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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm
Posts: 36662
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 The Last Samurai The Last Samurai Quote: The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by John Logan. The film was inspired by a project developed by writer and director Vincent Ward. Ward became executive producer on the film – working in development on it for nearly four years and after approaching several directors (Coppola, Weir), he interested Edward Zwick. The film production went ahead with Zwick and was shot in Ward’s native New Zealand.
The film stars Tom Cruise (who also co-produced) in the role of American soldier Nathan Algren, whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in the Empire of Japan in 1876 and 1877. Other actors include 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 Saigō Takamori, and also on the stories of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War and Frederick Townsend Ward, an American mercenary who helped Westernize the Chinese army by forming the Ever Victorious Army.
The historical roles of the British Empire, the Netherlands and France in Japanese westernization are largely attributed to the United States in the film. These details, characters in the film and the real story are simplified for plot purposes; the film does not seek to duplicate history. The Last Samurai was well received upon release, with a worldwide box office of $456 million. In addition it was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Awards, the Golden Globes and the National Board of Review.
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| Thu Oct 21, 2004 6:41 pm |
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Optimus_Prime
Okay, I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 7:34 pm
Posts: 816
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This is one of the those movies that just gets worse with each watch. After my 2nd watch of the movie, I got the Cold Mountain feeling with this, that there was no heart. One must commend Edward Zwick for crafting a great movie, and Ken Watnabee for his performance but everything else seems just called him. Tom Crusie...you can do better than your performance here...come on.
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| Thu Oct 21, 2004 8:33 pm |
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Atoddr
Veteran
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 3:07 am
Posts: 3014
Location: Kansai
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A pale imitation of Dances With Wolves and even Zwick's earlier film Glory. I wanted to like it, some part I did like. Ken Watanbe was good, as was Cruise. The ending was just too unbelievable. Plus, I made the mistake of watching it after Return Of The King. It just couldn't hold up. I rate it a B-.
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| Mon Nov 22, 2004 8:00 am |
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lovemerox
Forum General
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 10:16 pm
Posts: 6499
Location: Down along the dixie line
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I cant believe you guys. This movie was fabulous. The direction was awesome and the score was beautiful.Everything about this movie rocked
A must see
A
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| Mon Nov 22, 2004 11:45 am |
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zingy
College Boy Z
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:40 pm
Posts: 36662
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While I did like this movie, it wasn't as great as I hoped it would be. Tom Cruise was great in this movie, and the battle scenes were very well done. The movie did seem to drag on a lot, though, and a few things needed improvement.
My Grade: B
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| Tue Nov 23, 2004 6:44 pm |
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Algren
now we know
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 9:31 pm
Posts: 67027
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The Last Samurai A+ The BEST movie of 2003. Superb. I could write for days about this film, but I am not going to. So, I'll just go now. 
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Last edited by Algren on Sun Jul 08, 2018 6:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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| Thu Jan 20, 2005 12:05 pm |
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Jeff
Christian's #1 Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 8:25 pm
Posts: 28110
Location: Awaiting my fate
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I bought the DVD of this film around 3 months ago and I still have yet to watch it.
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| Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:34 pm |
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Levy
Golfaholic
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2005 2:06 pm
Posts: 16054
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Don't believe the hype. It's a good movie, but no masterpiece. The action is solid, Tom Cruise gives another really good performance, but Zwick's direction is flawed as alway (B+)
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| Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:56 pm |
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Dkmuto
Forum General
Joined: Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:00 am
Posts: 6502
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I thought it was beautifully done and, for the most part, emotionally effective, but its narrative was quite underwhelming (lousy exposition, no 'epic' feel, ineffective portrayal of the young emperor) and for a film that appears to be so in tune with the Asian culture, there sure were a lot of shots of Tom Cruise's love interest bathing in waterfalls and the like (oh, she's Japanese, so exotic!).
It's a good film, though. B+
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| Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:22 pm |
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insomniacdude
I just lost the game
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:00 pm
Posts: 5868
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I flippin' loved this movie. I thought it'd be good, but it totally blew me away.
A+
Great acting across the board. Visually beautiful. Brilliant score. Some slight problems with the screenplay, but other than that I thought it was brilliant.
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| Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:51 pm |
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Riggs
We had our time together
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2004 4:36 am
Posts: 13270
Location: Vienna
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It's a very good movie but an average epic. It's by far not as great as say Braveheart  A-
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| Fri Jan 21, 2005 9:57 am |
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movies35
Forum General
Joined: Thu Nov 11, 2004 1:53 pm
Posts: 8626
Location: Syracuse, NY
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I thought it was good but not great. Tom was great though.
7/10 (B)
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| Wed May 04, 2005 12:15 pm |
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thompsoncory
Rachel McAdams Fan
Joined: Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:13 am
Posts: 14544
Location: LA / NYC
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7/10 ( B )
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| Fri May 06, 2005 7:47 pm |
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scottb
Star Trek XI
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:50 pm
Posts: 354
Location: Cleveland, OH, USA
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This movie was done well enough. It caught my attention when I was looking for something to watch on TV and it was good enough that I didn't change the channel.
Grade: B
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| Fri May 06, 2005 11:52 pm |
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Dr. Lecter
You must have big rats
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 4:28 pm
Posts: 92093
Location: Bonn, Germany
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A-
Civil War hero Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is hired by the Japanese to train the Japanese solders and lead them against the forces of rebels - the Samurai protesting against western influences in their culture. When Algren is captured by the "enemy", but left alive for his braveness, he slowly, but gradually comes to appreciate the culture of the Samurai and their honor code.
I had no anticipation for the movie when it was first announced, but the teaser and the final trailer gradually increased my anticipation in the flick. The movie did not leave me disappointed as it presented a very entertaining historical epic that delivered on many levelks. The storyline is mostly well-researched, even though the Samurai are being idealized a whole lot in the movie of course. Tom Cruise delivers another rock-solid performance (why didn't this guy get an Oscar yet?!), but in The Last Samurai, he is by far outshined by Ken Watanabe, playing the leader of the Samuari, Hatsumoto, with all the necessary wisdoom and suaveness.
Visually, the movie is an eye candy. It had the misfortune of coming out in the same year as the mother of all epics, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Otherwise, I could easily see the art direction Oscar and most definitely the Best Costume Desin Oscar going to it. The director Ed Zwick also let the movie deliver on the levels of cinematography, editing and the score. It is not a flawless movie and the ending certainly seems too happy for its own good, but it does give some insight into the Samuari culture, excellent performances accross the board, amazing production values and a captivating and interesting story. Movies like Kingdom of Heaven, King Arthur and Alexander really make me appreaciate the epic that is The Last Samurai.
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| Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:09 pm |
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BJ
Killing With Kindness
Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:57 pm
Posts: 25020
Location: Anchorage,Alaska
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BJs Grade:
B+
fun watch, but not one I would check out again.
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| Thu Jan 19, 2006 2:26 pm |
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insomniacdude
I just lost the game
Joined: Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:00 pm
Posts: 5868
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insomniacdude wrote: I flippin' loved this movie. I thought it'd be good, but it totally blew me away.
A+
Great acting across the board. Visually beautiful. Brilliant score. Some slight problems with the screenplay, but other than that I thought it was brilliant. Whoa. That's really enthusiastic.
I watched it again tonight with some friends. Nowhere near an A+. I still feel the same way (superb acting, great visuals, great score, faulty screenplay). The pacing dragged a little...but it's ok. It spent more time investigating the life of the Samurai than I think it should. It's emotional resound and theme relies to much on the audiences understanding of the Samurai. I think a bit more character study would have done some good. But overall, it doesn't really deter from the movie, and it's still solid. A- _________________
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| Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:13 am |
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Anita Hussein Briem
Yes we can call dibs on the mountain guide
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 5:47 pm
Posts: 3290
Location: Houston
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Emotionally, the movie blew me away. Gets an A- for inducing sobs; the film itself is nothing extraordinary.
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| Wed Jul 12, 2006 2:31 am |
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MadGez
Dont Mess with the Gez
Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2004 9:54 am
Posts: 22669
Location: Melbourne Australia
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I just find this film overrated. I found it quite dissapointing, Its decent but nothing more. One of Cruise's lesser efforts.
Grade: C+
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| Wed Jul 12, 2006 3:27 am |
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Bradley Witherberry
Extraordinary
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:13 pm
Posts: 15197
Location: Planet Xatar
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Last Samurai: I Felt Honored To See It!
Well I really enjoyed this one. Finally! -- Melodrama appropriately used as the motor of a marvellous vehicle built out of a streamlined yet epic historical story.
The Klingonesque code of honour and the devotion of the Samurai to their destiny and each moment along the way are revealed through the cross-cultural perspective given by their meeting with the Western warrior. Tom Cruise' character by "going native", illustrates the kind of truths a superficial treatment like Lost in Translation can't even begin to scratch, and which The Missing seriously fumbled while trying to catch similar themes. The direction was fluid and propulsive and perfectly suited the bigger-than-life screenplay - this movie didn't seem long at almost two and a half hours - as a matter of fact - it flew by. Pretty amazing to see a dramatic movie done right - I was beginning to lose hope there for a while with so many people praising other dramatic films released around the same time (such as Mystic River, 21 Grams, and the aforementioned Sophia Coppola and Ron Howard movies), which IMHO, were hopelessly jumbled, overcomplicated, heartless dime store novels compared to this Movie's Movie. Imagine if there were modern day Samurai to restore honor to our treacherous world...
6 out of 5.
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| Wed Jul 12, 2006 7:23 am |
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baumer72
Mod Team Leader
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 11:00 pm
Posts: 7087
Location: Crystal Lake
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Loved it. One of Cruise's best!
A
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| Wed Jul 12, 2006 8:10 am |
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Mr. Lobotomy
Well I'm not stoned, I'm just fucked up - I got so high I can't stand up
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:21 am
Posts: 993
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Re: The Last Samurai A truly amazing film. The best war movie of all - time. [ Note: I haven't seen Saving Private Ryan ]
A
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| Sun Nov 23, 2008 11:46 pm |
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Mannyisthebest
Forum General
Joined: Wed May 10, 2006 3:53 pm
Posts: 8636
Location: Toronto, Canada
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Re: The Last Samurai That is like calling Unforgiven the best Western without seeing The Good The Bad and The Ugly or the Searchers!! ^^^^
The Last Samurai is a good film, and it shows a side of history we do not know about.
B+
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| Mon Nov 24, 2008 2:50 pm |
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Johnny Dollar
The Lubitsch Touch
Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2005 5:48 pm
Posts: 11019
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Re: The Last Samurai Ev@n wrote: A truly amazing film. The best war movie of all - time. [ Note: I haven't seen Saving Private Ryan ]
A Or, it would seem, any other one.
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| Mon Nov 24, 2008 5:08 pm |
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Mr. Lobotomy
Well I'm not stoned, I'm just fucked up - I got so high I can't stand up
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 3:21 am
Posts: 993
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Re: The Last Samurai yoshue wrote: Ev@n wrote: A truly amazing film. The best war movie of all - time. [ Note: I haven't seen Saving Private Ryan ]
A Or, it would seem, any other one. ? _________________
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| Tue Nov 25, 2008 11:59 pm |
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