Starring: Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki
Review: Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. As the government attempts to eradicate the ancient Samurai warrior class in preparation for more Westernized and trade-friendly policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly affected by his encounters with the Samurai and their leader, Lord Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). This conflict places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds.
The Last Samurai was released to US audiences in late 2003, and subsequently received four nominations at the 2004 Academy Awards. A lot of controversy surrounded this film around the time of its release.
Todd McCarthy, a film critic for the Variety magazine, wrote: "Clearly enamored of the culture it examines while resolutely remaining an outsider's romanticization of it, yarn is disappointingly content to recycle familiar attitudes about the nobility of ancient cultures, Western despoilment of them, liberal historical guilt, the unrestrainable greed of capitalists and the irreducible primacy of Hollywood movie stars."
Despite this sentiment, The Last Samurai actually rated better among Japanese audiences. I, for one, really enjoyed this film. Behind all of the political and cultural controversies, I found a really enjoyable story with brilliant and authentic acting performances. There are a lot of action sequences that are both dramatic and entertaining. Tom Cruise does a fantastic job as Captain Nathan Algren, and his inner-conflict regarding the two vastly different viewpoints exhibited in this film comes across effortlessly. Ken Watanabe is also great as the ruthless yet honorable Lord Katsumoto, while Hiroyuki Sanada brings the flair for the dramatic, proving once again why he's one of the best in the business when it comes to amazingly choreographed samurai fight scenes. This movie runs very long, and there are points in the film that drag a bit as we traverse through some of the more complex plot points. That said, There's a lot of heart to this film, and I think it's a well-intended film despite some of its criticisms. I really enjoyed this movie because it was entertaining, action-packed, but it also had its softer moments that evoked real human emotion. I highly recommend this film!
Fun Fact: 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 were 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.