Hirokin: The Last Samurai (2012)
"Hirokin" (original title)

A reluctant samurai with a dark past sets off on a mission to fulfill his destiny.

Director:

Alejo Mo-Sun

Writer:

Alejo Mo-Sun

Stars:

Wes Bentley, Jessica Szohr, Angus Macfadyen

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Wes Bentley	...	Hirokin
Jessica Szohr	...	Orange
Angus Macfadyen	...	Moss
Laura Ramsey	...	Maren
Julian Sands	...	Griffin
Mercedes Manning	...	Terra
Justin Shilton	...	Cain
Rodney Charles	...	Honsu
Esteban Powell	...	Sevren
Newton Kaneshiro	...	Airborne
Max Martini	...	Renault
Rowena Zirbel	...	Pheon
Daz Crawford	...	Kore
Robert Fleet	...	1st Rebel Leader
Lauren Mo-Sun	...	Audowen

Storyline

On a planet where humans must scavenge the post-apocalyptic barren wasteland, Hirokin, a reluctant samurai with a dark past sets off on a mission to fulfill his destiny. Having fought to the death to save his wife and son from the planet's evil dictator, Griffin, and his elite army of warriors, the lone samurai is left for dead in the vast desert. Armed with his samurai blade Hirokin is forced to choose between avenging the murder of his family and fighting for the freedom of his people. As he goes into war he'll discover a shocking revelation about his family leaving revenge running through his veins.

---

Plot Keywords:

revenge | warrior | execution | oppression | desert planet | 

---

Taglines:

The fate of man lies in the hands of a warrior.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 November 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hirokin: The Last Samurai

Filming Locations:

Agua Dulce, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hirokin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Poor execution of a potentially excellent plot

This movie reminds me of John Carter; a very poor version of it.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BAD THINGS: First, I'd like to point out that the title is misleading - there are no Samurais in the film including the character "Hirokin". Most of the swordsmanship in the film were from Kendo, not Kenjutsu. Second, all CGI were obvious and some were even incomplete. There was even a shot of a floating ship where the top was not aligned with the screen's edge. I know the film is low-budget so I can't fault them for that but alignment should be simple enough and free of charge. Third, there were some "comedic" scenes that were out of place and should've just been excluded from the film - they were probably from "The Lord of the Rings". Fourth, the outline of the story is common and the plot is too narrow to be worthy of being a great film; they could have done so much better in ALL areas. Finally, some dialogs were amateurish and the set extras/actors were not properly directed; in some scenes, they were simply all over the place.

NOW, THE GOOD THINGS: The locations were amazing except the viceroy's base. The main stars' acting were excellent. I could spot that some of their dialogs were improvised from whatever was originally on the script. The framing and scene composition were all good and professional and the lighting was superb.

CONCLUSION: It's a good watch when there's nothing better lying around.