Le Dernier Samouraï

The Last Samurai is a strictly by-the-numbers samurai epic set in 1876-1877 Japan. All the necessary ingredients are here - beautiful Japanese landscapes and costumes, larger than life battlefield sequences, and eastern philosophy.Although the pageantry is not as beautiful as such samurai epics as "Heaven and Earth", it is more than adequate.

Do not, however go into this film expecting "Kill Bill", grindhouse type swordplay nor the poignancy of a Kurosawa piece. Instead, "The Last Samurai" occupies the middle ground; a human story of one Westerner learning to embrace another culture kind of a mixture of "Dances With Wolves" and "Shogun", films from which it derives almost directly. And this is the films greatest flaw. It is utterly predictable. No spoilers here, we all know what happens to the samurai. If not, the title ought to give you a clue. Every scene is one that you were expecting to see. And the ending is the ending you expect.

But Zwick and co. still manage to weave an engaging story with panache, and a climactic (despite it's predictability) ending, and that is why "The Last Samurai" is such a great film. As the Zen saying goes, "Success is a journey, not a destination". It is equally applicable to the samurai in the film, and the film itself. A success. 8/10.

With `The Last Samurai', director Ed Zwick appears to be aiming for an epic on the scale of a David Lean or Akira Kurosawa film. He couldn't possibly aim higher, and if he is not entirely successful he has nevertheless produced a film which will leave audiences grateful for the ways in which he is.

Impressively, Zwick never forgets that a great epic is based in equal parts on quiet moments of personal growth as well as on spectacle, and the two are in proper balance throughout `The Last Samurai'. Furthermore, this film never falls into the trap of presenting its American hero as the savior of a group of savages. It's presentation of the Japanese culture as represented by both the government forces and the Samurai warriors is informative, entertaining and never less than three dimensional.

The film's opening (and, later, closing) moments are its weakest. Simply stated, Tom Cruise is completely unconvincing as an embittered and alcoholic Civil War veteran. Watching him deal with stock characters (such as the photographer played by Timothy Spall), we are reminded of school-level productions in which a young cast can not possibly understand much less convey the life experience we are supposed to believe they have had.

Fortunately, things pick up considerably when Cruise finds himself in the hands of the Samurai warriors he has come to Japan to train the soldiers against. Not only is the actor convincing in the physical daring-do we have come to expect of him, but he is able to project a subtle variation on a theme he has explored before. His characters always seem to exist for the purpose of getting some form of comeuppance. Here it comes not in the form of a big emotive scene, but gradually, over the course of time, as he gives himself over to a world based on ritual, respect and honor. These quiet moments, juxtaposed with his learning the ways of the warriors, are the heart and soul of this film. Cruise is greatly abetted by the excellent actors Ken Watanabe and Koyuki in these sequences, as well as by the boys who play Koyuki's sons. Indeed, the greatest example of Zwick's skill in piloting this film can be found in the ease with which the film alternates between two languages, with none of the clunky feel too often associated with joint international ventures.

Not surprisingly, the film leads up to a spectacular battle sequence which, if anything, is even more impressive than any found in `Braveheart' or `Gladiator'. "The Last Samurai" can not help but recall "Dances With Wolves", with which it has a great deal in common, as well.

There is, however, a hokey quality to the film's final half-hour which brings it back to the level of its opening, with an unrealistic coda that its title portends to. There are, in fact, too many endings, and none of them are on the level of the film's best moments.

But if `The Last Samurai' sometimes falls short of its epic aspirations, it nevertheless is far more successful than many of its recent peers. It will be interesting to see how it holds up with time.

The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic war film directed and co- produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan. The film stars Tom Cruise, who also co-produced, as well as Ken Watanabe, Shin Koyamada, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Timothy Spall, and Billy Connolly. The film's plot was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigo Takamori, and on the westernization of Japan by colonial powers, though this is largely attributed to the United States in the film for American audiences.

Set in Japan during the 1870s, The Last Samurai tells the story of Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a respected American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. As the Emperor attempts to eradicate the ancient Imperial Samurai warriors in preparation for more Westernized and trade- friendly government policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds, with only his own sense of honor to guide him. The sound in movies are broken into three basic categories of sound. They are dialogue, sound effects and music. As stated, dialogue, sound effects, and music require careful balancing to serve the story; because of this, each category is typically recorded separately and mixed together during the final editing process (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011).

The movie is consistent with its storytelling method. Of course, I love the reference to one of the greatest last stands in history as it foreshadows an epic, final battle. Next, Algren helps Katsumoto devise a strategy where the Samurai can get close to the soldiers so they can use their swords and neutralize the advantage of guns. The movie's title foreshadows a tragic denouement, but that in no way lessens The Last Samurai's impact. The film is in many ways about the clash between the old ways (those of the samurai) and the new (those employed by the American-trained troops). While history makes the results predictable (six decades later, a thoroughly modern Japan would attack Pearl Harbor), it's our involvement with the characters and their situations that energizes the experience of sitting through this movie. The historical context may be established, but we don't know what happens to Nathan, Katsumoto, Taka, and others.

The dialogue itself is the requirement for most movies. Without the dialogue, the story and the plot cannot come to conclusion. The dialogue helps shape the mood, the direction, the balance of any movie that the audience is watching. It is also important to note that emphasis on certain portions of the dialogue, whether it be change in tone, pitch, or sped up and slowed down, the dialogue can change the mood of any movie. If done correctly, it will make an excellent companion to the music and the sound effects of that specific film. (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). As he walks among the people, there is very little dialogue, but many scenes of the beautiful Japanese countryside. This is the perfect place to put music to help the audience appreciate the beauty that he is discovering for the first time. As stated in our text, "with the advent of sound, music became a basic element of constructing a movie, as essential an element as lights and cameras" (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011).

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-samurai-2003

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From Watching to Seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Powerful, well-crafted epic set in 19th century Japan about a disillusioned American soldier who's hired to train a group of fledgling soldiers and lead them into battle against a rebellious samurai. Having been defeated and held captive by the enemy, he gradually begins to understand and develop a great respect for the man who should be his adversary. Long, but faultlessly performed and richly detailed with compelling battle scenes and vivid, breathtaking scenery. Cruise—sporting authentic Japanese tongue—is outstanding, but Watanabe steals the film in a moving and forceful performance as the fierce but honorable samurai warrior. Only letdown is the finale, which seems a bit too conventional, but it's still a remarkable tale of life, honor, and courage. ***½

This movie is filled with such excellent performances, beautiful cinematography, well choreographed action scenes, that me not understanding the movie, still liked it anyway.

I don't know much about Japanese culture or about the history of Japan during the late 1800s, so I could not fully understand what was happening in this movie. What impressed upon me is that Nathan Algren, a disallusioned, alcoholic American soldier who went to Japan to train the emperor's troops, was able to find friendship and respect the great samurai, Katsumoto. These two men, from different countries and cultures, were able to become friends because they are both warriors under their very different exteriors.

Tom Cruise is so good in this movie, but it is easy to overlook his performance and just think, wow, this man is so hot! He's even sexy as an alcoholic! This guy is so good looking that it took me awhile to see him as Nathan Algren, and not just Tom Cruise, sexy superstar actor. But once I got use to seeing him in this character, I believed him totally. But Ken Watanabe's emotionally, intense performance, totally blows away Tom Cruise's performance. One can't help but grow to respect this samurai who opposes the western influence in Japan and wants to retain the samurai way of life. This japanese actor is terrific! I hope to see him more in American movies. Even if you don't care for historical movies, you should still go just to see the performance of Ken Watanabe and Tom Cruise.

I won't go into the plot. I think everyone has a pretty good idea of what the plot is. I just have to say, I don't see anything wrong with the japanese emperor trying to modernize Japan by associating with the Western powers, and I don't understand why Katusomoto is so against that. That's the one major problem I have with this movie, is that I don't understand enough of the politics during that time in Japan. Otherwise, this is a pretty great action flick and I enjoyed it immensely.