Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pag...
Seems like we're getting back on an even keel with the rating viewings now. Quite liking the new pages in a way. Thanks for all your rates.
Member since:07.11.2005
Reviews:467
Members who trust:47
The Last Samurai is the 2003 film telling a tale of Civil War in Japan in the late 19th Century. It is loosely based on true stories and accounts of civil war battles and politics around that era, and deals with issues such as westernisation and heritage, but ultimately it is an action film with some very good sequencing and acting.
The Plot
In the late 19th Century, the Japanese government is embroiled in a civil war with its sanurai, the age-old personal guard to the king. The government believes the samurai to be of the past and rebellious. They draft in the American Captain Nathan Algren to train their troops in the modern Western ways of fighting in order to defeat the samurai. Captured by the samurai, Algram meets their leader, Katsumoto, and their destinies become intertwined. As the Japanese government prepares to attack, their hired and captured Captain finds himself in the middle of a civil war battle of epic proportions, and comes to realise the true nature and importance of the samurai.
The Cast and Performances
Tom Cruise plays Captain Algren, and does so very well. The transition from 'gun-for-hire' without morals to a man appreciating the importance of values and ethics through seeing the samurai operate is well handled, and not just by Cruise. The samurai leader Katsumoto is played by Ken Watanabe, and matches Cruise in the emotional side of the acting.
A good support cast comes in the strange combination of actors such as Timothy Spall and Billy Connolly, and William Atherton plays the American Colonel who has it in for Algren. The rest of the cast is superb, mostly playing samurai and their families, but also some political figures in the Japanese government. The star of teh show for me is Hiroyuki Sanada, who plays Ujio, the samurai's best fighter. His character epitomises the way of the samurai, and the actor gives you the impression he is everything a samurai ever was.
My Opinion
I really like this film in so many ways, yet it spoilt for me by the one thing that I feel spoils a lot of films, and that is the twisting of a tale. Historically, Japanese Westernisation came about through the involvement of England, France and Germany. Yet here we see none of that, merely the effect one American man has on the whole Japanese political spectre. I know, it is fiction, and only loosely based on historical events, but it bugs me and makes the whole experience less enjoyable. There's nothing saying the lead couldn't have been a disgruntled French Captain, is there? Although, maybe Tom Cruise wouldn't have been great with a French accent!!
The choreography of the fight scenes is a wonder to behold. Director Edward Zwick has got it right there, and the emotional conversations, particularly between Algren and Katsumoto, hold just the right amount of tension in them to suggest poignant conversation and meaningful traditions in the samurai way. In this respect, I felt part of the film when I was watching.
As the credits rolled, I was thoroughly impressed. It takes a lot for me to just watch a film without checking on the time at certain intervals, yet with this film I watched all the way through and only realised that the playing time of 148 minutes was up. And that is a long time for a film! Over 2 hours of good entertainment, marred only by an americanisation of sorts.
There are no extras.
The DVD is currently available from amazon.co.uk for £4.98 new, and there is a 2-disc edition available for £4.97(!!)
Thanks for reading.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Tom Cruise plays Civil War hero Capt. Nathan Algren, who comes to Japan to fight the ... more
Samurai and ends up pledging himself to their cause. Ken Watanabe (Academy Award nominee) plays Katsumoto, a Samurai leader facing a vanishing way of life, whose desti...
Decorated Civil War veteran Nathan Algren (Cruise) is sent to Japan to train and lead the ... more
Emperor's troops in modern Western gunpowder intensive warfare to eliminate the country's remaining rebelling samurai. Captured and imprisoned by the outlawed ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Advantages: Tom Cruise at his brilliant best, 'real' action as opposed to CGI SF, strong plot, supporting cast, billy Connolly, ...EVERYTHING Disadvantages: Shame it wasn't a three and half hour beast like Return of the King
noel007 10.01.2004 (10.01.2004)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Last Samurai (DVD)
Advantages: A strong historical drama with and excellent story outstanding acting and breathtaking scenery Disadvantages: The length may be long for some viewers
melodysparks 16.05.2004 (16.05.2004)
·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of The Last Samurai (DVD)
Advantages: great cinematography, good action, good special features, well acted by tom cruise. Disadvantages: story line a bit wobbly, surely he should of died!
Mar 6th, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
