Its good you included the earlier part of this scene where Cruise teach the same soldier how to aim properly before putting him to the test. It proved that even if they learned to hit a target during practise its a completely different matter to maintain that same accuracy during the stess of battle. They were still far from ready to fight a real battle.
And also demonstrating that the same man, even if he had hit him, could have been shot by a bow or a gun several times before he worked up the courage to use his firearm
@@TheTerranscout That's a good point. No use in them having superior weapons if they are too stunned to effectively use them. There is no room for such hesitation in battle. He was clearly stressed out having troubles just reloading the gun in proper time on the range. In real battle such fiddling with ramrods and powder would be much worse. And as we saw in the battle, after the initial broken volley they broke. They were so nervous they could not even hold fire until given the order.
@@rafidi1692 Besides, firing at a round target is one thing, firing at a human-shaped target is already something else, and firing at a live human, even if an armed enemy, is yet an entirely new ball game.
I wonder if the soldier he mentored a bit survived the first battle against Katsumoto's retinue. The NCO/junior officer who has some basic mastery of English did survive, but what about the soldier Algren ordered to fire at him?
when you teach or train someone...........you know and can bet your lives on their abilities. Also, i understood his motive perfectly. If he had not put his life on line like this, his men would have lost theirs as it was only strong method to convince the superiors that THEY WOULD GAIN NOTHING from sending these men.
I love how the sergeant the commander doesn't even flinch as they are veterans of war and the inexperienced conscripts are jumping from their place when he first fires
Sick Turret well saigo Takamori (katsumoto’s real life equivalent) did have rifle he ran out of gunpowder and/or bullets and thus fell back on traditional weapons
2:46 - When Algren pats the soldier on the back while glaring at the Colonel, one of those details that goes a long way in telling us that Algren is still an older brother figure to those under his command, yet he still despises the flippant hypcrisy of the upper echelons.
Yes. In a movie made of favorite moments ("my family built this temple a thousand years ago." "They are all...perfect.") This is the first one. The soldier, a peasant accustomed to living under a samurai class who could kill him, out of hand, for the slightest insult, overcomes a lifetime of subservience to take that beautiful, brave shot. And nearly makes it.
That’s true but more to the point, this scene proves that, like algren says, these soldiers were not combat ready. I have never been in a true fight but even I can recognize the difference between training and live combat. The fear one must feel is something that no training can ever truly prepare you for but I imagine given another month, these recruits would’ve been introduced to mock battles, squaring up with an “enemy” so that the trainee knows what to do in battle. Algren wanted to protect his regiment from unnecessary death and he was right; the battle these men were ordered to engage in hardly had any survivors. Algren was the best possible person to train these men because he never underestimated the samurai rebels but these guys did and paid a hefty price of a regiment KIA and a commander captured.
You can tell the Colonel knows the unit isn't ready, but it's also not HIS regiment. It's Japan's army, and Japan wants that army to move. His job as the senior officer is to make sure that it moves. It's the captain's job to make sure it can fight. Both of them are professionals that know this is going to go poorly, but it isn't their decision to make.
My Violin tutor would say "If you play with 100% accuracy when you practice it will translate to at best 70% in the concert." this is because of the unforseen parameters that could happen. Had a friend whose e string broke during a concert. But because he was so proficient in the piece he didn't freak out and knew how to compensate for it using the 2nd and 3rd movement on the other strings.
@@BrahmaDBA The last samurai is based on a true story. Cruise's character "captain algren"(Based on french officer Jules Brunet) dangerously added a level of realism to the training: these targets don't shoot back, but i do." he wanted the soldiers to treat the targets like they were real people returning fire.
Hesitation in training could also indicate the person is unfit for battle and either requires more training or to be sent back to civilian life or to some non-combat role.
It’s magnified. Any hesitation or mistakes in training are 10x worse in battle. The most chaotic battle ‘simulations’ in training are not even close to how chaotic real combat is. If you can’t hit a target in training, you definitely won’t hit it when that target can shoot back.
@@realburglazofficial2613 FACT: In the civil war, union general sedgewick joked that confederate snipers "couldn't hit an elephant from this distance." The second those words left his mouth, a confederate sniper got him, in the head above his right eye.
He was ordered to slaughter an entire village and now he was sent in another mission that might have eventually led to the same thing so he didn’t want to go through that shame and guilt again
@@Balinux that was the point. Algren knew the poor guy couldn’t handle it in training and was trying to prove that they’re most definitely not ready for battle. If a recruit can’t handle the stress in training, he most certainly has no place to be in a battle let alone a war. Algren was just trying to prevent them from having an undignified death but he was under the command of a General Custer so it was just a waste of effort. Still morally speaking it was a good effort just a shame they’re all under the command of a shit head with more ambition than sense. I must also add that despite what Algren thinks of himself, his unit thinks highly of him. To all of a sudden being ordered to fire on your own commander and then shot at by your own commander would cause that kind of hesitation. A soldier would’ve done it and would be facing a court martial. Algren knew he wouldn’t be killed in a training exercise but he was being the commander they needed, someone who would take the risk of getting shot just to prove a point and the guy panicked. He was clearly new to the concept of soldiering at that point. Just notice how in the beginning Algren was just being nice and helpful to the recruit to being a bastard to him. The first half he just wanted to make sure they can shoot straight and hit the target. The second half he was doing all he can to protect his men from slaughter. I too would be scared as shit if my own commander told me to shoot him and he starts to shoot at me.
@@renzeusoya5828 The samurais as well. Not all of them carry stereotypical bladed weapons. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanegashima_(gun) "Tanegashima were used by the samurai class and their ashigaru "foot soldiers", and within a few years the introduction of the tanegashima in battle changed the way war was fought in Japan forever." "Samurai-zutsu (samurai cylinder) These guns were custom made for use only by the Samurai whom with their high social standing and financial advantage, could afford well crafted and intricately designed guns which were longer and of larger caliber as opposed to their crude and inferior quality Ban-zutsu counterparts used by the Ashigaru."
Funny thing is that during the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion, the parties involved were using modern firearms, to some extent in specific cases.
@@renzeusoya5828 samurai trained with muskets. Their guns were not modern, but they had them and they knew how to shoot a gun. I don’t doubt that some samurai soldiers and samurai commanders preferred not to use them, but it was a readily available and trained tool.
In Basic Training, the scariest thing we had to do was walk through a trench with machine-gun fire overhead. The bullets were 10 feet above us, but the terror went right through us! We knew we were safe, but the snap of overhead fire is a visceral thing. I can't imagine the fear that conscript felt, seeing the pistol being fired right at him...
You had it lucky! History records training where guys who panicked and jumped up during training were killed. At least you couldn't jump that high. Jokes aside, there is a reason it was that high over your head. The military tries not to kill trainees in more recent times though special forces training can still result in death. Thank you for your service.
We had m60s shooting a few feet over our heads at night with tracer round. They also had artillery simulators in sandbag pits blowing up. Probably too high to actually get hit but there is nothing like live rounds going overhead a few feet away.
I have always loved that gesture; it's difficult to imagine a samurai giving the same reassurance to a peasant. (Indeed, part of the peasant's reluctance to shoot at Algren arose from the habitual fearful respect a peasant would accord a samurai, who might kill him on a whim.) To me, it presages a line from late in the film: "They are all perfect."
reminds of a scene in Glory, where the commander demonstrated the difference between firing on a range and firing in combat. both are scenes from fantastic movies
Superior numbers and firepower are useless if commanders don't use the two elements correctly in conjunction with tactics, look at Britain's defeat in Singapore in 1942 for example, 90,000 British and Commonwealth troops vs. 30,000 Japanese soldiers and the British lost because of overconfidence, bad tactics and shortage of munitions.
And also, the British got bluffed and caved in. Yamashita's forces, although on a winning streak, was overstretched from their starting point in Thailand. If the British held out any longer Yamashita would have been in trouble. So he moved up his artillery to give the impression that he had tons of firepower, whereas he was actually down to his last shells. During the negotiations as Percival attempted to buy time, Yamashita bluffed like, are you gonna surrender or not!? We're gonna bomb the s*** out of you! Percival conceded and surrendered.
Depending on not only the General /Admiral and every other high ranking position of the officer's to the lower ranks a company has in the army Navy marine and airforce any can overcome any obstacle and be undefeated and be nearly untouchable That depends on how anyone's Training went including the officer of high and low ranks that is being commanded from
The Last Samurai... A movie about an American soldier training the Japanese the then-modern way of fighting war... that was actually written about a British soldier in the book... Which in reality was a French soldier ~_^
@@Raximus3000 Yes, using guns, which were smooth bore, not rifles by the way... which I actually didn't even reference, I explicitly stated they were being trained in what was then the "modern" way of fighting war... You see not only did the weapons evolve but so did the tactics and doctrine around their usage and the training of those using them changed tremendously even in the 1800's... Which is why Japan wisely hired foreign military advisors to modernize their military, which is a historical fact.
"You have superior fire power and a larger force." And you're going to march inexperienced men who still barely know how to use their new weapons they have never seen into territory that the enemy knows like the back of their hand. Good plan to if you want to fail.
The depiction of the Japanese troops is funny considering the real Imperial army at this point would be battle hardened veterans and also included thousands of samurai.
@@nipoone6109 Yeah, the bonsai war. I do not think anybody should look too hard on movies for historical accuracy. Especialy on holewould, their track record on history is poor at best and most directors do not want to read any history at all.
Say what you want about about tom cruise but in that moment when the bullet missed him , without a word or close up of his face, you can feel his disappointment. Nathan wanted that bullet to hit him.
@@michaelbarry1651 The acting ability of Tom Cruise is real. His ability to make a minor emotional reaction convey a lot shows that he is a master of his craft. That's what Jason was talking about.
It's a real shame Tom got into scientology. Even if the bad things people say about it aren't true it's still a batshit crazy cult. I know Tom was deeply religious as a kid so already had that maniputable mindset and apparently scientology cured his dyslexia and I'm sure they treat him like a king but it does tarnish his good name. He could've been universally loved like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Will Smith, Brad Pitt, etc but, it's his life and he can do what he wants I guess. He's still a f'n good actor. Sorry, just saying what I want about Tom Cruise. :p
Happened in Russia's voyage of the damned. At one point a fleet of warships fired heavy barrages at some fishing boats, and missed all but like 2 shots I believe.
Imagine the number of lives that could've been saved in the past centuries if the people in the higher echelons would just listen to the people that knows the status of the people at the bottom of the command structure. This is also true to start up entrepreneurs or managers who thought that their words are always better than the experience of their staffs.
Kinda makes me glad that I not only know my limitations, but would also prefer to surround myself with experience so that I too may learn, rather than just relying on words xD
Top up executives, especially in the past, usually born and raised in noble or wealthy family, sheltered and privileged. Most usually just educated them self by books or theories, not real life situation. Beside, in social pyramids, the commoner (or peasant) basically just a statistic for the small elites on the top hierarchy, can be sacrifice anytime for greater good.
Weird to think about the tunes before our economy was democratized with worker coops and flat hierarchy and every worker had shares of the company they worked in. The past sure was crazy kek
I think it was the battle of the Somme where Field Marshall Haig ordered the troops at the front to continue the attack. The commanders said they couldn't. Haig send one of his staff officers to order the soldiers in person to attack. The aid came back saying he'd seen that an attack was impossible. A higher ranked officer was send to order an attack, and came back saying the same thing. Haig still kept ordering the attack.
I love the look on the old Japanese general's face when they cycle through the different characters. He (presumably, since Nathan's words are interpreted to him) does not speak english, but he is samurai: He understands perfectly what is being said in that moment.
They couldn't load quickly under pressure, all but one ducked and dropped their weapons at the first sign of combat, the one who still held his weapon refused to follow orders and when he finally listened he missed completely at a closer range than the target they were practicing with. Not ready was an understatement.
@@thegreyavenger2 firing by rank requires a lot of training and conscripts just wouldnt be using it, volley fire is easier and almost equally effective.
This movie is painfully underrated. A lot of people miss the point of it. Tom Cruise was NOT the 'last samurai' he was the POV for the audience watching the last of the samurai, while this movie is not historically accurate, what is accurate is the fall of the Samurai class as the merchant class began to rise. But this is a beautiful move, with a beautiful story, told at a turning point of Japan's history.
What do you mean by the fall of samurai class? The Goryo's aka the Oligarchs who controlled the Meiji Gov, most of them were from the Samurai class. Heck, even WW2 was led by Samurai class.
The Samurai class never fell. Just turned over to a different clan and the clans that followed that one clan. Afterall, the emperor and his folower daimyos are just considered as another clan in the Tokugawa Era. He may be seen as a holy symbol, but a holy symbol that can still blead. The real fall of Japan happened when they succeeded in overthrowing Tokugawa which is a nationalist yet not dimwitted as to think that western ideologies are inferior. The last Tokugawa actually pushed for a cultural/ideological exchange with the west(France). But then the British intervened and bad mouthed the French to rival clans of the Tokugawa that lead to the the Emperor and quiet possible the most closed minded/bigoted people to be in charge.
The "samurai" class definately stopped existing. However it was rebranded in a new military class. A lot of the privileges & rules the samurai had, stopped existing with it's destruction. However there was still a class system and a military focussed system. Also Tom isn't the last samurai. That's correct, but there was a Portugese male that Tom Cruise character is loosely based off. So I wouldn't agree completely with your statement.
'Shoot me, dammit' means so much! He has done so much and seen so much that he just wants deliverance and he hates himself so much that he wants his death to be as insignificant as possible, like an amateur soldier's training target. What a character arc!
This was filmed at Pukekura Park cricket ground, New Plymouth, New Zealand. The mountain in the film, which I presume is supposed to be Mount Fuji, is in fact Mount Taranaki, formerly Egmont.
@@Ozymandias83 If I had to hazard another reason, it's because the area around Mt Fuji has been built up to the point that it's completely unrecognisable from what it would have been like in the early Meiji era. With Taranaki there's still plenty of places to shoot where you feel like you've gone back in time.
@@guharup they are standing on the grass on the oval of the cricket ground. The actual batting turf in the centre of the oval would have been covered up and roped off during filming. The turf is hard to maintain and the camera crews wouldnt be allowed to trample all over it
Gunpowder =/= rifles. Portuquese and Netherlands started to give them that at first. Infact even if they got gunpowder from China they only used it for entertainment. Mongolians taught them it could be used at war as well but they hadn't till sengoku jidai. You are right about the emperor having guns and others not having tho. Both sides had it.
The samurai rebels were armed with Russian muzzle-loaders. The Imperial troops had rapid firing British breech-loading rifles. It wasn't much of a contest. The conscripts mopped the floor with the rebels, mostly due to numbers, but also due to superior equipment, strategy and tactics on the part of the Meiji forces. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satsuma_Rebellion
Sure, Last Samurai is a culturally inaccurate, overly romanticized, and fantastical recounting of the westernization of Feudal Japan, but you know who loves the film? Japan. 12th highest grossing film there.
I love how this was done well in another film by the same director called Glory released before this film. Colonel Shaw sees the soldiers goofing around with their rifles and fires his friends revolver near the soldier that had been shooting his rifle to simulate what the actual battlefield stress would be like. And later during the Battle of James Island it ends up saving the soldiers life.
Hasegawa and Augren are the only two who fully understand the severity of the situation. When the soldier was given ample time to load, he did great. When pushed, he would have been killed. They were not ready
During the actual event in history The Samurai had better equipment, better training, better tactics, and were better soldiers in every way. But soldiers like that required time and resources. They got their butts stomped by bigger numbers because it was an age in which wars were won by what soldiers you can produce for the lowest price and least time. Logistics tweeked in a very specific way.
The tribes may only have bows and blades but there is a good chance they see their enemies as demons and won't choke under pressure, also a bow was surprisingly a good weapon at that time.
@@Raximus3000 The short bows that were made from laminated sheets where as strong as a medieval long bow. They are QUITE deadly. Especially against an enemy without armor.
Proof that an untrained novice armed with the latest weapon would be no match against a professional armed with nothing more than a rock. And yes hesitation in battle will get you killed, and he was right they’re not ready. They nearly got wiped out completely in there first skirmish against well trained professionals armed with Bows and arrows, swords, and spears. 1000 years of war ingrained into them makes for a very scary statement.
Let's not forget to add that they were fighting in a forest where rifles would be least effective. If it were a wide open field it's a massacre in the opposite direction without really unorthodox tactics that usually don't work more then 1 time.
@@BelmontClan napoleon was a real master of tactics, he coined the term local superiority. That is about how you can use fewer soldiers to destroy a much larger force so long as you use not just material advantage in war, but how tempo and position can substitute for material. So Algren is absolutely right in this circumstance. they may have greater weapons and numbers, but they enter into the rebels territory and they would be annihilated in a matter of weeks.
@@BelmontClan absolutely, any man of war would think alike. but the samurai culture of war and honor stand apart as exceptions such as the vikings and the khan. (i mention vikings due to how their infertile lands required them to go to war as a cultural evolution etc. its when the culture creates a necessity that they become a notable exception.)
One of Tom Cruise's movies I truly love to watch over and over. Nails the role beautifully. Looking for the end of his pain and to put his conciense to rest. But finally finds that life is more beautiful and a true warriors greatest battle is the one with himself
2:26 I think at this moment, Cpt. Algren was actually impressed with the foot soldier's aim. Earlier he did taught him how to shoot properly, and when he fired his aim wasn't that far out, in fact it was a couple of centimetres away though. I'd like to think that in his heart, Cpt. Algren was like, "bloody chap's got a fine aim after all".
This is why a soldier does drills over and over and over until they don't have to even think anymore about how to move, shoot, reload. So even under extreme stress an inexperienced soldier still has a chance.
Plot twist: The japanese soldier kills Algren with a perfect headshot. Colonel Bagley : They're ready. The japanese soldiers easily defeat the samurais. The Japanese goverment bond with the US and start an important alliance. Years later an US bomber coming out from Tokyo drops a nuke on The Soviet Union.
@@alexandermendeyev35 Godzilla was born out of the nuclear fallout from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. With the Japanese being friends with the U.S. there is no Godzilla.
Throughout history this has been an issue with politicians and garrison commanders whom send lightly trained and inexperienced soldiers into battles only to have a high ratio of casualties. It happened to romans, and it happened to the Americans in various skirmishes.
This movie was quiet yet intense at some scenes. They dont make movies like these today. I used to watch these with my father when I was young. Hes a marine guy and loves watching war movies and honor. I missed him so much.
I really like the quiet "shoot me, damn it". The realization in Algren's eyes when Bagley matter-of-factley says he's ordering the conscripts - no matter how inexperienced - against the Samurai, realization that yet again he's being forced into slaughter for no reason. He chose the kid who he knew could shoot accurately because he wanted him to kill him, he wasn't ready to go back into that hell again, not after what happened in his own homeland. I don't think Algren gave a damn about proving a point, I think he just that desperate to be out of the fight.
These guns are INCREDIBLY accurate. Were then and are now. Colt SAA is a 100 yd people killer. Guns are MORE accurate now but we’re talking tighter groups, not hitting a guy/missing a guy. Not only were the guns accurate but his character is well versed in the use of these guns. SF level.
@@MrMann-gt1eh I am willing to admit when I am wrong. I researched it and the specific gun you mentioned was way beyond its time period in terms of performance. However they were very expensive and for that reason we're not that common except with officers and people with money. Good eye on your part.
@@Nerdy_The_Punk I’d imagine we’re both probably right. When you say they were expensive so most people had ‘x’ gun, it’s probably no different than today. If you had a job as a soldier or law enforcement of the infinite sorts, you spring for a nice gun. It’s your tool and way of life. If it’s “just for home protection and I’ll probably NEVER need it and I’m not big on guns anyway” then why would you spend a great deal on a gun. Handguns today range brand new for $120-$6000 with the ones most people carry every day ranging from $400-$600 on avg most likely. Hi-points and 22LR revolvers on the lowest end and custom 1911 Ed Browns, Les Baers, Night Hawks, Wilson etc on the top. S&W M&P, Glock etc in that mid level. You say rare but what is “rare”. How many people carry a gun per capita in Texas, Montana, Wyoming vs NYC and LA. Most people probably didn’t own any gun by that logic. They wanted to be civilized. My point is, while you may be right that they were “rare” comparatively to other guns, I don’t think it too far a reach to assume a real life gun fighter would spring for something expensive, nice, new technology… Most civilized talk I think I’ve ever seen, let alone been a part of on TH-cam. Much obliged.
@@MrMann-gt1eh I don't see the point of being a troll especially if I can learn something new. I believe you are right it would greatly depend on the person and there profession. The one thing I would like to mention is that from my knowledge (I could be wrong I am Canadian and we have strict gun laws) is that a cheap gun now is closer to an expensive gun now compared to back then were cheap ones might not even shoot straight or have terrible distance but the good expensive guns were deadly accurate. Basically back then there was a larger gap in quality between cheap and expensive compared to now. Keep in mind I am not including any fancy features or attachments I am just talking about the gun being able to do what it is intended to do on a basic level so just its ability to shoot accurately and at decent ranges. Not things like well this gun will make a little hole and this one will rip a guy in two lol. I hope what I said makes sense as I have been enjoying this discussion.
Well, it has a rifling, so it's accurate enough to hit precisely where you aim. I have the same revolver and i shoot some time at metal gongs the size of a human chest up to 50 meters with One hand, and i usually hit It. Now it's true that at the range i train with One hand precision shooting at 21 meters, i'm a decent shot, but Tom in the movie Is an incredibily good shot and trained soldier so makes Sense that he can hit where he wants with that handgun. Sure, nowdays pistols are... More accurate, but not allways. Those recovlers were really well designed and the state of the art at the time.
The last samurai loved it understood it and made me weep because the culture of the Japanese people changed so many times they were left in the dust about 10 years trying to live
You can see he taught the same soldier how to aim properly. But when he's put to test im pretty sure they're not mentally ready. They need to know "kill or be killed" not afraid of killing, and to throw away any attachment as to being the same "japanese" fighting another "japanese"
I wonder how things would have gone if the soldier hit a headshot. Greatest self sabotage in the history of war. Everyone would be running around like headless chickens.
The look of sheer joy on his face when he hit so much closer is like that of a kid in a toy store with permission whose parents just bought the whole store just for them.
Definitely one of Tom Cruise’s best movies. I don’t understand how he can make Epics like this, and STILL no Oscar. Hollywood needs to get it’s head out of it’s ass.
Samurai actually adapted very quickly to firearms. The only time they would use their blades was when they RAN OUT OF AMMO. On the other hand the troops that fought the Samurai were well trained and competent marksmen.
I've never thought about this before but it is kinda weird that Cruise shoots in the direction of the conscript and all those military officers and the politician stand right in the line of fire and none of them thinks that it might be a good idea to move to the side when live ammunition is fired their way?
What doesn't make sense to me in this movie is that Japan just went through a bloody civil war, they had mastered line combat at this point. And the army who fought against Katsumoto were veterans.
‘Authenticity’ is more important than strict ‘accuracy’ in historical fiction, since portraying the decades long evolution of the Japanese army faithfully in 2hours is impossible. It’s more important to get across the general themes of what happened.
I really love the look of this army more than what they have at the end of the movie the uniforms look and feel more Japanese than the ones wearing Western style uniforms.
You can have a peasant with a rifle being down a skilled warrior in a matter of seconds. But imagine a skilled peasant with a rifle... the way of the warriors is over in this era.
I love how they show the two ex-samurai reacting. They knew instantly what he was doing and agreed with him.
Who are the two ex-samurai?
@@RED-sl2le the one with the scar(possibly burn scar) on his right cheek
@@RED-sl2le the guys at 2:03 and 2:05
Only true warriors understeand
@@kingjonstarkgeryan8573 The guy has a port-whine stain a type of nevi.
Game devs : It’s not ready.
Publishers : The game launches next week.
Copy!!!!!
Faster!!!!
Lauch it dammit!!!
Lmao, pretty much Cyberpunk
Oof, that hit too close to home!
"In 2 weeks"
That's Robin Hood splitting the arrow accurate.
Its good you included the earlier part of this scene where Cruise teach the same soldier how to aim properly before putting him to the test. It proved that even if they learned to hit a target during practise its a completely different matter to maintain that same accuracy during the stess of battle. They were still far from ready to fight a real battle.
And also demonstrating that the same man, even if he had hit him, could have been shot by a bow or a gun several times before he worked up the courage to use his firearm
@@TheTerranscout That's a good point. No use in them having superior weapons if they are too stunned to effectively use them. There is no room for such hesitation in battle. He was clearly stressed out having troubles just reloading the gun in proper time on the range. In real battle such fiddling with ramrods and powder would be much worse. And as we saw in the battle, after the initial broken volley they broke. They were so nervous they could not even hold fire until given the order.
His plot armor was too strong for blasters
@@rafidi1692 Besides, firing at a round target is one thing, firing at a human-shaped target is already something else, and firing at a live human, even if an armed enemy, is yet an entirely new ball game.
I wonder if the soldier he mentored a bit survived the first battle against Katsumoto's retinue. The NCO/junior officer who has some basic mastery of English did survive, but what about the soldier Algren ordered to fire at him?
Now imagine the scared recruit nails Tom right in the head and he drops like a sack of potatoes. Roll credits.
Id say that recruit is either lucky or ready for the field. Sometimes they're the same thing.
Would have saved me 2 hours I could have used to do other things.
Tom cruise gets up and said “They’re ready” then went back to death.
They would have still gotten slaughtered in the battle, and their commander spared having to see it.
when you teach or train someone...........you know and can bet your lives on their abilities.
Also, i understood his motive perfectly. If he had not put his life on line like this, his men would have lost theirs as it was only strong method to convince the superiors that THEY WOULD GAIN NOTHING from sending these men.
I love how the sergeant the commander doesn't even flinch as they are veterans of war and the inexperienced conscripts are jumping from their place when he first fires
And I love the way how hollywood makes up shit. Katsumoto's forces were armed with rifles as well. But it's a nice scene, o konuda haklısın koçero :)
idd in my opinion this movie is very underrated.
@@sickturret9350 in fact many empire soldiers didnt even had a rifle to use, many used spears.
I hate how everyone loves something they really hate but they use in a meme like a format to express humor and distaste. just stfup.
Sick Turret well saigo Takamori (katsumoto’s real life equivalent) did have rifle he ran out of gunpowder and/or bullets and thus fell back on traditional weapons
2:46 - When Algren pats the soldier on the back while glaring at the Colonel, one of those details that goes a long way in telling us that Algren is still an older brother figure to those under his command, yet he still despises the flippant hypcrisy of the upper echelons.
Yes. In a movie made of favorite moments ("my family built this temple a thousand years ago." "They are all...perfect.") This is the first one. The soldier, a peasant accustomed to living under a samurai class who could kill him, out of hand, for the slightest insult, overcomes a lifetime of subservience to take that beautiful, brave shot. And nearly makes it.
That’s true but more to the point, this scene proves that, like algren says, these soldiers were not combat ready. I have never been in a true fight but even I can recognize the difference between training and live combat. The fear one must feel is something that no training can ever truly prepare you for but I imagine given another month, these recruits would’ve been introduced to mock battles, squaring up with an “enemy” so that the trainee knows what to do in battle. Algren wanted to protect his regiment from unnecessary death and he was right; the battle these men were ordered to engage in hardly had any survivors. Algren was the best possible person to train these men because he never underestimated the samurai rebels but these guys did and paid a hefty price of a regiment KIA and a commander captured.
They did end up taking his advice after the horrible defeat they suffered. They actually trained their next batch properly.
You can tell the Colonel knows the unit isn't ready, but it's also not HIS regiment. It's Japan's army, and Japan wants that army to move. His job as the senior officer is to make sure that it moves. It's the captain's job to make sure it can fight. Both of them are professionals that know this is going to go poorly, but it isn't their decision to make.
@@AdeptKing It took them an entire season to do that still. All they had to do was literally wait.
That's a valid point, hesitation in training indicates hesitation on the battlefield, hesitation on the battlefield will get you killed.
My Violin tutor would say "If you play with 100% accuracy when you practice it will translate to at best 70% in the concert." this is because of the unforseen parameters that could happen. Had a friend whose e string broke during a concert. But because he was so proficient in the piece he didn't freak out and knew how to compensate for it using the 2nd and 3rd movement on the other strings.
@@BrahmaDBA The last samurai is based on a true story. Cruise's character "captain algren"(Based on french officer Jules Brunet) dangerously added a level of realism to the training: these targets don't shoot back, but i do." he wanted the soldiers to treat the targets like they were real people returning fire.
Hesitation in training could also indicate the person is unfit for battle and either requires more training or to be sent back to civilian life or to some non-combat role.
It’s magnified. Any hesitation or mistakes in training are 10x worse in battle.
The most chaotic battle ‘simulations’ in training are not even close to how chaotic real combat is.
If you can’t hit a target in training, you definitely won’t hit it when that target can shoot back.
@@realburglazofficial2613 FACT: In the civil war, union general sedgewick joked that confederate snipers "couldn't hit an elephant from this distance." The second those words left his mouth, a confederate sniper got him, in the head above his right eye.
"Shoot me, damn it!" He was so suicidal throughout the first half of the movie.
I mean with what he went through could you blame him
He was ordered to slaughter an entire village and now he was sent in another mission that might have eventually led to the same thing so he didn’t want to go through that shame and guilt again
@@raptorbrotherhood766 Agreed. Plus he wanted to make a point that they're weren't ready.
Samurais are suicidal period
@@Changehappens1 No they aren't. They accept death is possible in every moment and you must not hesitate to meet it. Hagikure - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Plot twist: Japanese soldier hid his supreme sniper skills and missed on purpose, just to help his commander make his point. What a guy!!
I think he could have hit the mark, but couldn't handle the pressure. That was the point.
@@Balinux that was the point. Algren knew the poor guy couldn’t handle it in training and was trying to prove that they’re most definitely not ready for battle. If a recruit can’t handle the stress in training, he most certainly has no place to be in a battle let alone a war. Algren was just trying to prevent them from having an undignified death but he was under the command of a General Custer so it was just a waste of effort. Still morally speaking it was a good effort just a shame they’re all under the command of a shit head with more ambition than sense.
I must also add that despite what Algren thinks of himself, his unit thinks highly of him. To all of a sudden being ordered to fire on your own commander and then shot at by your own commander would cause that kind of hesitation. A soldier would’ve done it and would be facing a court martial. Algren knew he wouldn’t be killed in a training exercise but he was being the commander they needed, someone who would take the risk of getting shot just to prove a point and the guy panicked. He was clearly new to the concept of soldiering at that point.
Just notice how in the beginning Algren was just being nice and helpful to the recruit to being a bastard to him. The first half he just wanted to make sure they can shoot straight and hit the target. The second half he was doing all he can to protect his men from slaughter. I too would be scared as shit if my own commander told me to shoot him and he starts to shoot at me.
Get a life
@@TheGeoCheese dont forget, deep down Algren also wants to die. "Shoot me damn it"
Plot twist: he could handle the pressure. He was faking being scared. He put on an act so he wouldn’t have to go to battle.
Tom really nailed this role, still breaks my heart watching his actions no matter how many times I see it.
It's never easy to see a soldier broken by war and ready to die.
Probably one of his best films and. Certainly my favourite of his
I absolutely LOVE this movie.
Same here. Tom is simply extraordinary actor:)
Could not agree more. He had others very good acting roles, however this is one of or the best of all of them. Trully a masterpiece in many layers.
"The rebels don't have firearms. They're savages with bows and arrows".
Actual Samurai: "HaHa. Tanegashima rifle go BRRR"
It would be the ashigaru who fires those muskets, not the samurai.
@@renzeusoya5828 The samurais as well. Not all of them carry stereotypical bladed weapons.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanegashima_(gun)
"Tanegashima were used by the samurai class and their ashigaru "foot soldiers", and within a few years the introduction of the tanegashima in battle changed the way war was fought in Japan forever."
"Samurai-zutsu (samurai cylinder)
These guns were custom made for use only by the Samurai whom with their high social standing and financial advantage, could afford well crafted and intricately designed guns which were longer and of larger caliber as opposed to their crude and inferior quality Ban-zutsu counterparts used by the Ashigaru."
Funny thing is that during the Boshin War and the Satsuma Rebellion, the parties involved were using modern firearms, to some extent in specific cases.
Nooooo but my 5 million fold high quality nippon steel warriors would never fire a gun.
@@renzeusoya5828 samurai trained with muskets. Their guns were not modern, but they had them and they knew how to shoot a gun. I don’t doubt that some samurai soldiers and samurai commanders preferred not to use them, but it was a readily available and trained tool.
"When Tom Cruise said not Ready, So They're not ready" Sun Tzu- Art of war
Lmao
War is based...
- Tzu San
@@colelinse6196 mister tzu has war to thank for his fame
LOL
@@VitaeLibra thank our lucky stars for war or else Sun Tzu would be unemployed
In Basic Training, the scariest thing we had to do was walk through a trench with machine-gun fire overhead.
The bullets were 10 feet above us, but the terror went right through us!
We knew we were safe, but the snap of overhead fire is a visceral thing.
I can't imagine the fear that conscript felt, seeing the pistol being fired right at him...
You had it lucky! History records training where guys who panicked and jumped up during training were killed. At least you couldn't jump that high. Jokes aside, there is a reason it was that high over your head. The military tries not to kill trainees in more recent times though special forces training can still result in death. Thank you for your service.
I wanted that in basic. I didn’t get it. The military is lame now.
You can't do that now because they'd wet their bed and wash out before they could get enough to pass muster.
We had m60s shooting a few feet over our heads at night with tracer round. They also had artillery simulators in sandbag pits blowing up. Probably too high to actually get hit but there is nothing like live rounds going overhead a few feet away.
I felt the same thing on launch day of Battlefield 1942. I can sometimes still hear the ring of bullets whizzing past through my headphones.
“Their sole occupation for the 1000 years has been war.”
Gets me everytime.
He wasn’t wrong!
Well it was, Japan had a long period of constant fighting between daimios
And it's such a huge part that anyone with war experience should know.
I love that part also.
It was like two hundred years of peac e in Tokugawa period, samurai class was almost extinct
Clapping the man on the shoulder. That's understanding another man's fear. Outstanding.
That’s soldiering
I have always loved that gesture; it's difficult to imagine a samurai giving the same reassurance to a peasant. (Indeed, part of the peasant's reluctance to shoot at Algren arose from the habitual fearful respect a peasant would accord a samurai, who might kill him on a whim.) To me, it presages a line from late in the film: "They are all perfect."
That commander was ready to die, destroyed by all the battles he was in. But he was not ready for those under his command to die.
@miraMira86 Now THAT'S soldiering
@miraMira86 four shots mind you. Thats soldiering
reminds of a scene in Glory, where the commander demonstrated the difference between firing on a range and firing in combat. both are scenes from fantastic movies
Yeah, they definitely "borrowed" it from Glory.
same director
"FAHSTAAHH!!!!"
Colonel Shaw
@@river_city2a623 Teach them properly, Major.
Haven’t seen that movie in forever.
Superior numbers and firepower are useless if commanders don't use the two elements correctly in conjunction with tactics, look at Britain's defeat in Singapore in 1942 for example, 90,000 British and Commonwealth troops vs. 30,000 Japanese soldiers and the British lost because of overconfidence, bad tactics and shortage of munitions.
And they were fighting in a dug in professional army
Is that the battle when the japanese attacked from a forest using bycicles?.
And also, the British got bluffed and caved in. Yamashita's forces, although on a winning streak, was overstretched from their starting point in Thailand. If the British held out any longer Yamashita would have been in trouble. So he moved up his artillery to give the impression that he had tons of firepower, whereas he was actually down to his last shells. During the negotiations as Percival attempted to buy time, Yamashita bluffed like, are you gonna surrender or not!? We're gonna bomb the s*** out of you! Percival conceded and surrendered.
@@yatsumleung8618 Another issue is that when the British blew up the causeway, they also severed their only source of Fresh Water!!! (oopppssss!)
Depending on not only the General /Admiral and every other high ranking position of the officer's to the lower ranks a company has in the army Navy marine and airforce any can overcome any obstacle and be undefeated and be nearly untouchable That depends on how anyone's Training went including the officer of high and low ranks that is being commanded from
The Last Samurai... A movie about an American soldier training the Japanese the then-modern way of fighting war... that was actually written about a British soldier in the book... Which in reality was a French soldier ~_^
What makes you think it is historicaly acurate? Samurai have been using rifles since the late 16th century ask Oda!
@@Raximus3000 Yes, using guns, which were smooth bore, not rifles by the way... which I actually didn't even reference, I explicitly stated they were being trained in what was then the "modern" way of fighting war...
You see not only did the weapons evolve but so did the tactics and doctrine around their usage and the training of those using them changed tremendously even in the 1800's... Which is why Japan wisely hired foreign military advisors to modernize their military, which is a historical fact.
this movie is part of a trilogy of japan get into west world. the last samurai, pearl harbour, letters from iwo jima
Shut up. Your just neck beard cowards who knows nothing.
@@Fivestar5000 By all means, disprove me you ignorant troll...
"You have superior fire power and a larger force."
And you're going to march inexperienced men who still barely know how to use their new weapons they have never seen into territory that the enemy knows like the back of their hand. Good plan to if you want to fail.
I see what you did there.
The depiction of the Japanese troops is funny considering the real Imperial army at this point would be battle hardened veterans and also included thousands of samurai.
@@nipoone6109
Yeah, the bonsai war. I do not think anybody should look too hard on movies for historical accuracy. Especialy on holewould, their track record on history is poor at best and most directors do not want to read any history at all.
The colonel had Custer's soul within him it's like he never learned a thing on how their unit got wiped out during the indian war.
From the same command training school as General Custer.
Say what you want about about tom cruise but in that moment when the bullet missed him , without a word or close up of his face, you can feel his disappointment. Nathan wanted that bullet to hit him.
Yeah, then they might of had a chance.
@@thefracturedbutwhole5475 or at the very least he wouldn't have had to witness their deaths
You do realise, it's fiction? That is, not real?
@@michaelbarry1651 The acting ability of Tom Cruise is real. His ability to make a minor emotional reaction convey a lot shows that he is a master of his craft. That's what Jason was talking about.
It's a real shame Tom got into scientology. Even if the bad things people say about it aren't true it's still a batshit crazy cult. I know Tom was deeply religious as a kid so already had that maniputable mindset and apparently scientology cured his dyslexia and I'm sure they treat him like a king but it does tarnish his good name. He could've been universally loved like Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Will Smith, Brad Pitt, etc but, it's his life and he can do what he wants I guess. He's still a f'n good actor.
Sorry, just saying what I want about Tom Cruise. :p
“The largest boat may be commanded by the finest captain, but if his crew has no experience, then the ship will lose to even a dingy.”
Who said that?
Me 😂 as far I know anyway
@@wyattpeterson6286 I did.
@@baileysadlier4769 Right.
Happened in Russia's voyage of the damned. At one point a fleet of warships fired heavy barrages at some fishing boats, and missed all but like 2 shots I believe.
Imagine the number of lives that could've been saved in the past centuries if the people in the higher echelons would just listen to the people that knows the status of the people at the bottom of the command structure. This is also true to start up entrepreneurs or managers who thought that their words are always better than the experience of their staffs.
Kinda makes me glad that I not only know my limitations, but would also prefer to surround myself with experience so that I too may learn, rather than just relying on words xD
Top up executives, especially in the past, usually born and raised in noble or wealthy family, sheltered and privileged. Most usually just educated them self by books or theories, not real life situation. Beside, in social pyramids, the commoner (or peasant) basically just a statistic for the small elites on the top hierarchy, can be sacrifice anytime for greater good.
To be fair, you can't always wait until the perfect moment to take action. Sometimes you have to act before you are ready.
Weird to think about the tunes before our economy was democratized with worker coops and flat hierarchy and every worker had shares of the company they worked in.
The past sure was crazy kek
I think it was the battle of the Somme where Field Marshall Haig ordered the troops at the front to continue the attack. The commanders said they couldn't. Haig send one of his staff officers to order the soldiers in person to attack. The aid came back saying he'd seen that an attack was impossible. A higher ranked officer was send to order an attack, and came back saying the same thing. Haig still kept ordering the attack.
Alternative title, "How to prove a point like a badass"
Have seen this scene so many times, and I just love how layered it is
*like someone with PSTD and a deathwish
I love the look on the old Japanese general's face when they cycle through the different characters. He (presumably, since Nathan's words are interpreted to him) does not speak english, but he is samurai: He understands perfectly what is being said in that moment.
Anyone notice how when the first shot is fired, the sergeant doesn't even flinch. He just turns his head like "fuck sake, here we go!" 🤣
He smirks the whole time because he knows the lesson being taught.
Tom pats the soldier on the way out, "nothin' personal, kid."
This movie was so underrated, I was balling in tears at the end. Should have had an Oscar nomination
They couldn't load quickly under pressure, all but one ducked and dropped their weapons at the first sign of combat, the one who still held his weapon refused to follow orders and when he finally listened he missed completely at a closer range than the target they were practicing with. Not ready was an understatement.
Not to mention they fought in the Middle of the woods under heavy fog. They lost before the battle even began.
@young98 you might want to watch some of Masaki Kobayashi's samurai films
@young98 If the conscripts fired by rank front rank, second rank and third rank they would probably would have won
@@thegreyavenger2 firing by rank requires a lot of training and conscripts just wouldnt be using it, volley fire is easier and almost equally effective.
@@herrkommandant1876 who would have won this battle if they fired under captains order?
the Japanese solider actor is so great, afraid emotion to shoot
I liked how the only people not flinching when he's shooting near them, are the ones who have seen combat
everyone who jumped at 1:41 : HE IS GONNA KILL SOMEONE!
Bill Connolly: He is in one of his moods again.
He do be like “ah shit, here we go again” 😂
This movie is painfully underrated. A lot of people miss the point of it. Tom Cruise was NOT the 'last samurai' he was the POV for the audience watching the last of the samurai, while this movie is not historically accurate, what is accurate is the fall of the Samurai class as the merchant class began to rise. But this is a beautiful move, with a beautiful story, told at a turning point of Japan's history.
What do you mean by the fall of samurai class? The Goryo's aka the Oligarchs who controlled the Meiji Gov, most of them were from the Samurai class. Heck, even WW2 was led by Samurai class.
The Samurai class never fell. Just turned over to a different clan and the clans that followed that one clan.
Afterall, the emperor and his folower daimyos are just considered as another clan in the Tokugawa Era. He may be seen as a holy symbol, but a holy symbol that can still blead.
The real fall of Japan happened when they succeeded in overthrowing Tokugawa which is a nationalist yet not dimwitted as to think that western ideologies are inferior. The last Tokugawa actually pushed for a cultural/ideological exchange with the west(France). But then the British intervened and bad mouthed the French to rival clans of the Tokugawa that lead to the the Emperor and quiet possible the most closed minded/bigoted people to be in charge.
The "samurai" class definately stopped existing. However it was rebranded in a new military class. A lot of the privileges & rules the samurai had, stopped existing with it's destruction. However there was still a class system and a military focussed system.
Also Tom isn't the last samurai. That's correct, but there was a Portugese male that Tom Cruise character is loosely based off. So I wouldn't agree completely with your statement.
'Shoot me, dammit' means so much! He has done so much and seen so much that he just wants deliverance and he hates himself so much that he wants his death to be as insignificant as possible, like an amateur soldier's training target.
What a character arc!
This was filmed at Pukekura Park cricket ground, New Plymouth, New Zealand. The mountain in the film, which I presume is supposed to be Mount Fuji, is in fact Mount Taranaki, formerly Egmont.
Interesting. Wonder why they didn't film on site.
Doncroft1 cheaper. Always comes down to money
@@Ozymandias83 If I had to hazard another reason, it's because the area around Mt Fuji has been built up to the point that it's completely unrecognisable from what it would have been like in the early Meiji era. With Taranaki there's still plenty of places to shoot where you feel like you've gone back in time.
is it a batting pitch?
@@guharup they are standing on the grass on the oval of the cricket ground. The actual batting turf in the centre of the oval would have been covered up and roped off during filming. The turf is hard to maintain and the camera crews wouldnt be allowed to trample all over it
They portrayed the Samurais using only swords and bows and arrows...
But actuallym they've been using firearms as early as 13th century.
16th Century, it was the Portuguese who sold them to them.
Gunpowder =/= rifles. Portuquese and Netherlands started to give them that at first. Infact even if they got gunpowder from China they only used it for entertainment. Mongolians taught them it could be used at war as well but they hadn't till sengoku jidai.
You are right about the emperor having guns and others not having tho. Both sides had it.
The samurai rebels were armed with Russian muzzle-loaders. The Imperial troops had rapid firing British breech-loading rifles.
It wasn't much of a contest. The conscripts mopped the floor with the rebels, mostly due to numbers, but also due to superior equipment, strategy and tactics on the part of the Meiji forces.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satsuma_Rebellion
Sure, Last Samurai is a culturally inaccurate, overly romanticized, and fantastical recounting of the westernization of Feudal Japan, but you know who loves the film?
Japan. 12th highest grossing film there.
not all samurais used firearms. Samurais that was under the shoguns and the ones who serves under the emperor
Brilliant film. Saw it when I was an infantry captain. And yes, I finally have found peace. Take care of one another. Be free. Awaken the naive.
I wish they showed this same soldier full of confidence and ready to fight at the last battle
whoever like to watch movies must be glad they levied in this era to encounter this jewel of a movie ,,,,, an absolute top top notch
I love the "I beg your pardon" which says "I heard you but that's goddamn insane so I'm gonna get confirmation'
I love how this was done well in another film by the same director called Glory released before this film. Colonel Shaw sees the soldiers goofing around with their rifles and fires his friends revolver near the soldier that had been shooting his rifle to simulate what the actual battlefield stress would be like. And later during the Battle of James Island it ends up saving the soldiers life.
Hasegawa and Augren are the only two who fully understand the severity of the situation. When the soldier was given ample time to load, he did great. When pushed, he would have been killed. They were not ready
The indifference to risk that Algren shows here is, I think, part of what begins to earn the respect of the samurai observing.
This happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time.
Man, I love this movie. The scenery is absolutely stunning, and the rest is just great, too!
sir movie name please!
Say what you want about Tom Cruise, but he can really act when he wants to
Completely agree. I'd have to say the last samurai, Magnolia, and Vanilla Sky were his top 3 films that really demonstrate his acting ability.
During the actual event in history The Samurai had better equipment, better training, better tactics, and were better soldiers in every way.
But soldiers like that required time and resources. They got their butts stomped by bigger numbers because it was an age in which wars were won by what soldiers you can produce for the lowest price and least time. Logistics tweeked in a very specific way.
Aka, the Zerg Rush.
Major Richard Sharp would have put those soldiers into top shape!
'3 rounds a minute in any weather'
Lol
Now, that's soldiering!
And marched them over the hills and far away.
One of my all time favorite, ranks right up there with Tombstone and Shawshank!
None won Oscars, which is a shame.
The tribes may only have bows and blades but there is a good chance they see their enemies as demons and won't choke under pressure, also a bow was surprisingly a good weapon at that time.
It has lower power but it reloads easier.
@@Raximus3000 Also more accurate, and equally lethal.
@@nunya3163
If it is a longbow. I do not think the small ones are as deadly.
@@Raximus3000 The short bows that were made from laminated sheets where as strong as a medieval long bow. They are QUITE deadly. Especially against an enemy without armor.
@@nunya3163
Yeah, those would do it.
Proof that an untrained novice armed with the latest weapon would be no match against a professional armed with nothing more than a rock.
And yes hesitation in battle will get you killed, and he was right they’re not ready.
They nearly got wiped out completely in there first skirmish against well trained professionals armed with Bows and arrows, swords, and spears.
1000 years of war ingrained into them makes for a very scary statement.
Let's not forget to add that they were fighting in a forest where rifles would be least effective. If it were a wide open field it's a massacre in the opposite direction without really unorthodox tactics that usually don't work more then 1 time.
@@DarthObscurity Very true victory is sometimes due to territory and location
@@BelmontClan napoleon was a real master of tactics, he coined the term local superiority. That is about how you can use fewer soldiers to destroy a much larger force so long as you use not just material advantage in war, but how tempo and position can substitute for material.
So Algren is absolutely right in this circumstance. they may have greater weapons and numbers, but they enter into the rebels territory and they would be annihilated in a matter of weeks.
@@kinkajuu1 And let’s not forget the samurai’s main occupation has been war.
@@BelmontClan absolutely, any man of war would think alike. but the samurai culture of war and honor stand apart as exceptions such as the vikings and the khan.
(i mention vikings due to how their infertile lands required them to go to war as a cultural evolution etc. its when the culture creates a necessity that they become a notable exception.)
One of Tom Cruise's movies I truly love to watch over and over. Nails the role beautifully. Looking for the end of his pain and to put his conciense to rest. But finally finds that life is more beautiful and a true warriors greatest battle is the one with himself
Sad part is, the Major understood this. But politics will always decide military policy, even when they've no idea what they're doing with ut.
I remember seeing this in the cinema as a kid with my father, such a good movie. 2004 was it's release, Damn... I would have been 7 at the time.
Tom Cruise might be out there a bit but dude can act. This scene was awesome!
It was an effective scene in this move, and the 1980's movie "Glory" as well.
Same director for both movies
@@alienvseditor That makes perfect sense.
2:26
I think at this moment, Cpt. Algren was actually impressed with the foot soldier's aim. Earlier he did taught him how to shoot properly, and when he fired his aim wasn't that far out, in fact it was a couple of centimetres away though. I'd like to think that in his heart, Cpt. Algren was like, "bloody chap's got a fine aim after all".
This is why a soldier does drills over and over and over until they don't have to even think anymore about how to move, shoot, reload. So even under extreme stress an inexperienced soldier still has a chance.
Plot twist: The japanese soldier kills Algren with a perfect headshot.
Colonel Bagley : They're ready.
The japanese soldiers easily defeat the samurais. The Japanese goverment bond with the US and start an important alliance.
Years later an US bomber coming out from Tokyo drops a nuke on The Soviet Union.
you missed and they all happily lived ever after
@@guharup No i didn't because Godzilla showed up days later, kill them all and leave soon after.
@@alexandermendeyev35 if godzilla kills them all, he doesn’t need to leave anymore. Details man! 😆
@@alexandermendeyev35 Godzilla was born out of the nuclear fallout from Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
With the Japanese being friends with the U.S. there is no Godzilla.
@@NarwahlGaming true but neither Japanese or Americans were prepared for SPACE GODZILLA
Throughout history this has been an issue with politicians and garrison commanders whom send lightly trained and inexperienced soldiers into battles only to have a high ratio of casualties. It happened to romans, and it happened to the Americans in various skirmishes.
This movie was quiet yet intense at some scenes. They dont make movies like these today.
I used to watch these with my father when I was young. Hes a marine guy and loves watching war movies and honor. I missed him so much.
I really like the quiet "shoot me, damn it". The realization in Algren's eyes when Bagley matter-of-factley says he's ordering the conscripts - no matter how inexperienced - against the Samurai, realization that yet again he's being forced into slaughter for no reason. He chose the kid who he knew could shoot accurately because he wanted him to kill him, he wasn't ready to go back into that hell again, not after what happened in his own homeland. I don't think Algren gave a damn about proving a point, I think he just that desperate to be out of the fight.
That look away towards the missed shot……….spot on, bravo sir bravo! 👏🏾
1:39 Omura moving out of the way where Algren is pointing his gun
0:43 Nathan Algren said "Yoku dekita" which means well done.
Sometimes I think that Algren is Zwick's commentary on what would possibly become of Robert Goud Shaw had he survived the civil war.
Thanks now I need to watch this movie again, probably my favorite Tom Cruise movie.
At 1:45, only the suicidal ones didn't flinch. The ex samurai and the sgt. Poor lads were too seasoned to bother
not suicidal, they have seen war.
" Who's sole occupation for last thousand years is war " .... That's a flex
THE REGIMENT LEAVES AT 6AM
Man dropped his ramrod while loading - he was NOT ready at all
I love how accurate Tom cruises gun is for the time period especially a pistol lol
These guns are INCREDIBLY accurate. Were then and are now. Colt SAA is a 100 yd people killer. Guns are MORE accurate now but we’re talking tighter groups, not hitting a guy/missing a guy. Not only were the guns accurate but his character is well versed in the use of these guns. SF level.
@@MrMann-gt1eh I am willing to admit when I am wrong. I researched it and the specific gun you mentioned was way beyond its time period in terms of performance. However they were very expensive and for that reason we're not that common except with officers and people with money. Good eye on your part.
@@Nerdy_The_Punk I’d imagine we’re both probably right. When you say they were expensive so most people had ‘x’ gun, it’s probably no different than today. If you had a job as a soldier or law enforcement of the infinite sorts, you spring for a nice gun. It’s your tool and way of life. If it’s “just for home protection and I’ll probably NEVER need it and I’m not big on guns anyway” then why would you spend a great deal on a gun. Handguns today range brand new for $120-$6000 with the ones most people carry every day ranging from $400-$600 on avg most likely. Hi-points and 22LR revolvers on the lowest end and custom 1911 Ed Browns, Les Baers, Night Hawks, Wilson etc on the top. S&W M&P, Glock etc in that mid level. You say rare but what is “rare”. How many people carry a gun per capita in Texas, Montana, Wyoming vs NYC and LA. Most people probably didn’t own any gun by that logic. They wanted to be civilized. My point is, while you may be right that they were “rare” comparatively to other guns, I don’t think it too far a reach to assume a real life gun fighter would spring for something expensive, nice, new technology… Most civilized talk I think I’ve ever seen, let alone been a part of on TH-cam. Much obliged.
@@MrMann-gt1eh I don't see the point of being a troll especially if I can learn something new.
I believe you are right it would greatly depend on the person and there profession.
The one thing I would like to mention is that from my knowledge (I could be wrong I am Canadian and we have strict gun laws) is that a cheap gun now is closer to an expensive gun now compared to back then were cheap ones might not even shoot straight or have terrible distance but the good expensive guns were deadly accurate. Basically back then there was a larger gap in quality between cheap and expensive compared to now.
Keep in mind I am not including any fancy features or attachments I am just talking about the gun being able to do what it is intended to do on a basic level so just its ability to shoot accurately and at decent ranges. Not things like well this gun will make a little hole and this one will rip a guy in two lol.
I hope what I said makes sense as I have been enjoying this discussion.
Well, it has a rifling, so it's accurate enough to hit precisely where you aim. I have the same revolver and i shoot some time at metal gongs the size of a human chest up to 50 meters with One hand, and i usually hit It. Now it's true that at the range i train with One hand precision shooting at 21 meters, i'm a decent shot, but Tom in the movie Is an incredibily good shot and trained soldier so makes Sense that he can hit where he wants with that handgun. Sure, nowdays pistols are... More accurate, but not allways. Those recovlers were really well designed and the state of the art at the time.
The last samurai loved it understood it and made me weep because the culture of the Japanese people changed so many times they were left in the dust about 10 years trying to live
US: Afghanistan forces r not ready yet.
TALIBAN: you’re goddamn right!
Also US: creates taliban
Deep…
The way he said...I beg your pardon?
😆😆🤣😆🤣😆👍🏾
You can see he taught the same soldier how to aim properly.
But when he's put to test im pretty sure they're not mentally ready.
They need to know "kill or be killed" not afraid of killing, and to throw away any attachment as to being the same "japanese" fighting another "japanese"
More like killing another human being the boshin war was not that long ago.
Not just that but killing someone whom you’ve grown up thinking was superior in fighting ability.
In a Tom Cruise movie he is at the top of the chain of command no matter what rank others have.
I wonder how things would have gone if the soldier hit a headshot. Greatest self sabotage in the history of war. Everyone would be running around like headless chickens.
Love this watching over and over from 10 years ago
You can see Algren's death wish clearly here ... he begs the man to shoot him, not to prove that he's ready but to end Algren's suffering 😰😰😰😰
And when he missed, it was fate telling him he must lead them into battle so they at least could see a commander who cares.
The look of sheer joy on his face when he hit so much closer is like that of a kid in a toy store with permission whose parents just bought the whole store just for them.
Definitely one of Tom Cruise’s best movies. I don’t understand how he can make Epics like this, and STILL no Oscar. Hollywood needs to get it’s head out of it’s ass.
You would have thought the church would have bought him one. He needed one for edge or tomorrow
Yeah. The directors aren't bribing the committee officials with enough cash, yet.
Hes already regarded as the best actor in Hollywood, he doesnt one.
Samurai "Milord why arent we using guns like them? Do you find it dishonorable?"
Lord "Nah we just ran out of bullets"
Surprisingly they have arrows that are harder to come by.
@@blackpowderkun they can make them though right?
@@dramaking9559 arrow heads are easy enough to make, for the shaft and fletching they could go cheap.
"Why are they speaking the anime language" - Nano
I love how you can tell those who’ve seen war, and those who haven’t.
IRL by this point in time, the IJA was already a well-oiled machine.
Irl the samurai rebels had firearms
It's not a documentary, its a film
IRL Algren is French and not a samurai
I loved this movie and the values it conveys.
This is my favorite scene in the entire movie tied with the other scene where he talks about Custer
Great lesson
Can tell the harden vets knew what was happening
Samurai actually adapted very quickly to firearms. The only time they would use their blades was when they RAN OUT OF AMMO.
On the other hand the troops that fought the Samurai were well trained and competent marksmen.
However in battle of Toba-Fushimi the Shogunate force still mainly equiped by spear, maybe due to lacking number of firearms.
One of my favorite movies
Although historically inaccurate and a little “Hollywood”, this movie still slaps.
implying that it was trying to be historically accurate?
@@SagaciousNihilistSmh yes.
It's awesome like the same scene from the film Glory, training soldiers to shoot and load under stress.
I've never thought about this before but it is kinda weird that Cruise shoots in the direction of the conscript and all those military officers and the politician stand right in the line of fire and none of them thinks that it might be a good idea to move to the side when live ammunition is fired their way?
Not their first rodeo.
they are well aware of what cruise's character is doing.
The real guy who is the MVP, the flute player depicted the exact anxiety I was feeling
What doesn't make sense to me in this movie is that Japan just went through a bloody civil war, they had mastered line combat at this point. And the army who fought against Katsumoto were veterans.
‘Authenticity’ is more important than strict ‘accuracy’ in historical fiction, since portraying the decades long evolution of the Japanese army faithfully in 2hours is impossible. It’s more important to get across the general themes of what happened.
I really love the look of this army more than what they have at the end of the movie the uniforms look and feel more Japanese than the ones wearing Western style uniforms.
Ordering your own soldier to shoot you? Now that's soldiering.
Was waiting for this reference 😂
Tom Cruise used all that scorpio energy in him in this movie, always love watching The Last Samurai.
You can have a peasant with a rifle being down a skilled warrior in a matter of seconds. But imagine a skilled peasant with a rifle... the way of the warriors is over in this era.
Yeah, same as crossbow but in medieval era.
90% of all warrios in pre modern history were actually farmers or herders
how he algren not shoot someone behind the soldier is true magic.