The Last Samurai

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Forgotten Wing
Ok, I did the searching thing, and it worked out that there has only been one thread ever about this movie, and it's rather old so I'll bring it up again in a "Famine's Review" type style.

So I just rented "The Last Samurai," which was rated R for violence. Quite frankly I've seen more of this kind of R-rating in CSI on CBS, but it doesn't hamper the fact that this was a really good movie. None of the parts that I can tell were over-acted, although I do believe that Tom Cruise (playing the part of Nathan Algren) could have put a little more effort into acting the part, but nonetheless he did a good job with it.

The plot was excellent as far as I'm concerned. Although it could have been explained in five minutes' time, the director still managed to capture and hold the audience for a full two and a half hours. There weren't really any plot twists to be concerned with, essentially it's how you think it's going to be through the whole thing (my dad was sitting next to me the whole time, providing vital spoilers to the movie, so I may have missed a few), aside from a forgotten foe of the Samurai.

Throughout the movie, however, the people were speaking alot of Japanese, which forced my tired eyes toward the bottom of the screen and away from the beautiful scenery and wardrobe (which, by the way, was very accurate to what the Samurai actually wore), although there was English in the parts where you would need to see the screen so that none of the vital details were missed.

Overall I give this movie a really good review. If you haven't seen it, go see it; you won't regret it. Now my "Famine's Review" is over...
 
Yes, I think it's a great movie. It greatly stays from historical fact but it still comes through as a good movie. 👍
 
i reallt liked this movie too.I'm not really a fan of tom cruise(with the exception of top gun and days of thunder) but i thought he did a great job in this movie.
 
I've seen Barney movies better than this crap. It gets away from historical fact(I think Blake said that too), Tom Cruise plays the "last samurai", and to top it off, I fell asleep the first time I saw it. Forcing me to go see it again.

👎 👎

Ok a couple of fight scenes were alright so I'll give it a 👎 👍
 
I just saw the movie last night. It was good in my opinion. What keeps it from being great is the simple plot. Not much mystery or suspense plot wise. But a good movie. I only have one question: Was this based on an actual event? Did the samuri rebellion really happen?
 
I thought it was entertaining. Just don't think about it too much and enjoy the movie.

What made it special for me was the theator I saw it in. It was a "dinner theator" in Austin. They had removed every other row in an old theator and built tables in. They had a small menu (including alchohol) and served dinner and drinks while the previews were running. Very cool stuff.
 
It's not a film to watch if your obsessed with films sticking to historical fact, but it was a great movie, it was well acted by Cruise (yes I did mean that) and wantanabe. Billy Conolley's part was good though short and although the story was predictable the filming was spot on and the fight scenes were good add that to the good acting and overall it was a great film imo regardless of how historically accurate it was.
 
Shadow
I've seen Barney movies better than this crap. It gets away from historical fact(I think Blake said that too), Tom Cruise plays the "last samurai", and to top it off, I fell asleep the first time I saw it. Forcing me to go see it again.
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Actually, Tom Cruise was not the last Samurai. Watanabe was the last Samurai. Just a minor correction there.

For a rather indepth discussion on it, check this thread: https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=37380

AO
 
87chevy
Was this based on an actual event? Did the samuri rebellion really happen?
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Yes I believe it did happen, but it stays from fact since no americans went over to Japan. The closest thing was a English General or something helped the Japanese. I'll find out the facts later.
 
The Last Samurai was a very good movie. It had a decent plot, some good battle scenes, and pretty good acting. I would give it as 8/10.
 
This movie sucked!

It's a movie glorifying a bunch of people who refused to accept the new fruits of the human mind. Instead, they drew an arbitrary line deciding that moving parts and gunpowder were immoral while working ore into swords was not.

At what point do you just decide that the new technology is not acceptible?

Are there going to be a band of people who get slaughtered because they prefer their old guns to the new laser blasters? Will they be glorified in a movie for sticking to their old ways?


Retarded. I was almost laughing at those idiots as they got cut down by the chain gun. I was thinking, "Yea, should have gotten you one of those!!! Oh wait, then you wouldn't be at war at all would you?"

You don't have to sacrifice your morals to accept new developments from humanity.
 
They were sacrificing their morals by making that deal for new weapons and they were turning their back on their culture and trying to wipe out thoes that wanted to carry on in their old ways. They Samurai were willing to give their lives to make that point and in the end the point was made and the Emporer didn't make the deal.

I think th point where you decide nwe technology is unacceptable is when that new technology is designed to take lives, however I cansee that if we were to go down that route the whole thread would go off course. They didn't fight because they thought swords and bows were better, they fought to protect their ancestry and their culture.
 
They were sacrificing their morals by making that deal for new weapons
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What's wrong with importing weapons. They're a necessity.

and they were turning their back on their culture and trying to wipe out thoes that wanted to carry on in their old ways.
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Not so much with the wiping out of those that wanted to carry on in their old ways. They wanted their army to move on. Part of it fragmented and began rebelling. They (king) needed to stop the rebellion (samurai).

...and how exactly were they truning their back on their culture? They were simply getting new technology. I don't see how that should destroy one's culture.

They Samurai were willing to give their lives to make that point and in the end the point was made and the Emporer didn't make the deal.
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What point? That the weapons were immoral? That new technology meant the end of culture? That's rediculous.

I think th point where you decide nwe technology is unacceptable is when that new technology is designed to take lives,
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I'm sure the samurai sword is designed for hunting purposes only.

They didn't fight because they thought swords and bows were better, they fought to protect their ancestry and their culture.
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Protect their culture from what? New technology? I don't see why thier culture should be threatened by technology. Their culture was already using plenty of early technology. Why should the new stuff be any different than the old.

Will they shun cement because wood is part of their culture?
Will they shun electricity because dark and cold is part of their culture?
They developed their current armor, but I suppose the newer armor violates thier culture....
They developed thier current weapons, but the newer weapons violate thier culture.

Rediculous.

Why pick a point in the development of mankind and decide that anything beyond that is souless and immoral. They called guns that in the movie... immoral. That's just idiodic. A gun is an inanimate object.
 
Live4speed is almost right. Just a bit more thought and he'd have gotten it. Danoff's doing a good job of beating his points back down, without giving away what really is the intent.

The Machine guns were not the point of the movie. They were part of the problem. The problem being, the Emporer was working to destroy the culture of Japan. You noticed in the movie that there was a large emphasis on mimicing the American culture. Emulating it, and wiping the Japanese culture away in pursuit of what he had been convinced was the new way.

That's why Cruise delivering the sword to him meant so much. If this heathen of a man could see the nobility and importance of the Japanese and Samurai culture, yet the Emporer could not, what position was the Emporer in?

It wasn't that the new technology was bad, it was that the Emporer wiping out the Japanese culture to gain that technology.

AO
 
It wasn't that the new technology was bad, it was that the Emporer wiping out the Japanese culture to gain that technology.
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How exactly was the Emperor wiping out Japanese culture?
 
danoff you're not really allowing yourself to accept another point of view, so you might as well stop arguing.
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I'm trying to understand. I'm hoping someone can explain it to me.
 
danoff
How exactly was the Emperor wiping out Japanese culture?
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Do you recall in the film when the young samurai had his top knot removed? Do you recall how the emporer was dressed? The way his assistant wore his beard? These were the sublte hints that his desire was to change the japanese culture to be more american (AKA modern). There are other subtle hints through out the film that are in the same vein.

The embodiement of the Japanese culture is the sword that has served the Japanese culture for years. They were outlawed from the main hall where rules and decision about Japans culture are made. Another small point that shows the Emporer wished to change from the Japanese culture to a modern culture.

The underlying theme through out the movie is the loss of tradition and honor in modern society. Each point where the movie shows the Japanese people hiding their culture in favor of the modern culture is how the movie shows the slow degredation of the japanese culture.

I know this doesn't fully explain the reasons, but it's been more than a few months since I saw the film. I should perhaps sit down and rewatch it while taking notes.

Does this start to give you a bit of insight why I believe the emporer was destroying the Japanese culture, in favor of a more modern culture.

AO
 
Does this start to give you a bit of insight why I believe the emporer was destroying the Japanese culture, in favor of a more modern culture.
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Yes, but I still don't see the connection between modernization and the removal of culture. I don't see why the samauris had to refuse to use modern weapons to preserve their culture, and I don't see why the emporer had to force people to dress like foreigners and cut of their hair to modernize their technology.

Tell me why the samauris had to refuse to use a gun and keep their culture intact.
 
Ahhh... Now I see where the confusion might be coming from. What the emporer was thinking was that in order for Japan to become a modern country, they had to adopt the ways of the Americans. His choice was to emulate the americans. In doing so, he believed that the eradication of the japanese culture was the only way to become modern.

The emporer did not understand that technology was not the same as culture. He believed that technology = culture. So when Cruise brought the sword at the end, here was a modern man that understood what the emporer could not. It was here that the emporer realized that Japan could accept the technology and keep their culture.

Now, the real kicker to this is that in real life the samurai did use firearms, and they weren't so honorable. They were more protectors of certain people, and those people weilded the samurai like a weapon.

And....
The samurai weren't refusing to use a gun, they were choosing not to use a gun, so as to continue with their life. They were forced into this battle. The forces at work on the emporer were such that he had been convinced that the samurai were attacking and destroying the railroads thus hindering progress and Japan's modernization. The people "advising" the emporer were convincing him that the samurai needed to be eradicated so that Japan would become a modern nation. The Samurai also refused to accept the moderization (re-culturalization?) of Japan, therefore were a hindrance to progress.

I'll watch the movie again this weekend, and further evaluate my thoughts, so hopefully I can explain it a bit better.

AO
 
I'll watch the movie again this weekend, and further evaluate my thoughts, so hopefully I can explain it a bit better.
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I hate to think that I might have caused that.

It was here that the emporer realized that Japan could accept the technology and keep their culture.
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In the end, the emperor broke his deal for modern weapons. Meaning he did not ever see the distinction between technology and culture.

Now, the real kicker to this is that in real life the samurai did use firearms, and they weren't so honorable
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Of course the first part doesn't mean the second part... just so we're clear.

It doesn't matter what they did in real life though, in the movie they didn't use firearms because they seemed to think that that new technology was a destruction of their old way of life - which just wasn't so. If Cruise's character knew that technology does not = culture, why did he refuse to use his gun during battle?
 
The emporer didn't accept the weapons, but he still accepted that they didn't have to turn their back on their past accept new technology.
 
The emporer didn't accept the weapons, but he still accepted that they didn't have to turn their back on their past accept new technology.
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how did you get that from the movie?
 
On a lighter note - I just watched this film and really enjoyed it. I was getting a tad bored just before the assassin guys came to kill matsumoto (sp) then I started to get into it.

I kind of know what Danoff means but I am agreeing with Der Alta here - Its just that the samurai have lived for years with the sword and I believe that it was just their tradition and thay didnt want to accept western culture. Their emperor was willing to accept western culture - guns etc right up until the last minute when he turned his back on the Americans and the deal they were going to sign. The film was all about the samurai's and their ability with a sword, not their ability with a gun. Its that you dont have to be in one mind (like the training given to Mr Cruise) to use a gun - just pull the trigger, but to use a sword - now thats a whole lot different.

Just my thoughts on it - but Id give it 8.5/10 👍
 

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