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Bedford Falls Productions
Cruise/Wagner Productions
Radar Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures
Not part of a collection.
In the face of an enemy, in the heart of one man, lies the soul of a warrior.
Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai's way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.
CinemaSerf
Sep 3, 2023 · via TMDB
"Nathan Algren" (Tom Cruise) is a disenchanted, alcoholic Captain who, post American Civil War, is offered the chance of a fresh, lucrative, start in Japan training some raw recruits to form the basis a standing Imperial Army. He arrives and is presented to the young, forward-looking but somewhat intimidated Meiji Emperor and it subsequently becomes clear that his purpose is primarily to assist Ômura, the Prime Minister, to create a military force capable of defeating the traditionalist, but loyal, Samurai clan of "Kausumoto" (Ken Watanabe). The first skirmish doesn't quite go to plan, and "Algren" is captured. Over the harsh winter, he befriends his warlord captor and the film begins to introduce us to the honourable and upright values of the man and of his beliefs and fundamental, if at times, ruthless decency. It mixes truth with fiction in a clever, unsentimental manner - Watanabe's performance is considered and engaging as the man on the cusp of a new era which neither he, nor his people, want or understand. Cruise is clearly the man behind the concept and is to be commended for bringing this gloriously good looking story to the screen; he is not, however, especially good in the lead - the part calls for a sophistication that he, as an actor, simply doesn't possess. There is also a curious role for Scots comedian/actor Billy Connolly who originally enlists "Algren" to the cause - with an accent that is all over the place. Masato Harada delivers well as the devious Minister who, in his own way, wants his society to adapt and flourish and Shichinosuke Nakamura gives the person of the Meiji emperor a caring, aspirational vulnerability that helps give the whole film a sense of truth and authenticity. The technical standards - especially during the frequently brutal battle scene are consistently high.
r96sk
Aug 18, 2020 · via TMDB
Recommended. <em>'The Last Samurai'</em> features some very cool and entertaining battle sequences, which are shot excellently. The premise itself is attracting, it's acted out astutely by the noteworthy cast list. It probably lasts too long, but I never truly got a feeling of it dragging out though. Tom Cruise is fantastic as Capt. Nathan Algren. It's no secret or surprise as we all know that guy can act, he adds a great deal to his character here; especially on the emotional side of things. As for what happens with Algren, it's all good even if the love interest parts are undercooked. Ken Watanabe is splendid in the role of Katsumoto, while Masato Harada (Omura) and Timothy Spall (Graham) give positive performances. It's also nice to see Billy Connolly (Gant) and Scott Wilson (Swanbeck) appear. Hans Zimmer's score is, as presumed, grand. That would be one of a number of reasons why I'd say you should watch this.
TopKek
Nov 10, 2016 · via TMDB
Edward Zwick's "The Last Samurai" is about two warriors whose cultures make them aliens, but whose values make them comrades. The battle scenes are stirring and elegantly mounted, but they are less about who wins than about what can be proven by dying. Beautifully designed, intelligently written, acted with conviction, it's an uncommonly thoughtful epic. Its power is compromised only by an ending that sheepishly backs away from what the film is really about. Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe co-star, as a shabby Civil War veteran and a proud samurai warrior. Cruise plays Nathan Algren, a war hero who now drifts and drinks too much, with no purpose in life. He's hired by Americans who are supplying mercenaries to train an army for the Japanese emperor, who wants to move his country into the modern world and is faced with a samurai rebellion. The role of the samurai leader Katsumoto (Watanabe) is complex; he is fighting against the emperor's men, but out of loyalty to the tradition the emperor represents, he would sacrifice his life in an instant, he says, if the emperor requested it. But Japan has been seized with a fever to shake off its medieval ways and copy the West, and the West sees money to be made in the transition: Representatives from the Remington arms company are filling big contracts for weapons, and the U.S. Embassy is a clearinghouse for lucrative trade arrangements. Into this cauldron Algren descends as a cynic. He is told the samurai are "savages with bows and arrows," but sees that the American advisers have done a poor job of training the modernized Japanese army to fight them. Leading his untried troops into battle, he is captured and faces death -- but is spared by a word from Katsumoto, who returns him as a prisoner to the village of his son.
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Tom Cruise
Nathan Algren
Ken Watanabe
Moritsugu Katsumoto
Timothy Spall
Simon Graham
Tony Goldwyn
Col. Benjamin Bagley
Hiroyuki Sanada
Ujio
Koyuki
Taka
Shin Koyamada
Nobutada
Billy Connolly
Zebulon Gant
Togo Igawa
General Hasegawa
Shichinosuke Nakamura
Emperor Meiji
Masato Harada
Omura
William Atherton
Winchester Rep
Chad Lindberg
Winchester Rep Assistant
Scott Wilson
Ambassador Swanbeck
Masashi Odate
Omura's Companion
John Koyama
Omura's Bodyguard
Satoshi Nikaido
N.C.O.
Shun Sugata
Nakao
Sosuke Ikematsu
Higen
Seizō Fukumoto
Silent Samurai
Takashi Noguchi
Kyogen Player #2
Yuki Matsuzaki
Soldier in Street #1
Hiroshi Watanabe
Guard
Shane Kosugi
Samurai Ensemble
Takeshi Maya
Samurai Ensemble
Shinji Suzuki
Samurai Ensemble
Jess Gonchor
Art Direction
Peter McCaffrey
"B" Camera Operator
John Toll
Director of Photography
Peter McCaffrey
Steadicam Operator
Bob Buck
Costume Coordinator
Ngila Dickson
Costume Design
Lois Burwell
Makeup Designer
Duncan Jarman
Prosthetic Makeup Artist
Melissa R. Stubbs
Stunt Coordinator
Casey O'Neill
Stunt Double
Al Goto
Stunts
James Lew
Stunts
Lauro David Chartrand-DelValle
Stunts
Peng Zhang
Stunts
Simon Rhee
Stunts
Tad Griffith
Stunts
Edward Zwick
Director
Nilo Otero
First Assistant Director
Steven Rosenblum
Editor
Yoko Narahashi
Associate Producer
Victoria Thomas
Casting
Ted Field
Executive Producer
Vincent Ward
Executive Producer
Edward Zwick
Producer
Marshall Herskovitz
Producer
Paula Wagner
Producer
Tom Cruise
Producer
Kevin De La Noy
Unit Production Manager
Caitlin McKenna
ADR Editor
John Roesch
Foley Artist
Frank Smathers
Foley Editor
Marc Streitenfeld
Music Editor
June Kuramoto
Musician
Hans Zimmer
Original Music Composer
Dean Hurley
Sound Assistant
Ben Wilkins
Sound Editor
Andy Nelson
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Anna Behlmer
Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Mark P. Stoeckinger
Supervising Sound Editor
Edward Zwick
Screenplay
John Logan
Screenplay
Marshall Herskovitz
Screenplay
John Logan
Story
Floating Vessel
Trhani
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Glimpses of the Outskirts
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Cape of the North
Wall of Silence
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Gladiator
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The Departed
Scarface
Taxi Driver
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The Elephant Man
Pride & Prejudice
La Dolce Vita
Amadeus
Nobody Knows
June 1940, the Great Chaos
Une vie avec Oradour
Lowly Ronin 5: The Teenage Orphan Girl
No Justice
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Call of the South Seas
1944
Coffee Diva
2007
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Top Gun: Maverick
2022 · 11 wins
Joker
2019 · 11 wins
Trivia
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Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
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