The Last Samurai

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The Last Samurai

R,

2003,

2h 34m,

Adventure/

Drama/

War/

Action

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Watchlist

65%

216 Reviews

Tomatometer

83%

250,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

216 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. As the government attempts to eradicate the ancient Samurai warrior class in preparation for more Westernized and trade-friendly policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly affected by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds.

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Critics Consensus

With high production values and thrilling battle scenes, The Last Samurai is a satisfying epic.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 28, 2010

3/5

Outstanding action and performance; lots of blood.

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Richard Schickel

TIME Magazine

Aug 25, 2008

It's easy to stand back and wax ironic about The Last Samurai. But it's not all that difficult to succumb to its full-spirited romanticism either.

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Jun 24, 2006

Competently mounted in its studiedly immersive, elongated way, Zwick's earnest costume epic dresses a knee-jerk, reactionary sensibility in exotic garb.

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Anderson Jones

E! Online

Apr 26, 2022

Is a romance really necessary, no matter how ridiculous, just to prove the two male leads aren't in love with each other?

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Tony Black

Cultural Conversation

Feb 16, 2021

4/5

The Last Samurai delivers one of the stronger historical adventure epics of recent years.

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David Walsh

World Socialist Web Site

Feb 15, 2021

Zwick's film idealizes the "noble savage" and denigrates modern society not from the point of view of a serious critique of capitalism, but in a misanthropic, right-wing populist manner.

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Hagrid S

Mar 24, 2019

Beautiful story and AMAZING katana fights

Abraham R

Mar 23, 2019

One of the very movies ever made.

Draco L

Mar 8, 2019

A great film. Surprised not many people know about it. My favorite Tom C. film by far.

Mar 3, 2019

Amazing!!! Great battle scenes,fantastic plot and amazing soundtrack!! The way in which the village is portrayed is just beautiful!! A must see for all!!!!

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Hagrid R

Feb 26, 2019

This is the the all time best movie hands down. If it doesn't move you, nothing will.

Leia P

Jan 24, 2019

The last Samurai is by far my favorite movie ever made. It is not historically accurate whatsoever but still does an amazing job of capturing the samurai's era in time. Tom Cruise does an outstanding job of capturing the character Nathan Algren, giving him more depth than i would have previously imagined. The movie is about the relationship between Nathan Algren and Katsumoto who are insanely different people but still become close friends by the end of the movie. I can not express in words my appreciation for this movie and cast.

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Edward Zwick

Director

Tom Cruise

Capt. Nathan Algren

Ken Watanabe

Katsumoto

Timothy Spall

Simon Graham

Billy Connolly

Zebulon Gant

Tony Goldwyn

Col. Bagley

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Synopsis

Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. As the government attempts to eradicate the ancient Samurai warrior class in preparation for more Westernized and trade-friendly policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly affected by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds.

Director: Edward Zwick
Producer: Tom Cruise, Tom Engelman, Marshall Herskovitz, Scott Kroopf, Paula Wagner, Edward Zwick
Screenwriter: John Logan, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co: Cruise-Wagner Productions, Radar Pictures, Bedford Falls Productions, Warner Brothers
Rating: R (Strong Violence|Battle Sequences)
Genre: Adventure, Drama, War, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 5, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2011
Box Office (Gross USA): $111.1M
Runtime: 2h 34m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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