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:

Gore | Dojo | Turmoil | Sheath | 19th Century

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 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Iceland:16 | 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:

Tom Cruise took no "up front" salary for this film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the final battle when the samurai are lighting bales of hay on fire to cover their retreat, the fire spreads to the last two visible bales before the rider on horseback reaches them with his torch.

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 XMA: Xtreme Martial Arts (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Kagura-No-Netori

It's the journey, not the destination

Others here (those PC type people) have erroneously stated that the film is a typically racist one in which the "superior white man" has to save the "noble savages", nothing could be further from the truth. In fact it's quite the opposite. Tom Cruise's character, Nathan Algren, is a deeply flawed and troubled man who hides in a bottle ashamed of his past, and rightly so.

Upon traveling to Japan to modernize the Japanese army - at Japan's request - he falls in battle and is taken captive after displaying tremendous ferocity. A warrior is a warrior is a warrior regardless of his ethnicity. Algren is then forced to confront his past and his demons. With the help of the "noble savages" he does so. It is he that owes a debt of gratitude to them, not the other way around.

If you're going to look at this film from a politically correct point of view (the apologists POV) the film will come up wanting. If you look at the film - correctly - you'll be able to relate to a man who is displaced in society and hiding from himself because he lacks clarity of vision in his life and understanding his purpose. And how by simplifying and focusing he comes to a sort of peace within himself, something we all seek. Ken Watanabe's character, Katsumoto, summarizes this quite aptly (and prettily I might add), "The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life."

It's a good film, with superb visuals and music. The only real fluff in this film is the romance between Cruise and the Japenese girl. When will Hollywood learn? We really don't need or want that, when watching this type of film. Leave the romance to romance films.