The Last Samurai | | Cast : | Ken Watanabe, Tom Cruise, Billy Connolly | | Director : | Edward Zwick | | Studio : | Warner Home Video | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | December 05, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | September 14, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 16, 2005 | | Summary | ... | Content
 | i've seen this movie in a total of what, 100 times or somethin'. it's absolutely amazing. tom cruise was awesome. it even got me to shed a few tears when katzumoto's son died. if u haven't seen this yet, ur missin out. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 12, 2005 | | Summary | An excellent movie | Content
| I bought the DVD when it came out, but didn't watch it 'til about a week ago. I get the feeling it's going to be one I'll return to rather frequently.
The acting, for the most part, is first rate. I seemed to me that the story is as much about philosophy as it is about action/history. One can see the power of one's heritage being overrun simply because something is 'inevitable'. We can, of course, apply that to our own society in many ways. As I was sitting and watching, I was amazed at just how much I was enjoying the movie on several levels.
Highest rating from me. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 08, 2005 | | Summary | The Way of the Warrior..... | Content
| The Last Samurai shows the viewer a look into the lifestyle of the the ancient ways of the Samurai during the 1800's. It is a world that was slowly dying out as more and more Japanese people turned to living in the Western traditions, and for one US Military Captain, it showed him a world he grew to respect and love.....
Tom Cruise stars as Nathan Algren, a captain sent to the foreign land of Japan to teach Japanese soldiers the way to fight as US troops do in America. The preparation is needed to stop a rebellion of Samurai warriors led by Katsumoto [played by Ken Watanabe] who have been attacking railroads and supply trains.
After being sent to the front lines with troops he believes aren't ready to fight yet, Algren is captured after a battle and is brought to the village of Katsumoto's brother in the mountains. Despite some harsh attempts of getting used to the lifestyle of the Samurai, Algren slowly but surely learns how to love the Samurai lifestyle and how they work day and night.
The movie shows us breath taking landscape shots of the mountains the Samurai live in. It even shows some great rain storm scenes as Algren attempts to prove himself by battling in a swordfight with one of the experienced Samurai and refuses to stay down no matter how many times he is knocked down.
This movie also comes with some great fighting style scenes. With the fog war near the beginning in which Algren is captured after his inexperience troops are cut down by the Samurai, to a Ninja attack on the Samurai village where the samurai sacrifice themselves to save Katsumoto, to even Algren siding with Katsumoto for the climactic battle in the end against his fellow officers.
This movie is great in so many ways: The vibrant color of the scenery, the style of fighting is smooth yet terrifying as lots of men die, and even the dialogue between Algren and Katsumoto is great as they have their "Many Conversations."
I reccomend this movie if you really want to see a story of a man who realizes what he really wants for himself in this world......... |
| Rating | | | Date | August 06, 2005 | | Summary | One dimensional | Content
| I'm a big fan a Japanese period movies. In all those films, whether they are "high" art like Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai" and "Ran", or "low" art like "Lone Wolf and Cub" or "Zatoichi", one of the prevailing themes is the inherent hypocrisy and injustice embedded in the feudal society of old Japan. How the characters manage to get by in this oppressive society is almost always a source, if not the primary source, of the drama in the story line. Japanese filmakers know this. They know that ancient Japan, while admirable in many respects, was not a eutopia by any stretch of the imagination. Women were property. Peasants were considered sub-human. If you were born into a certain class you remained in that class until you died.
In "The Last Samurai", all these realities are ignored, if not downplayed. Here the Samurai are portrayed as nothing but completely noble and honorable, innocent victims who merely want to preserve their perfect society. The Japanese who want to bring Japan into the modern world are all portrayed as corrupt and self-serving, who have no respect for their own cultural heritage.
This is the typical hollywood movie; dumbed down for consumption by an audience that that the filmakers assume is too dumb to understand nuance.
If you want to learn something about Japan and be entertained at the same time, I would recommend the "Shogun" mini-series, which gives a much more balanced view, or check out some of the films I mentioned in the first paragraph. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 29, 2005 | | Summary | An Absolute Buyer | Content
| In short, great film to say the least and the music (Hans Zimmer) is excellent and blends perfectly with the movie. |
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