Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Brand: Warner Brothers EAN: 9780790782768 Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC ISBN: 0790782766 Label: Warner Home Video Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Number Of Items: 2 Publisher: Warner Home Video Region Code: 1 Release Date: May 04, 2004 Running Time: 154 minutes Sales Rank: 1610 Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: December 05, 2003
Great Flick about the toll war takes on the people who fight it
While this movie may be set in Japan during it's early industialization, at the end of the Samurai's reign (don't take that literally), that is not what this movie is about. For anyone who's interested in what went on historically at the time, and it's acuracy, go find something else. For anyone else, especially those with friends or family who may be returning from serving overseas in Iraq or Afganastan, this movie can help give you a small glimpse of the conflict those who fight face. At it's heart this movie is about a soldier, who was forced into a battle that was against everything he thought was right. How it took a toll on him, his hate for himself and others. And his personal road to reclaiming his personal honor, and mental health. ... Read More
Say what you will about Tom Cruise, he is a credible actor &
sometimes makes a good movie. The Last Samurai is. Historical? Hardly. Take a few grains: yes, Samurai existed in Japan as an ancient, militaristic culture, a law unto themselves, & Japan was opening itself up to the west at the time of the movie (1876). Aside from that... Cruise is an emotionally damaged hero of the civil & Indian wars. He is contracted to whip the Japanese army into a fighting force. Who is the enemy? The Samurai, who are much admired & feared through-out Japan. They refuse to surrender to modernity & give up their way of life. In battle he is captured by the Samurai. Their leader is played very well by Ken Watenabe. He is impressed by Cruise's fighting skills & spares him. Can you guess the rest? Of course. ... Read More
Arrogant, presumptive, historically/culturally inaccurate
This movie is TERRIBLE. Anyone who's actually sat down and STUDIED this time period cannot watch this film without criticizing it. Yeah, sure, rural peasants who are so poor they live in the mountains eat fluffy rich-people white rice. Uh huh. And Japanese is SUCH an easy language to learn. If you want to make a film about Saigo Takamori and the Satsuma Rebellion, please do. It's a fascinating moment in history. But this exoticized, orientalist, American-centric pastiche masquerading as a historical drama is just made of fail. Also, has no one ever heard of the Inequal Treaties? The Treaty of Amity and Commerce? Most Favored Nation status?
Also, the treatment of samurai as a class is embarrassingly ham-handed. Most samurai at this point ... Read More
An enjoyable cinematic experience
The year is 1876, Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) has been hired by the Japanese in order to help the Imperial Japanese Army become more 'modern' and less 'traditional' and ultimately prepare them to fight the legendary Samurai. Events occur that cause Tom Cruise to be a captive of the deadly but extremely polite Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) who is the leader of the Japanese Samurai. This is where the movie really starts to shine and and a beautiful forgotten world that we know little about comes alive thanks to the great director Edward Zwick and the ledgendary Hans Zimmer brings an unforgettable soundtrack.
Tom Cruise has been in the movie industry for a long time and to date in my opinion this is by far his best performance. He discovered ... Read More
I didn't see Dances with Wolves...
So I won't make comparisons with that movie. I thought this is a well-done film. Sympathetic, and respectful of our culture. Thank you Hollywood and Zwick and Logan from a 'nihonjin.' I thought Cruise did a great job. I didn't see any of the reckless grinning that he known for, and he did a great portrayal of a disillusioned but fierce and loyal soldier. And this was exactly how many of the samurai felt in that era. This was a great fantasy film about a time of great change in Japan. You have to remember this is a fairy tale, but the Meiji Restoration was a turning point in Japan's history that I am happy that Americans can be better aquainted with. And the love scenes were well crafted, no obligatory sex scene (thats absolutely impossible for a gaijin and ... Read More
