The Last Samurai Forum

The Last Samurai

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Not a bad film on the whole ... I only keep wondering why script writers think it's impossible for a Western audience to identify with a native culture if there isn't some handsome hero white guy trapped among them. To me it felt like Dances with Wolves in Japan. Another good film, another white guy.

>>By Aywin (Friday, 6 Feb 2004 13:13)

This is an awesome movie!

Tom Cruise is still The King. He's never made a bad movie. Best bits were when he was stick fighting with that nemesis samurai (kept getting knocked down and kept getting back up) while "captured". And the romantic scene where Taka was dressing Algren in her ex-husbands samurai suit.

What's with that Jap emperor. Are all Emperors such wusses? Anyway his performance was a bit lame. But maybe it was meant to portray the fragility of him and royalty.

Few minor gripes were that I thought Tom was going to die in battle and it was going to be an awesome tradegy.. but no he stayed alive (full marks for the samurais dying to the gatling guns though -- would have been unrealistic for them to gallop all the way to that fat Jap bastards and chop off his head). When Algren gave the Emperor Katsumoto's sword, and the Emperor changed his mind about the arms deal at the end that was a bit cliched. And the bit at the very end when they don't show what happens between Algren and Taka ... Hollywood seems to have gone backwards. They think that if they show romantic love scenes it's cliched because it's been done before. Lots of things have been done before. But put stuff in where stuff needs to be put in I say. Maybe she didn't love him and that was the point. But I think the point was that it was meant to keep us guessing. Sorta annoying. Anyway waxing lyrical too much about the last bits.

The first 15-30 mins or so seemed slow and I thought it was gonna be a crap movie but it exceeded my expectations. Long live Tom.

**** 1/2 / *****

>>By ftad (Wednesday, 25 Feb 2004 04:54)

Oh yeah and that Katsumoto actor was very good.

This is a far superior movie than any of the Lord of the Rings movies. And the fight scenes a lot better choreographed. Still I hate all these dam close ups. Pull the camera back a bit and let us see the whole scene in its full perspective.

This movie shits all of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon too. yeah ok enough comparing movies too.

>>By ftad (Wednesday, 25 Feb 2004 04:56)

The best film i ever saw, n the first that i cried. The last battle, and all the guys gonig to fight for their death was so... beauty!!!
And so, i'm half japanese and i think this is a good reason that i likedso much this film.
Was realy a bad thing that Ken Watanabe didn't won the Oscar. And the movie were crushed by Lord of the Rings. All the Osccars that they were fighting for gone to LOTR. A big shit!
And the choreography was great!!!!

>>By Seraph (Friday, 7 May 2004 02:37)

Great movie... i don't realy a huge fan of Tom, but he was great in this movie, actors whe were playing hte sammurais were absolutly great!
Great film.

>>By Lincoln (Saturday, 10 Jul 2004 21:16)

Yes it was very good. Has anyone read a book by Takashi Matsuoka called CLoud of Sparrows? It's the same theme, pretty much and it's brilliant but there's no message board about him on this site. : /

Sorry that's a bit off-topic.

>>By Flagg (Saturday, 16 Oct 2004 23:34)

USA like to rewrite history because in reality the american was a french man. It's the same liar with
U571, the englishmen discovered the Enigma code. And to add, concerning Master and Commander the "good" ship was the french one.

>>By Artus (Monday, 1 Nov 2004 22:15)

Was very much of a relief the film did not show another romantic romance. Impressed i was with the moral disciplines and honour of the japanese in the film i hoped no cliché would ruin it. And it didn't. I think of Tom C. as a good actor, yet it's a bit of a shame that these kind of movies seem to need a 'white beauty' as a hero. It's almost as if it's an honour for the Samurai to learn a white man about their way of living. I think if i were Algre the honour would be mine. Yet a great movie it is !

>>By Sanvean (Sunday, 30 Jan 2005 12:52)

Overall i would say it was a good film makes me glad i saw at least one good film this past year

>>By MetalBladeRecords (Thursday, 10 Feb 2005 16:24)

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