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.
Inspired by a project by Vincent Ward, it interested Zwick, with Ward later serving
as executive producer.
The film production went ahead with Zwick and was shot in Ward’s native New Zealand.
Cruise portrays an American officer, whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him
into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in 19th Century
Japan.
The film's plot was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō 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.
To a lesser extent it is also influenced by 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 Last Samurai was well received upon its release, with a worldwide box office total
of $456 million.
It was nominated for several awards, including four Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards,
and two National Board of Review Awards.
Plot In 1876, Civil War veteran U.S. Army captain
Nathan Algren is traumatized by his participation in a massacre of Native Americans in the Indian
Wars, and has become a bitter alcoholic.
Algren is approached by his former commanding officer, Colonel Bagley, on behalf of Japanese
businessman Omura, who wishes to hire American soldiers to train the Imperial Japanese Army
to suppress a samurai rebellion.
In exchange, Japan would ratify a lucrative trade agreement that would grant the U.S.
exclusive rights to supply arms to the Japanese government.
Although Algren despises Bagley for having ordered the massacre, he accepts the job for
the money and sails to Japan.
The training is interrupted when the samurai attack a railroad owned by Omura; Bagley orders
the regiment to mobilize, overruling Algren's objection that the soldiers are not yet ready.
Algren is proved correct, during a battle in a foggy forest in Yoshino Province.
The undisciplined and intimidated soldiers panic and are quickly routed by the samurai.
While many of his soldiers are killed, Algren is captured and taken to the samurai's village
in the mountains.
Although he is kept as a captive, Algren is relatively free to explore the village and
interact with its inhabitants.
He meets with the leader of the samurai rebellion, Katsumoto Moritsugu, who wishes to have civilized
conversations with him for the purpose of mutual understanding.
Algren grows to respect the simple and disciplined lifestyle of the samurai and their families.
As time passes, he integrates more fully with their society, learning samurai martial techniques
as well as the Japanese language.
From Katsumoto, he learns that the rebellion opposes Japanese westernization, and that
he believes the samurai are acting in the best interest of Japan.
Algren stays with Katsumoto's sister Taka and her family; she initially dislikes him,
but after Algren learns that he had killed her husband in combat, he apologizes to her,
and the two grow closer.
His stay in the village allows him to overcome his alcoholism and come to terms with the
horrors of his past.
Algren also earns the samurai's respect by helping them defeat a band of ninjas sent
to assassinate Katsumoto by Omura.
Katsumoto travels to Tokyo to meet with his former student, the Emperor, and Algren accompanies
him.
Algren learns that the Imperial Japanese Army has become much better trained and armed over
the wintertime.
Katsumoto realizes that the Emperor's influence in the government has been overshadowed by
that of his advisers, including Omura, who support westernization and intend to use the
strengthened army to crush the samurai.
In a council meeting, Katsumoto is arrested for carrying a sword.
Rather than fulfill Omura's request to lead the Imperial Army against the rebellion, Algren
organizes the samurai to free Katsumoto.
Katsumoto's son Nobutada is killed while helping his father escape.
Algren and the samurai return to the village to prepare for the army's coming assault.
Before the warriors depart for battle, Taka dresses Algren in the armor worn by her husband,
and the two share a kiss.
On the battlefield, the samurai lure the first regiment of the Imperial Army into favorable
terrain and engage the soldiers at close range, resulting in a bloody brawl that leaves many
dead on both sides before the remaining soldiers retreat.
Knowing that they cannot withstand another assault, Katsumoto orders a horseback charge
that breaks through the Army's defensive lines and is only stopped by last-minute Gatling
gun fire.
During the charge, Algren spots Bagley firing on Katsumoto, and kills him by throwing his
samurai sword at him.
In a very short space of time, the Gatling fire kills all the remaining samurai and grievously
injures Algren, who nevertheless helps Katsumoto achieve an honorable death by performing seppuku.
The Imperial Army collectively kneels and bows in a show of respect for the fallen samurai.
Days later, as negotiations over the trade agreement conclude, an injured Algren interrupts
the proceedings and presents Katsumoto's sword to the Emperor, stating that Katsumoto would
have wanted him to have it and to remember the cause for which he and his ancestors had
died.
The Emperor realizes that while Japan must modernize, it must also grow strong on its
own terms and in line with its history and culture.
He rejects the trade agreement and confiscates the Omura family's assets to give back to
the people.
As the film closes, questions are raised to what happened to the American Officer.
The film answers, by showing Algren returning to the isolated mountain village to live with
Taka, the other widows, and their children, effectively donning the mantle of the last
samurai.
Cast Tom Cruise as Captain Nathan Algren
Ken Watanabe as Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto Hiroyuki Sanada as Ujio
Shin Koyamada as Nobutada Tony Goldwyn as Colonel Bagley
Masato Harada as Omura Shichinosuke Nakamura as Emperor Meiji
Timothy Spall as Simon Graham Seizo Fukumoto as the Silent Samurai
Koyuki as Taka Billy Connolly as Sergeant Zebulon Gant
Shun Sugata as Nakao Sosuke Ikematsu as Higen
Scott Wilson as Ambassador Swanbeck Production
Filming took place in New Zealand, mostly in the Taranaki region, with Japanese cast
members and an American production crew.
This location was chosen due to the fact that Egmont/Mount Taranaki resembles Mount Fuji,
and also because there is a lot of forest and farmland in the Taranaki region.
This acted as a backdrop for many scenes, as opposed to the built up cities of Japan.
Several of the village scenes were shot on the Warner Brothers Studios backlot in Burbank,
California.
Some scenes were shot in Kyoto and Himeji, Japan.
There were 13 filming locations altogether Tom Cruise did his own stunts for the film.
The film is based on an original screenplay entitled "The Last Samurai", from a story
by John Logan.
The project itself was inspired 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, until he became interested with Edward Zwick.
The film production went ahead with Zwick and was shot in Ward’s native New Zealand.
The film was based 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, for American audiences.
Music The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture
Score is the score to the 2003 film of the same name, released on November 25, 2003 by
Warner Sunset Records.
All music on the soundtrack was composed, arranged, and produced by Hans Zimmer, performed
by the Hollywood Studio Symphony, and conducted by Blake Neely.
It peaked at number 24 on the US Top Soundtracks chart.
Track listing All music composed by Hans Zimmer.
Reception Critical response
The film achieved higher box office receipts in Japan than in the United States.
Critical reception in Japan was generally positive.
Tomomi Katsuta of The Mainichi Shinbun thought that the film was "a vast improvement over
previous American attempts to portray Japan", noting that director Edward Zwick "had researched
Japanese history, cast well-known Japanese actors and consulted dialogue coaches to make
sure he didn't confuse the casual and formal categories of Japanese speech."
However, Katsuta still found fault with the film's idealistic, "storybook" portrayal of
the samurai, stating: "Our image of samurai is that they were more corrupt."
As such, he said, the noble samurai leader Katsumoto "set teeth on edge."
The Japanese premiere was held at Roppongi Hills multiplex in Tokyo on November 1, 2003.
The entire cast was present; they signed autographs, provided interviews and appeared on stage
to speak to fans.
Many of the cast members expressed the desire for audiences to learn and respect the important
values of the samurai, and to have a greater appreciation of Japanese culture and custom.
In the United States, critic Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half
stars out of four, saying it was "beautifully designed, intelligently written, acted with
conviction, it's an uncommonly thoughtful epic."
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 65% of critics have given the film a
positive review based on 214 reviews, with the site's consensus stating: "With high production
values and thrilling battle scenes, The Last Samurai is a satisfying epic", and with an
average score of 6.4/10, making the film a "Fresh" on the website's rating system.
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream
critics, the film received an average score of 55, based on 44 reviews, which indicates
"mixed or average reviews".
Accolades The film was nominated for four Academy Awards:
Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Sound.
It was also nominated for three Golden Globe Awards: Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor
– Motion Picture Drama and Best Score.
Awards won by the film include Best Director by the National Board of Review, Outstanding
Supporting Visual Effects at the Visual Effects Society Awards, Outstanding Foreign Language
Film at the Japan Academy Prize, four Golden Satellite Awards and Best Fire Stunt at the
Taurus World Stunt Awards.
Criticism and debate
Motoko Rich of The New York Times observed that the film has opened up a debate, "particularly
among Asian-Americans and Japanese," about whether the film and others like it were "racist,
naïve, well-intentioned, accurate – or all of the above."
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."
According to History professor Cathy Schultz, "Many samurai fought Meiji modernization not
for altruistic reasons but because it challenged their status as the privileged warrior caste.
Meiji reformers proposed the radical idea that all men essentially being equal ... The
film also misses the historical reality that lots and lots of Meiji policy advisors were
former samurai, who had voluntarily given up their traditional privileges to follow
a course they believed would strengthen Japan."
The fictional character of Katsumoto bears a striking resemblance to the historical figure
of Saigō Takamori, a hero of the Meiji Restoration and the leader of the ineffective Satsuma
Rebellion, who appears in the histories and legends of modern Japan as a hero against
the corruption, extravagance, and unprincipled politics of his contemporaries.
"Though he had agreed to become a member of the new government," writes the translator
and historian Ivan Morris, "it was clear from his writings and statements that he believed
the ideals of the civil war were being vitiated.
He was opposed to the excessively rapid changes in Japanese society and was particularly disturbed
by the shabby treatment of the warrior class."
Suspicious of the new bureaucracy, he wanted power to remain in the hands of the samurai
class and the Emperor, and it was for this purpose that he had joined the central government.
"Edicts like the interdiction against carrying swords and wearing the traditional topknot
seemed like a series of gratuitous provocations; and, though Saigō realized that Japan needed
an effective standing army to resist pressure from the West, he could not countenance the
social implications of the military reforms.
For this reason Saigō, although participating in the Ōkubo government, continued to exercise
a powerful appeal among disgruntled ex-samurai in Satsuma and elsewhere."
Saigō fought for a moral revolution, not a material one, and he described his revolt
as a check on the declining morality of a new, Westernizing materialism.
See also
William Adams Foreign government advisors in Meiji Japan
Ōmura Masujirō French Military Mission to Japan
Mark Rappaport Satsuma Rebellion
Jules Brunet White savior narrative in film
References
External links Official website
The Last Samurai at the Internet Movie Database The Last Samurai at AllMovie
The Last Samurai at the TCM Movie Database The Last Samurai at the American Film Institute
Catalog The Last Samurai at Box Office Mojo
Does The Last Samurai have the saddest movie death?
at AMCTV.com