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The Last Samurai (Special Edition) (DVD)

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The Last Samurai (Special Edition) (DVD)

Quote-start

They ruled Japan for 2000 years.

Quote-end

4 Feb 22nd, 2006  (Apr 13th, 2006)

53 Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful

Advantages:
Modern day epic

Disadvantages:
none

Recommendable Yes:

Detailed rating:

Did you enjoy it?

Story

Characters / Performances

Special Effects

Soundtrack

christianfilmcritic

christianfilmcritic

About me:

.....

Member since:21.01.2006

Reviews:263

Members who trust:363

Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American War Captain and hero, who now despises his past and seeks solitude from the bottle. Offered a vast amount of money he agrees to go to Japan to train up their army to fight and defeat the remaining rebel Samurai. Unfortunately he is injured and captured in action by the Samurai, and instead of being killed he is taken back to their village hide away. Although he is the enemy, he is not treated like a prisoner, and soon he comes to understand and respect the Samurai. With this his loyalty changes and trains to become a Samurai like his new found friends. Soon the Japanese army up their search for the remaining rebel Samurai, this time they are prepared for them and are ready to go to war which could determine the fate of the Samurai once and for all.


This is a very powerful film which holds your attention through the story, the dialogue, the action and the scenery. The story which can be compared with "Dances With Wolves" is more about a man who is at war with himself, as he hates his past and what he has become, but under the guidance of the Samurai he discovers his real self and what is important in life. The dialogue in this film is also extremely good, I honestly expected it to be a bit cliché ridden but it was very enjoyable and has real meaning, such as:

Katsumoto: Many of our customs seem strange to you. And the same is true of yours. For example, not to introduce yourself is considered extremely rude, even among enemies.

There are several action sequences within the film but instead of being over the top pieces, they look very real. The fight sequences between the Samurai and the army are really well shot and you feel that you are in the midst of the battle. At the other end of the action scale, is the training Algren receives in sword fighting, it is extremely well choreographed but not to the extent that it looks staged. Finally the scenery in the film is magnificent; not only the beautiful mountain village but the buildings at the port really do provide a breath taking backdrop to the film. All in all, a very good film.

In the lead role of Captain Nathan Algren is Tom Cruise (The Color of Money). Usually I find Cruise's performances to be quite cheesy, but in this case he puts in a very classy performance which shows his true acting capability. Not only does he display good skills in the action sequences he also displays the range of emotions of a man who detests himself but then the happiness when he finds inner peace. Opposite Cruise is Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto (Batman Begins) the leader of the Samurai. Watanabe plays the part brilliantly as he guides Algren and disperses pearls of wisdom. This character could have come over quite cheesily in a sort of Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid) sense, but Watanabe has a very powerful presence on the screen which makes his character very believable. In some minor roles, but still important, are Billy Connolly as Zebulan Gant, Algren's second in command, and Timothy Spall as Simon Graham, a historian and interpreter who is Algren's guide. Of course there is a huge supporting cast and really can't be faulted for there performances.

The film is directed by Edward Zwick (Courage Under Fire) who has done a marvellous job of creating what I would class a modern epic. He has stayed focus through out the film on telling the story rather than demonstrating great action sequences or huge special effects. The sound track is provided by Hans Zimmer who provides a good range of pieces which complement each scene, whether it is an emotional piece or a more upbeat action piece.

=
The Cast
=======

Ken Watanabe .... Katsumoto
Tom Cruise .... Nathan Algren
Billy Connolly .... Zebulon Gant
Tony Goldwyn .... Colonel Bagley
Masato Harada .... Omura
Timothy Spall .... Simon Graham
Togo Igawa .... General Hasegawa

*****************************=======
Technical Details
=============

Certificate: 15
Length: 148 mins

*****************************=======
Bonus Material
=============

The DVD extras are extremely good and mainly feature on the second disc.

The Audio Commentary is provided by Edward Zwick who passionately takes you through the film where he describes what he was trying to convey, but he also gives praise to the actors and set designers as he discusses the scenes.

'History Vs Hollywood: The Last Samurai' this is from the History channel and shows what the film got historically right and what it got very wrong.

'Tom Cruise: A Warriors Journey' this is a feature all about the character of Algren with interviews with Cruise and other cast and crew members. It gives an insight into how Cruise went about playing the part.

'Edward Zwick: Directors Video Journal' although this is quite long and Zwick's voice gets a bit annoying after a while, it is a good feature showing loads of background information on how Zwcik directed the film.

'Making An Epic: A Conversation With Edward Zwick And Tom Cruise' this feature is very good as the star and director discuss what they are trying to achieve with the film.

'A World Of Detail: Production Design With Lilly Kilvert' is a short feature which discusses aspects of the film, such as getting the right locations and the use of CGI which is a real eye opener.

'Silk And Armour: Costume Design With Ngila Dickson' is another short feature which unsurprisingly discusses the costumes used in the film.

'Imperial Army Basic Training' is another short feature which shows the basic training the actors went through in the use of weaponry for the film.

'From Soldier To Samurai: The Weapons' is a feature on all the different weapons used in the fill and how accurate they were.

'Deleted Scenes'-There are 2 deleted scenes on the disc, but what is surprising is that they come with a commentary explaining why they were cut but also explaining how they were filmed.

'Japanese Premieres' - this is the cast talking about their characters whilst at the films premier.

'Theatrical Trailer' is the original film trailer.

'Bushido: Way Of The Samurai' is a few pages of text describing Bushido; the Samurai code of honour.

The film also comes with a selection of DVDRom extras.

*****************************==========
Conclusion & Rating
================

This is definitely a modern epic, which although maybe historically flawed it is still highly entertaining and very watch able. The story is engrossing and the performances tell it very well. This will appeal to fans of films such as 'Gladiator' and 'Troy'. Not only is the film very good but the extras packaged with the DVD are brilliant which makes this a very good purchase, which can currently be bought on Amazon for £9.97.

=
Trivia
=

Tom Cruise narrowly escaped potentially fatal injuries after a sword was swung within one inch of his neck while filming. He and his co-star Hiroyuki Sanada was acting out a sword fight scene when the incident happened. Sanada swung a sword at Cruise who was on an off-camera mechanical horse at the time. But the machine reportedly malfunctioned and failed to duck at the right moment. Sanada stopped the blade just one inch from his neck. - courtesy of IMDB. 

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Comments about this review »

Expired-Account 17.11.2007 13:56

Watched this one this morning, love it, exceptional review too

ldvda 27.07.2006 16:09

I have watched this film so many times but have never seen the ending it is my mission for the summer to watch it totally. Great review V x x

HotBabes 24.04.2006 22:35

I never knew Billy Connolly was in this but as its a film I wouldn't like, you'll be watching it on your own! x x

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The Last Samurai (Special Edition) (DVD) - review by beveling8

Advantages: great cinematography, good action, good special features, well acted by tom cruise.
Disadvantages: story line a bit wobbly, surely he should of died!

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The Last Samurai (Special Edition) (DVD) - review by the_stickman

Advantages: Great detail into samurai's, great performance by cast
Disadvantages: not really beleivable in some parts

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Advantages: epic
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