The Last Samurai (2003)

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writers (WGA):

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

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

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:

Although the movie seems to imply that Japan's new army was trained by the Americans, in fact, it was the Prussian General Staff that assisted in the modernization of Japan's army.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Algren is rescuing Katsumoto from his "home in Tokyo", one of the soldiers from the first group of soldiers that get a chance to fire has an arrow protruding from his back, with no ill effect, before the first arrows are loosed. It is clearly visible through the smoke from the guns.

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:

Referenced in The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Marshall Herskovitz (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Kagura-No-Netori

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".