Rating: 
Summary: "Not Real History But A Fun Fantasy Adventure"
Review: "Not Real History But A Fun Fantasy Adventure" March 4, 2004
"Not Real History But A Fun Fantasy Adventure", is a simple way to describe this movie. I was very excited to hear this movie was coming out. I not only admire Edward Zwick's other movies but I am a Tom Cruise fan as well. Unfortunately I was very disappointed in the movie, Tom Cruise was fantastic and the cinematography is beautiful but the film is almost completely "factless". America did open up trade with Japan but French and German officers trained the Japanese imperial army, They at the time had the best Foot soldiers. Also the young Emperor of Japan was not torn between the new and old ways, He instead was the driving force behind modernizing Japan as fast as it did, he saw the Samurai as one of the main reasons Japan had fallen so far behind. The Samurai that rebelled against the Emperor were considered "RONIN" meaning Samurai with no master, and sense Samurai means "To serve" they were despised by the Samurai that served the Emperor and were perceived as Dishonorable. The rebel Samurai also had full divisions that used Firearms, it was not the Bows vs. Rifles you see in the movie. And most importantly it was not the Honorable Samurai protecting the Peasant people from the heartless new way of the Evil imperial Japanese Government, quit the opposite is true. Japan had been divided for more then a century, the clans had known nothing but war. When the Shogun took power the Emperor was nothing more then a symbol and was never allowed to leave his Palace. The Shogun had the real power and the whole time it was most of Japan, the peasants and working class that suffered under the Samurai, They were Honorable warriors but only to other Samurai, ordinary Japanese were considered Less then Men and could be killed at the whims of the Samurai. It was the modernization of Japan that threatened the rule of the Samurai with the Shogun being forced to step down in 1867 and put the power back in the hands of the Emperor as well as the working class of Japan. Most Samurai saw this and surrendered the old way to the new seeing that The Samurai were obsolete, but the few that rebelled were motivated by Power, status and wealth that they were losing and not for the People of Japan like the film so badly suggests. This is a fun film if you watch it as a fantasy adventure with no basis in history. I give it a low rating because even thought both Tom Cruise and Edward Zwick admit that this is not what really happened but wanted to capture the spirit of the Samurai in a fiction film, I feel this is irresponsible and that this film dishonors The real history of Japan. I would like to add that the Chinese feel Honoring the Samurai and Japanese values is like Honoring Nazis and their way of life and I don't blame them for feeling that way considering there History.
Rating: 
Summary: Bushido "The Warrior Code"
Review: The story follows a disillusioned American Civil War hero, Captain Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise, as he goes to Tokyo to train the Japanese army, who are embroiled in a battle with the remaining traditional Samurai. The Americans are there for the money, and that money is provided by the Emperor's Westernised advisors who want the Samurai out of the picture so that they may continue be the power behind the Emperor and increase their own wealth. In an early battle however, Algren is captured by the Samurai and held by them for the winter. During this time he learns the way of the Samurai and eventually ends up fighting alongside them - breaking his allegiance to the country he once fought for.Ken Watanabe in his performance as the samurai leader Katsumoto dominates the screen. Through Watanabe we see that the samurai are noble and intelligent. Hiroyuki Sanada was impressive as Ujio, the tough, brutal, yet loyal and disciplined Samurai. This film has amazing sets and battles. The sword fights are well rehearsed and the cinematography is well orchestrated. The costumes were striking and good replicas for a period movie. This film reminded me of Dances with wolves, which I also liked. Its not about which culture is more superior, it is about our mutual willingness to listen and learn from each other.
Rating: 
Summary: The Samurai Lives !
Review: Both Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise did an outstanding job in their perfomrances in this movie, though for Watanabe san it was mere rotuine for him since he has regularly played such roles in his native homeland of Japan. His skills as a Samurai in this movie shined brightly and I was also taken by his english speaking capability. Tom Cruise also did a very good job in adapting for this role unlike other movies of his. After seeing other movies of his I was somewhat disappointed by his perfomrances. After purchasing a book about the making of this movie, it explained very well all the details as to what when into the making of this movie from choosing locations, costume design, history of the Samurai and other details. From reading this it not only shows that Tom Cruise put forth countless hours in preparing for this movie as an actor and at the same time displaying respect for the Japanese culture. Special mention undoubtedly goes to both Koyuki and newcomer to me Hiroyuki Sanada. Though I have never seen Hiroyuki san myself while I was in Japan for the last eleven years, his performance fell nothing short of spectacular. As for Koyuki san, most of her roles in Japan have been those of Japanese dramas where she obvioulsy speaks her native tounge. In "The Last Samurai" she shows that she is able to gain your undivided attention not only by her beauty, but by her presence even if she does not have many speaking roles. For those who do not understand the Japanese culture much at all, "The Last Samurai" can and will shed some light for you in not only understanding but appreciating the culture as well. I intend not only to view this movie numerous times when I wish to view great perfomrances by these actors, but to also take me back to a country which I fell in love with while I was there.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie...with problems
Review: A beautiful tale of a man finding redemtion in an unlikely plave....but the beauty of Zwicks battles and scenery are overshadowed by a typically hollywood liberla anit-American view. SOMEHOW in the background of Japan becoming a modern society, and ending centuries of Feudalism, the United States become the BAY GUY. Japanese serfs, striving for freedom, are not the Enemy. Samurai opressors are not the Enemy. 1 whiteman is the enemy. 1 American is the enemy. it's all summed up on the eve of the battle between the modern serf army and the traditional samurai army, when asamurai child ask's Tom Cruise "Will you fight the WHITE MEN"? Of course there is only ONE whiteman. And the whole army of dirty serfs struggling to breathe free is irrelevent. It's the white American's fault. Centuries of feudalist opression is summed up into "ONE WHITE MAN". 5 stars for battle scenes and general movie macgic. -1 for silly political ideology where it does not belong and is totally out of context.
Rating:
Summary: Historical misrepresentation...nevertheless, phenomenal
Review: Despite its inaccuracies in the portrayal of feudal samurai as the noble heros of traditional Japanese culture, this movie is at the top of its class. It's wonderful storyline, excellent costume design, Braveheart-like battle sequences, and lack of unneccessary obsecenities in language and sexuality make it consistently enjoyable in its entirety. There's not much at all to criticize, except maybe a few stupid lines that could've been done without. Nonetheless, I rank it as my number 1 in its genre and can't wait to buy DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A transcendent vision of the human condition
Review: I know it appears like Western culture is selfish and materialistic in comparison to the Eastern Asian experience. But, to be bold, I declare that it is so in the context of the time and place. There is good and ill in every social framework, and unlike a Costner film that shall remain unnamed, Samurai doesn't preach such a dogma. Instead, the film lifts you above it, and illustrates a fundamental truth of the human condition. It does not blunt us over by our shortsightedness; it enlightens us with the truth, and reminds us that we are susceptible to succumbing to inner demons of wealth, power, and accumulation. What matters most are not the tangible treasures that surround us, but the inner intangible treasures that define us. Our pleasure, our pain, our trials and struggles. Our victories...and our monumental failures. They establish who we are, and how we lived, and if at least one person remembers that, then we shall find life again. Perhaps, in some small way, that's what this movie has done. While not entirely historically correct, and not without it's grandiose notions of good and evil evident in a traditional epic of scope, what The Last Samurai does is remind us of that greater truth, the greater potential inside each and every one of us. Like the blossoms of the peach tree, they ultimately fall, but are born again in each subsequent generation that remembers and chooses to follow a similar path. And, if one looks carefully enough as the light fades in Autumn, one will see that each and every petal is indeed "perfect."
Rating:
Summary: Sweeping Saga overlaid with good performances
Review: I gave this movie 4 stars, but it probably deserves about 3.75. Tom Cruise is excellent as a brooding US Army captain who is an alcoholic constantly haunted by his past. He is offered a job to train the Emperor of Japan's army in (what was at that time)modern warfare and help him wipe out some local troublemakers in the form of the last band of Samurai's. Cruise gets captured and slowly comes to realize he's been on the wrong side in a journey of self recovery and honor. Very well acted all-round with some excellent action scenes. The director cleverly does not fall in to any typical clichés, and the plot seems like a history channel biopic rather than an allegory. Some nice cameos from not least Billy Connolly, and a very moving and thought provoking movie. - Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant
Review: The Last Samurai is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen. Anything under five stars in an absurd rating. I simply couldn't understand how this movie didn't even get a nomination for an Oscar while Lord of the Rings got every award on the planet. The only one any of those movies deserves is Best Special Effects. Nevertheless, The Last Samurai has all the elements of a true classic. Hyped-out to be a story about the last rebellion of the Samurai in 1877, I believe the movie's more profound than that. It's really about the struggle of Captain Nathan Algren (played amazingly by Tom Cruise) and his quest to find peace, after turning to the bottle to combat his tremendous guilt for slaughtering Native Americans in the cavalry raids. The story was passionate, exciting, beautifully written, directed, and acted, and I don't understand how it wasn't anything more than a smash-success.
Rating:
Summary: The Journey of a Lost Soul and the Story a Dying Culture
Review: Just as the ocean has shallow ends and deep ends, The Last Samurai is a film whose story, in part, lies on the surface and also lies, in part, deeper beneath the surface. At face value, you will find a tale about an old world culture (the Samurai culture) clashing with a rising, powerful modern culture (Western culture). Although this is almost certainly an oversimplification of the story, the clash-of-cultures saga played out in this movie is basically the "shallow end" of the premise. In fact, the story and setting in and of themselves are merely a convenient backdrop for which to convey its actual message; which is much deeper and more interesting. Cruise plays 7th Cavalry Army Captain, Nathan Algren. He is a troubled and tormented man who is haunted by tremendous guilt, brought on by his experiences fighting and killing American Indians circa 1876. He is generally lauded as a hero around the US, ironically admired for the very actions that precipitate his self-loathing. He is not interested in fame or accolades; he is a man who desperately wants to escape his personal demons, but is completely helpless to suffer through them. Like many people who suffer from such inescapable torment, he turns to the bottle for his salvation. Still present are the post-traumatic nightmares and flashbacks of his war-fighting days. But alas, as he tries to drown his sorrows, they do indeed learn to swim. His acquired inclination toward the excessive consumption of libations notwithstanding, he does his best to cope, however unfruitful his efforts may be. Although he has been begrudgingly following orders to this point, he nevertheless has done his best to fulfill them dutifully. By turn of events, Algren encounters a Japanese General named Hasegawa who has a profitable offer for him. Despite his heavy drinking, Algren is eventually hired to train the Japanese army in Western warfare and to use firearms in battle against the fierce battle-experienced Samurai. Western culture is all the rage in Japan, and powerful political influences want to wipe out the old system that was influenced by the Samurai Code in order to foster a modern Japanese culture. Algren is sent to Japan and finds a group of soldiers who know nothing concerning the use of firearms. He earnestly tries to train them properly so as to prepare them for battle, but Japanese General Hasegawa is impatient with the troops' development; and much to Algren's dismay, Hasegawa orders them to begin fighting Samurai even though the troops are ill-prepared to do so. The first battle against the Samurai is disastrous for the secular Japanese troops, and a slaughter ensues at the hands of the defiant Samurai warriors. But Algren survives the battle and winds up being surrounded by several Samurai. Algren, ever the fearless warrior, stands his ground with a ferocious vigor, showing tremendous valor and honor in displaying that he will fight until his last breath. It is here that Samurai elder and leader, Katsumoto notices Algren's impressive will to fight to the death. Katsumoto, if only out of curiosity, spares Algren's life and keeps him as a "free" captive in his Samurai village until winter passes. During his stay, Algren is treated with dignity albeit an underlying distrust and resentment from the local villagers. Because of his heavy reliance on alcohol, Algren begins going through terrible symptoms of withdrawal from it, as he is weaned from the grips of his addiction. Once his head becomes clear again, he begins to learn from the Samurai villagers' ways, being influenced by their strong principles and stoic way of life. It is through their cultural mindset that he begins to free his mind from the shackles of the nightmarish suffering that has dogged his troubled mind for so long. Indeed, Captain Algren experiences the personal growth and enlightenment that changes lives and raises one's consciousness above darkness and despair. It is during this portion of the story that the "meat" of the movie lies. It is here that Algren begins to see life from a different perspective. The Samurai's life is a simple one that focuses on virtues espoused by The Samurai Way; values such as honor, integrity, respect, courage, justice, wisdom, etc. The way the villagers were portrayed in the film remind me of a real-life Samurai named Yamamoto Tsunetomo, who once said in a compilation of his writings entitled "Hagakure" that one should: "be true to the thought of the moment and avoid distraction. Other than continuing to exert yourself, enter into nothing else, but go to the extent of living single thought by single thought." (Hagakure, p. 69). Much of the village's daily life in this movie is summed up quite well by that maxim. In my view, Western culture, though I am fond of it because it is enticingly vivacious, does appear to be soulless and material-based when compared to Eastern Asian cultures. Fast paced, rather emotionally detached, and primarily concerned with wealth, true happiness and peace-of-mind seems to disproportionately elude the advocates of Western values versus supporters of Eastern Asian values. But people and relationships are portrayed as being of high value in Katsumoto's village. Artificiality has no home there; their thoughts are focused on the truly important things in life. They spend most of their time on attaining enlightenment and perfecting whatever craft they have chosen to perform in life. The Samurai Way encompasses a broad variety of topics, much of which are elaborated on much further throughout the storytelling in the movie. The Last Samurai is a fantastic movie with a profound message and beautiful cinematography. The acting is top-notch, as Cruise and Ken Watanabe (Katsumoto) pull off a magnificent performance with excellent chemistry. You will be left satisfied and perhaps even moved. I certainly was, and I liked it so much that I intend to view the film several times more.
Rating:
Summary: Kiyaaaa!!!!
Review: This was an amazing movie! If you are at all interested in Japanese history, you should really see this movie!!!
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