculptor: creature effects
Duncan Jarman	....	sculptor: creature effects
Andrew Kelly	....	senior animatronic technician: creature effects
Jonathan Kombrinck	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Donald Krause	....	special effects animatronics
Joseph Livolsi	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Paul J. Lombardi	....	special effects coordinator (as Paul Lombardi)
Edward Lozano	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Eduardo Lozano)
Darian Lumsden	....	special effects technician
Ronald W. Mathews	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Ron Mathews)
Scott D. Mattson	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles (as Scott Mattson)
Mike McDonald	....	special effects technician
Phil McLaren	....	special effects technician
Guy Mennano	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
John D. Milinac	....	special effects foreman
John Mowat	....	special effects technician
Jeffrey A. Okun	....	special effects director
Dan Perry	....	prosthetics makeup
David Peterson	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Rick Peterson	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Paul Pistore	....	special effects: miscellaneous weapons and props
Dean Powell	....	special effects technician
Mark A. Ramage	....	special effects lead laborer
Ken Rudell	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Duane Russell	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Mike Scanlan	....	animatronic designer
Charles Schmitz	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Robin Schoonraad	....	moulder: creature effects
Shigemori Shigeta	....	special effects technician: Japan
Yukiyoshi Shimizu	....	special effects technician: Japan
Dominic Taylor	....	special effects technician
Michael Todd	....	special effects technician: Los Angeles
Paul Verrall	....	special effects technician
William Wallace	....	special effects technician
Robert G. Willard	....	special effects foreman (as Robert Willard)
Dick Wood	....	special effects fabrication coordinator (as Richard Wood)
Dick Wood	....	special effects supervisor
Warwick Yin	....	special effects technician
Petar Zivkovic	....	special effects technician (as Peter Zivkovic)
Enrique Bilsland	....	mechanical designer (uncredited)
Evan Brainard	....	key mechanical designer: animatronic horse (uncredited)
Len Burge	....	lead sculptor: animatronic horse (uncredited)
Ben Hawker	....	prosthetic technician: Weta Workshop (uncredited)
Russ Herpich	....	weld shop supervisor (uncredited)
Matthew Jorgensen	....	sculptor: animatronic horse, stunt hoses, prop maker, tech (uncredited)
Julian Ledger	....	creature effects: painter, fabricator, sculptor on the animatronic horse (uncredited)
Carl MacLaren	....	shop coordinator: Creature Effects (uncredited)
Scott Oshita	....	MCAD consultant: animatronic horse (uncredited)
Mark Rappaport	....	special effects: animatronic horse, miscellaneous props and weapons (uncredited)
Scott Schutzki	....	model maker: props (uncredited)
Dan Smith	....	special effects electronics (uncredited)
Shaun Smith	....	special effects: prop stunt horses (uncredited)
Tom Steves	....	special effects (uncredited)
Hill Vinot	....	mold maker: creature effects (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Romulo Adriano Jr.	....	visual effects coordinator
Danny Albano	....	digital effects artist
Daphne Apellanes-Ackerson	....	roto artist: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Craig Barron	....	visual effects supervisor: Matte World Digital
Thomas Boland	....	visual effects producer (as Tom Boland)
Cosmas Paul Bolger Jr.	....	visual effects supervisor
Tatjana Bozinovski	....	digital paint/roto supervisor: Flash Film Works
Scott Brisbane	....	digital matte painter: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Steven J. Brooks	....	digital animator: Flash Film Works
Steven J. Brooks	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
John Coats	....	matte painting supervisor: Flash Film Works
Ian Cope	....	visual effects coordinator: Rising Sun Pictures
Glenn Cotter	....	3D artist: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
James Coulter	....	digital artist: Digital Dimension
Ron Crabb	....	matte painter
Tim Crosbie	....	visual effects supervisor: Rising Sun Pictures
Jason Crosby	....	visual effects artist
Crystal Day	....	visual effects assistant: Flash Film Works
Krystyna Demkowicz	....	visual effects producer: Matte World Digital
Tim Everitt	....	animation supervisor: Flash Film Works
Brian Fisher	....	compositor
Patrick Flanagan	....	digital compositor: Pixel Magic
David Fogg	....	compositing supervisor: Flash Film Works
Jessica Franks	....	visual effects assistant coordinator
Alex Fry	....	digital compositor: Rising Sun Pictures
William Gammon	....	digital compositor
David Geoghegan	....	digital optical compositor
Benoit Girard	....	visual effects supervisor: Digital Dimension (as Benoit 'Ben' Girard)
Jim Gorman	....	digital compositor
Neil Greenberg	....	visual effects editor
Daryl Habraken	....	visual effects production assistant
Jennifer Hachigian	....	CGI modeler: Flash Film Works
Sara Henschke	....	visual effects producer: Rising Sun Pictures
Lubo Hristov	....	visual effects designer/lead matte painter: Christov Effects & Design
Steve Hutchins	....	paint/roto artist: Flash Film Works
Dave Jacobs	....	visual effects production manager: Flash Film Works
Brian Jochum	....	title producer
Bryan Jones	....	compositor: Rising Sun Pictures
Brad Kalinoski	....	compositor
Patrick Keenan	....	digital artist: Pacific Title Digital
Hong Kim	....	digital effects artist
Tim Kings-Lynne	....	digital effects artist
Mark Kochinski	....	CGI modeler: Flash Film Works
Richard Kratt	....	digital compositor: Pixel Magic
Lincoln Kupchak	....	visual effects editor: Flash Film Works
Zoe Lamaera	....	digital compositor
Kip Larsen	....	visual effects producer: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Laurent Lavigne	....	pre-visuslization supervisor
George Macri	....	visual effects producer: Pixel Magic
John R. McConnell	....	digital compositor: Pixel Magic
Robert McInnis	....	visual effects executive producer: Modern VideoFilm
Ray McIntyre Jr.	....	visual effects supervisor: Pixel Magic (as Raymond McIntyre Jr.)
John P. Mesa	....	visual effects co-supervisor: Flash Film Works
William Mesa	....	visual effects supervisor: Flash Film Works
Sal Migliore	....	assistant colorist
Justin Mitchell	....	digital artist
Jerome Morin	....	visual effects producer: Digital Dimension
Darren Mortillaro	....	3D artist: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Brad Moylan	....	digital compositor: Pixel Magic
Patrick Murphy	....	digital compositor
Don Myers	....	CGI animator: Flash Film Works
Dan Novy	....	visual effects technical supervisor: Flash Film Works
Jeffrey A. Okun	....	visual effects supervisor
Marco S. Paolini	....	digital compositor
Adam Paschke	....	digital compositor
Bill Phillips	....	rotoscope artist: Flash Film Works
Monty Phillips	....	digital artist
Peter Profetto	....	3D animator
Jeremy Pronk	....	technical director: Rising Sun Pictures
Paul Rivera	....	technical artist: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Ben Roberts	....	digital compositor: Rising Sun Pictures
Ken Rogerson	....	visual effects editor: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Steve Rosenbluth	....	visual effects
Daniel Rubin	....	digital compositor: Digital Dimension
Jane Sharvina	....	modelling/texturing: Flash Film Works
Jane Sharvina	....	paint/roto artist: Flash Film Works
Mariya Shikher	....	roto/paint artist: Flash Film Works
Evan Shipard	....	digital compositor
Trent Shumway	....	digital compositor
Todd R. Smith	....	lead technical artist: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Marion Spates	....	digital effects artist: Digital Dimension
Chris Stoski	....	digital matte artist: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Ken Stranahan	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Kevin Struckman	....	CG artist: Pixel Magic
Tammy Sutton	....	compositor: Digital Dimension
Joel H. Thornton	....	digital artist
Tommy Tran	....	digital compositor
Morgan Trotter	....	3D artist: 1876 San Francisco, Matte World Digital
Olivia Tsui	....	roto/paint artist: Flash Film Works
Jeff Varga	....	digital effects artist
Leandro Visconti	....	lead compositor: Digital Dimension
Dan Walker	....	digital compositor: Flash Film Works
Don Waller	....	character animation supervisor: Flash Film Works
Emily Wallin	....	visual effects editor: Flash Film Works
Jerry Whitaker	....	roto/paint artist: Flash Film Works
Jeffrey White	....	visual effects producer: Flash Film Works
James Whitlam	....	head of production: Rising Sun Pictures Aus
Dan Wills	....	digital effects artist
John Attard	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)
Vince De Quattro	....	digital artist (uncredited)
Darius Fisher	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Melanie Franciosi	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Marlan Harris	....	rotoscope artist (uncredited)
Judith Holzman	....	compositor (uncredited)
Dave Jerrard	....	CGI modeler: Flash Film Works (uncredited)
Michael Kirylo	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)
Jason Madigan	....	digital compositor (uncredited)
Patrick Paul Mullane	....	lead compositor: VCE (uncredited)
Patrick Paul Mullane	....	matte paintings: VCE (uncredited)
Alfredo Ramirez	....	digital effects compositor: Pixel Magic (uncredited)
Andrew Romine	....	digital artist: Pixel Magic (uncredited)
Mark Spatny	....	visual effects producer: Modern VideoFilm (uncredited)

Stunts
Tomoya Abe	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Tsuyoshi Abe	....	stunt performer
Takayuki Akaike	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Daisuke Amano	....	stunt performer
Hiro Asari	....	stunt performer
Danny Baldwin	....	stunt rider
Dean Caulfield	....	stunt rider
Brett Chan	....	stunt performer (as Brent A. Chan)
Lauro Chartrand	....	co-fight arranger
Mike Ching	....	stunt performer
Phil Chong	....	stunt performer
Alejandro Cobo García	....	stunt rider
Mick Corrigan	....	stunt rider
Jonathan Costelloe	....	stunt rider
Ricardo Cruz	....	stunt rider
Alaynna Davis	....	stunt performer
Christine Davis	....	stunt performer
Sarah Davis	....	stunt performer
Jean-Jacques Desplanque	....	stunt performer
Stephen Dunham	....	stunt performer
Al Eisenmann	....	stunt double
David Forman	....	stunts (as Dave Foreman)
Pedro García García	....	stunt rider
Al Goto	....	stunt performer
Tad Griffith	....	stunt performer
Kiwa Halley	....	stunt performer
Ken Hasegawa	....	stunt performer
Albert Heimuli	....	stunt performer (as Albert Rounds Heimuli)
Steven Ho	....	stunt performer
Tasho Ihara	....	stunt performer
Yoshio Iizuka	....	stunt performer
Shogo Ikegami	....	stunt performer
Brian Imada	....	stunt performer
Steven Ito	....	stunt performer (as Steven D. Ito)
Lani Jackson	....	stunt performer
Geraldine Jacobsen	....	stunt performer
Akira Kamito	....	stunt performer
Motoki Kawana	....	stunt performer
Jon W. Kishi	....	stunt performer
Kraig Kishi	....	stunt performer
Masato Kobayashi Xuyen	....	stunt performer (as Masato Kobayashi)
Akira Koieyama	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Tatsuro Koike	....	stunt performer
Joel Kramer	....	stunt performer
Yoshiyuki Kubo	....	stunt performer
Takahiro Kudo	....	stunt performer
Larry Lam	....	stunt double
Larry Lam	....	stunts
Danny Le Boyer	....	stunt double
Will Leong	....	stunt performer
James Lew	....	stunt performer
Michael Li	....	stunt double: Ken Watanabe
Cotton Mather	....	stunt performer
Duncan McNaughton	....	stunt rider
Peter Miles	....	stunt rider
Yoshio Miyaki	....	stunt performer
Giorgio Miyashita	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Atsushi Morita	....	stunt rider
Kenji Motomiya	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Ryoichi Murakami	....	stunt performer
Ginji Nakamura	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Kôji Nakamura	....	stunt performer (as Koji Nakamura)
Tadahiro Nakamura	....	stunt performer
Taketo Nakamura	....	stunt performer
Masaki Nishimura	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Nobuyuki Obikane	....	stunt performer
Lin Oeding	....	stunt performer
Tadashi Oiwa	....	stunt performer
Jackie Old Coyote	....	stunt performer
Casey O'Neill	....	stunt double: Tom Cruise
Atsushi Ono	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Shawn C. Orr	....	stunt rider
Hernan Ortiz	....	stunt rider
Eijiro Ozaki	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Nooroa Poa	....	stunt performer (as Noroa Poa)
Allan Poppleton	....	stunt performer
Nick Powell	....	stunt coordinator
Simon Rhee	....	stunt performer
Shôji Sakai	....	stunt performer (as Shoji Sakai)
Takashi Sakamoto	....	stunt performer
Jon Sakata	....	stunt performer
Spencer Sano	....	stunt performer
Kenji Sato	....	stunt performer
Paul Shapcott	....	stunt performer
Tadahiro Shimizu	....	stunt rider
Patrick Shining Elk	....	stunt performer
Ava Strong	....	stunt performer
Melissa R. Stubbs	....	assistant stunt coordinator
Melissa R. Stubbs	....	stunt coordinator: second unit
Akira Sugihara	....	stunt performer
Zokir Sultanov	....	stunt performer
Keiya Tabuchi	....	stunt performer
Hiroki Takano	....	stunt performer
Kenji Tominaga	....	stunt performer
Jesus Riaran Torres	....	stunt rider
Kazuki Tsujimoto	....	stunt performer
Xuyen Valdivia	....	stunt performer (as Xuyen Sam Valdivia)
Dave Van Zeyl	....	stunt rigger
Mark Huzi Wu	....	stunt double
Paul Wu	....	stunt double
Kimio Yamada	....	stunt performer
Takashi Yamaguchi	....	stunt performer: Battle Corps
Eugenio Alonso Yenes	....	stunt rider (as Eugenio Yenes)
Moritaka Yoshida	....	stunt performer
Marcus Young	....	stunt performer
Peng Zhang	....	stunt performer
Raymond Chan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lauro Chartrand	....	stunts (uncredited)
Brian Ho	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Sal Alvarez	....	film loader: Los Angeles
Russell Ayer	....	electrician
Dana Baker	....	best boy grip
Kent Baker	....	key rigging grip
Tov Belling	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Stuart Bell	....	grip
Erik Bernstein	....	best boy electric
Gary Capo	....	director of photography: second unit
Jasmine Yuen Carrucan	....	second assistant camera
Nelson A. Castillo	....	light balloon technician
Billy Craft	....	lighting technician
Ric Delgado	....	electrician
Jeff Durling	....	dimmer operator
Don Easy	....	electrician
John Enright	....	lighting technician
Scott Harman	....	lighting technician
James Hopwood	....	grip
David James	....	still photographer
Jason Kilgore	....	rigging best boy
Tommy Klines	....	first assistant camera
Richard Lacy	....	assistant camera
Al LaVerde	....	key grip
David Levich	....	grip
Gregory Lundsgaard	....	Steadicam operator
Gregory Lundsgaard	....	camera operator
Leigh Mackenzie	....	camera operator: second unit
Iain Mathieson	....	best boy
Brett Matthews	....	camera focus
Peter McCaffrey	....	camera operator
Calum McFarlane	....	camera operator
Andrew McGeorge	....	second assistant camera: VFX unit
Mark Mele	....	stage rigging gaffer
Ken Metz	....	grip
Ray Milazzo	....	second assistant camera
Daniel P. Moore	....	video operator
Yuji Nakaza	....	electric: Japan
David Nichols	....	key grip
Luis Olivares	....	video assist operator: second unit
Jeff Pelton	....	assistant camera
Ulric Raymond	....	assistant camera
Philip A.T. Smith	....	second assistant camera: "c" camera
Michael Taylor	....	key video assist operator
Luke Thomas	....	focus puller
Mike Thomas	....	camera operator
Chris Toll	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
R. Gern Trowbridge	....	dimmer board operator
Bram Tulloch	....	video operator trainee
Nobuhiro Wakabayashi	....	assistant camera
Scott C. Williman	....	rigger
Randy Woodside	....	chief lighting technician
Nigel Burton	....	video assist assistant (uncredited)
Joe Hill	....	rigging grip (uncredited)

Casting Department
Nicole Abellera	....	casting assistant
Kim Coleman	....	casting associate
Mariann H.W. Lee	....	extras casting
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	adr voice casting
Yôko Narahashi	....	casting: Japan
Amy Pope	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Charlene Amateau	....	costume supervisor
Tom Caddy	....	costume finisher
Marian Ceo	....	key costumer: Los Angeles
Lorraine Crossman	....	set costumer
Libby Dempster	....	head textile artist
Jasmin Easterbrook	....	extras costume stand-by
Jasmin Easterbrook	....	key costumer
Kendall Errair	....	costumer: Mr. Cruise
Sian Evans	....	key costume stand-by
Amy Jo Hoppenfeld	....	key costumer
Pauline Laws	....	pattern maker
Liz McGregor	....	wardrobe coordinator
Ann Miller	....	set costumer
Bob Moore Jr.	....	set costumer
Sam Morley	....	set costumer: extras
Anna Munro	....	dyer
Roger Murray	....	costume props head technician
Hilary Niederer	....	crowd costume coordinator: Westerners
Grace Pyke	....	costumer
Sarah Shepherd	....	costume assistant
Bess Stansell	....	costumer: back ground extras
Ivory Stanton	....	costume ager/dyer
Douglas J. Stewart	....	specialty costume manufacturer
Simon Ward	....	set costumer
Angela Williams	....	costume runner
Thao T. Vu	....	costume coordinator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Julian Andraus	....	assistant editor
Jill Bogdanowicz	....	senior digital film colorist
Joshua Breslow	....	post-production assistant
Ian Elias	....	post-production assistant
Paula Greatbatch	....	assistant editor (as Paula Suhy)
Penny Lee Hallin	....	assistant editor
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Jenny Hicks	....	assistant editor
Anna Josenhans	....	assistant editor
Elias Jeremiah Moor	....	post-production assistant
Geoff Pattison	....	post-production coordinator
Pablo Prietto	....	assistant editor
Dennis Thorlaksen	....	assistant editor
Cynthia E. Thornton	....	associate editor
Susan Vaill	....	assistant editor
Todd Zongker	....	first assistant editor: avid
David Orr	....	color timer (uncredited)

Music Department
Slamm Andrews	....	score recordist
Delores Clay	....	featured vocalist
Sandy DeCrescent	....	orchestra contractor
Craig Eastman	....	musician: featured violin
Bruce Fowler	....	orchestrator
Mark Graham	....	music librarian
Jason Lloyd	....	scoring assistant
Ladd McIntosh	....	orchestrator
Alan Meyerson	....	music scoring mixer
Alan Meyerson	....	score recordist
Yvonne S. Moriarty	....	orchestrator (as Suzette Moriarty)
Trevor Morris	....	composer: additional music
Trevor Morris	....	consultant: musical score (as Clever Trevor Morris)
Trevor Morris	....	score arranger (as Clever Trevor Morris)
Trevor Morris	....	score programmer (as Clever Trevor Morris)
Melissa Muik	....	consultant: musical score
Blake Neely	....	composer: additional music
Blake Neely	....	conductor
Blake Neely	....	score arranger
Blake Neely	....	score programmer
John Rodd	....	music scoring recordist
John Rodd	....	orchestral scoring recordist
Steven L. Smith	....	music preparation
Del Spiva	....	assistant music editor
Tom Steel	....	scoring assistant
Marc Streitenfeld	....	music editor
Bill Talbott	....	scoring technician (as Bill Talbot)
Damon Tedesco	....	scoring assistant
Mark Wherry	....	consultant: musical score
Geoff Zanelli	....	composer: additional music
Hans Zimmer	....	score arranger
Hans Zimmer	....	score programmer
Gregg Silk	....	assistant scoring engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Rick Braverman	....	driver
Vic Cuccia	....	transportation captain
Steven Docherty	....	transportation office dispatcher
Reg Gibson	....	transportation captain
Randy Luna	....	driver
Brian Zac McIsaac	....	driver: New Zealand
Dan Romero	....	transportation coordinator
Michael Sean Ryan	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Daren N. Afshar	....	production assistant: Japan
Deborah Alleck	....	assistant production coordinator
Tansey Allen	....	set production assistant
Deborah Ambrosino	....	milliner
Graeme Andrews	....	wrangler
Gunner Ashford	....	armorer: New Zealand
Sala Baker	....	locations manager: splinter unit
John Bonnin	....	head technician: Libra
Bridget Brewer	....	wrangler
Sophie Brewster	....	accommodation assistant
Andy Buckley	....	health and safety officer
Sharon Burdsley	....	wrangler
Jenny Lynn Burnett	....	assistant accountant
Lauro Chartrand	....	co-fight arranger
Gunnar Clancey	....	assistant: Ms. Wagner
Sam M. Cobb	....	production/construction medic
Jason Cox	....	production assistant
Paulette Dauber	....	publicity consultant
Richard Davis Jr.	....	location manager
Mana Hira Davis	....	assistant location manager
Charles de Bernier	....	assistant accountant
Alfredo De Leon	....	stand-in: Ujio
Phil DeSanti	....	production assistant
James D. Dever	....	technical advisor: military
Graham Dolan	....	horse trainer
Joe Dunckley	....	stand-by armor
Greg Eby	....	location accountant
Josh Ernstrom	....	production assistant
Nicola Fedrigoni	....	assistant location manager
Vincent Joseph Flaherty	....	firearms specialist
Billy L. 'Butch' Frank	....	cannoneer (as Billy 'Butch' Frank)
Jessica Franks	....	set assistant
Sue Frey	....	executive assistant: Mr. Cruise
Darin Fujimori	....	weapons assistant
Emi Fukuda	....	production secretary
Robert 'Rock' Galotti	....	weapons coordinator (as Robert 'Rock' Galotti)
Donte Gentile	....	weapons specialist
Marc C. Geschwind	....	extras coordinator
Christopher Gilbertson	....	weapons assistant
Eileen Gopperth	....	wrangler
Thea Govorko	....	production assistant
Warren Green	....	armorer
Josh Gummersall	....	assistant: Mr. Herskovitz
Felicity Hamill	....	stand-in: 'Higen' Sosuke Ikematsu
Jennifer Hammon	....	personal assistant: Mr. Cruise
Charles Harrington	....	location manager
Alison Haskovec	....	assistant: Mr. Engelman
Kelly Helstrom	....	staff production coordinator: Warner Brothers
Bart Hendrickson	....	samples coordinator
Lil Heyman	....	production coordinator
Jean Hodges	....	food stylist
Brian Hulse	....	assistant location manager
Jabe Hura	....	assistant animal trainer
Tristan Jackson	....	photo double: Tom Cruise
Lance Julian	....	marine coordinator
Doug Katau	....	animal trainer: oxen
Taka Kawatsu	....	production staff
Michael Kehoe	....	craft service: Los Angeles/Japan/New Zealand
Mark Kelly	....	production secretary
Karen Kemsley	....	wrangler
Carol Kim	....	pre-production supervisor: New Zealand
Dan King	....	assistant military technical advisor
Nancy Kiu	....	additional production assistant
Grady Lee	....	executive assistant: Ms. Wagner
Joey Cruz Manalang	....	production assistant
Natanya Marks	....	staff assistant
Lisa Matsukawa	....	production coordinator
Rob McCabe	....	stand-in: Tony Goldwyn and Billy Connolly
Jane McCurdy	....	production assistant vfx
Tim McGee	....	craft service assistant
Timothy McGee	....	craft service assistant
Duncan McNaughton	....	wrangler
Melvin Mete	....	oxen wrangler
Rosie Miles	....	animal coordinator: small animals
Rosie Miles	....	animal trainer: small animals
Caroline Miller	....	payroll assistant
Randy Miller	....	tiger trainer
Tomoko Miyachi	....	production accountant
Elias Jeremiah Moor	....	editorial staff assistant
Ryan Moriarty	....	adr loop group
Heather Moses	....	shipping associate
Alan Munro	....	titles designer
Arwen Munro	....	production coordinator: second unit
Atsushi Naito	....	legal service
Moanike'ala Nakamoto	....	assistant: Hans Zimmer
Nigel Nally	....	set runner
Sharon Ninness	....	location assistant
Graham Nixon	....	armorer
Jason Novak	....	assistant: Mr. Solomon
Steve Old	....	horse department coordinator (as Stephen Old)
Riki Otaki	....	assistant: Mr. Watanabe
Stacy Parker	....	assistant production coordinator
Susan Parker	....	accommodation manager
David Passman	....	staff assistant
Evan Peller	....	key assistant location manager (as Evan Pellar)
Jacquilyn Penn	....	wrangler
Samata Preston	....	production secretary
Troy Putney	....	assistant: Mr. Zwick
Philippa Race	....	assistant accountant
Angela Randazzo	....	payroll accountant
Sonia Randazzo	....	second assistant accountant
Julie Rasmussen	....	production secretary
Matt Reitsma	....	textile artist
Mayda Renizzi-Holt	....	first assistant accountant
F. Lee Reynolds	....	production assistant
Tone Rodriguez	....	animatronic animal effects concept designer
Page Rosenberg-Marvin	....	production coordinator
Steve Rosenbluth	....	puppeteer
Ken Ryan	....	production accountant
Lynley Schollum	....	wrangler
Wonder Fortune Serra	....	assistant: Mr. Kroopf
Marc Siegel	....	production assistant
Darius Siwek	....	production assistant
Doug Sloan	....	cannoneer
Phil Smith	....	horse wrangler: Los Angeles
Stacy Solomon	....	production assistant
Jill Soper	....	assistant production coordinator
E. Michael Stankevich	....	assistant: Mr. Mulvehill
Michael Svitak	....	production assistant
Tony Swatton	....	sword maker
Lindsay Tapp	....	wrangler
Korin A. Tarin	....	location accountant
Damon Taylor	....	cannoneer
Jayne-Ann Tenggren	....	script supervisor
Amanda Uber	....	staff coordinator
Jasmin Vette	....	animal trainer
Tracey Vickers	....	wrangler
Lisa Vick	....	script supervisor: second unit
Mathew Ward	....	animal coordinator: small animals
Mathew Ward	....	animal trainer: small animals
Bex Watts	....	horse trainer
Bex Watts	....	key wrangler
Tracey Weaver	....	wrangler
Jennifer Webb	....	assistant production associate
Peter White	....	head horse wrangler
Erin Wilson	....	set production assistant
Frank D. Woodward	....	caterer
Phil Greig	....	laboratory technician (uncredited)
Ruffin Moye	....	stand-in (uncredited)
Edwina Pellikka	....	textile artist (uncredited)
Daniel Veluzat	....	location liaison (uncredited)
Robert Milo Williams	....	synthesizer programmer (uncredited)

Production Companies

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

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2003) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Roadshow Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Brazil) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Karo Premiere (2004) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Cinergia (2004) (Ukraine) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2004) (Finland) (VHS)
• Veronica (2007) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Creature Effects (hero horse) (uncredited)
• Flash Film Works (visual effects)
• Pixel Magic (visual effects)
• Rising Sun Pictures (visual effects)
• Digital Dimension (visual effects)
• Christov Effects and Design (visual effects design and matte paintings)
• Digital Filmworks (additional visual effects)
• Visual Concept Engineering (VCE) (visual effects)
• Matte World Digital

Other Companies

• AFM Lighting  lighting
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• Elektra Records  soundtrack published by (as Elektra Entertainment)
• Filmtools  expendables
• Location Lodging Worldwide  travel and accommodations
• Movie Movers  trailers
• Moving Target  titles
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Predators in Action  tiger provided by (as Randy Miller's Predators in Action)
• Shochiku Company  production services: Japan
• Technicolor  color
• United Performers' Studio  extras casting
• WMG Soundtracks  soundtrack published by
• Warner Bros. Pictures  presents
• Warner Sunset Records  soundtrack published by
• Weta Workshop  special thanks

Also Known As:

Samurai (USA) (working title)
The Last Samurai: Bushidou (USA) (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and battle sequences.

Runtime:

154 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

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:

Auckland, New Zealand

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

The kanji characters that appear on the posters, often beneath the title, do not say "The Last Samurai." They say "bushido" ("the warrior Way," i.e., Japanese chivalry).

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: The seppuku ritual in the film is correct for a battlefield. A person committing seppuku on a battlefield would in fact have his head fully decapitated; later, more ceremonial rituals, involved leaving the head still partially attached. However, since General Hasegawa was commiting suicide on a battlefield, his second (Katsumoto) would sever the head completely.

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.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 61st Annual Golden Globe Awards (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Kagura-No-Netori

Cruise and Watanabe conquer with great performances

It is said that the only thing constant is change. Old ideals die off, and new technologies replace the inefficiencies of yesteryear. The young usually have little trouble adjusting to change, but traditionalists are often dragged into the new era either kicking and screaming or silently resolved to remove themselves completely.

"The Last Samurai" manages to capture a little of both, with Japanese men living in a world in transition from ancient bushido rituals of honor into a more modern empire of industry and trade. A sweeping historical epic that hints at the brilliance of Akira Kurosawa's finest work while also invoking the melancholy of a Shakespearean tragedy, the movie is a reminder of the cost of high ideals and danger of industrial conformity.

It's 1876, and Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an alcoholic wreck of a man. A veteran of the Civil War as well as General Custer's Indian campaigns, he drifts from one situation to another ostensibly looking for work but really seeking refuge from his inner demons of slaughtering innocent women and children.

Opportunity knocks in the form of an old Army acquaintance Colonel Ben Bagley (Tony Goldwyn), who has accepted work with a Japanese businessman named Omura (Masato Harada). Omura has been charged with recruiting American war vets as military advisors to the new Japanese Army. Emperor Meiji, under advise from Omura and other parties, is interested in modernizing his nation's military with rifles and other armaments.

In order to unify the nation, the powers that be must first take care of civil dissidence within Japan. The samurai, led by charismatic chieftain Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), are violently opposing the invasion of Western culture into their islands. Bagley foolishly sends his ill-trained soldiers into combat against the samurai, and during the resulting massacre Algren is captured and taken to the samurai's village.

During the course of the winter, Algren slowly gains the trust of his captors and in turn is given free roam over the village. He fights with Uijo (Hiroyuki Sanada), who dislikes the American from the beginning, and is given food and shelter by Taka (Koyuki), the wife of one of samurai he killed during battle.

Katsumoto meanwhile seeks to learn about his enemy, and begins to respect Algren as a fellow warrior. Also interested in the American is Katsumoto's son Nobutada (Shin Koyamada), intrigued by Western culture. Algren finds the first peace he has known in a long time, and begins to adapt to the ways of the samurai. He acts as a surrogate father to Taka's children, learns to sword fight with a kitana blade and begins to respect the culture that he originally sought to destroy.

But during Algren's absence the Japanese Army has had better opportunity to prepare themselves, and time is soon approaching that will determine the fate of the samurai and the future of Japan.

"The Last Samurai" is beautifully filmed by John Toll, the same cinematographer who worked on "Braveheart." The comparisons are obvious with moments of silent reflection and loud explosions of fury, both powerfully captured on film.

Director Edward Zwick brings the same determination to the screen that he did more than a decade ago with "Glory." The attention to period detail is near flawless and the movie never releases its grip on the audience.

As Algren, Cruise grows from suicidal depression to driven idealist quite realistically, drawing on the standard dishonored warrior archetype while giving him touches of humanity. Cruise's only shortcoming is his lack of dramatic range, and as such it never seems like Algren has any sinister intent even when acting selfishly. Never for a moment is there a doubt that he's destined to be a hero.

Cruise is also overshadowed in every scene by Watanabe, who makes Katsumoto a honorable man who is shocked by all the dishonor threatening to overthrow his country. Philosopher, poet, family man and warrior - Katsumoto wears many hats, and is realized through Watanabe perfectly.

Other smaller roles are captured by strong performances as well, including Goldwyn who brings class to the standard villain role as Bagley, Koyuki who plays Taka with quiet sadness and torn loyalties between her fallen husband and his killer who she is growing to love, and Koyamada who makes Nobutada young and headstrong but still sympathetic and honorable.

"The Last Samurai" only suffers during a protracted finale that screams of studio interference. The ending smacks of being safe, clean and Hollywood, something that almost betrays to whole film.

The movie is still strong enough to become a modern day classic. Like "The Wild Bunch," it speaks to those curious of what became of warriors who outlived their time. Timeless issues of honor, loyalty and redemption as well as the clashing of ancient culture versus new technology remain omnipresent. To remain in the past in foolish, but to forget it entirely is disgraceful.

Nine out of ten stars. Destined to be remembered for some time, this movie honorably deals with its subject matter.