@@Apollo890 To give Cruise his credit, there are very few people who have acted opposite Ken Watanabe and NOT been acted off the set. Hell other than Cillian Murphy and maybe Leo Di Caprio I'd say Watanabe gives the best performance in Inception, and Watanabe is barely even in Batman Begins and he's still memorable in that role. Dude's one of the greatest.
Yes, the armor dressing scene was intended to be more sensual than a sex scene. The director made that conscious choice. He mentioned it in the director's commentary. It was a good choice.
You believe a man can change his destiny? l think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed to him "I dreamed of a unified Japan, of a country strong and independent and modern. And now we have railroads and cannon, western clothing. But we cannot forget who we are or where we come from"
I've always liked when Nathan tells Bagley "I'll look for you on the field" right before the final battle commences and after having been threatened that he would be shown no quarter. It seems like a relatively innocuous comment by comparison, but after having it be made repeatedly clear throughout the film that Algren holds the Colonel personally responsible for the Cheyenne massacre and that he would even go so far as to "gladly kill him for free" the menacing undertone of the remark gives me goosebumps every time.
One of Zimmer's absolute finest soundtracks. When you combine a great story with a fine soundtrack, the result is often more than the sum of its parts. This is one of my favorite films.
Always felt Gladiator was Zimmer’s Magnus Opus. Everything else felt a bit perfunctory up until Interstellar. Bladerunner 2049 was very unique. Always puts a ‘spell’ on me when I listen to it.
Hans Zimmer is a musical genius. The score of this film is amazing, it's up their with Gladiator and King Arthur which are my two favorite soundtrack's that he had composed.
This movie's title gets a lot of hate because everyone assumes that Nathan was "The Last Samurai" but I believe the creators were going with the plural form of Samurai. This is about "The Last of the Samurai" :)
I legitimately get misty eyed at the ending of the movie. -Taka forgiving Nathan -Bob sacrificing himself. -Katsumoto asking Nathan to help him commit Sepuku and his subsequent comment on the cherry blossoms -Nathan meeting the emperor. This movie is slept on. It's got some flaws but still horribly underrated.
The comment about the cherry blossoms - and by extension, the battlefield littered with the lives of men from both sides - is an incredibly under-rated moment imo.
He also played the dwarf king in The Hobbit, and was also the lead in Mrs Brown along with Dame Judy Dench, a great movie about Queen Victoria which I'm sure you'd like.
There are a few instances in the movie where Samurai would suicide when they had shamed themselves. Death before dishonor was the rule. It was the worst insult you could give Nobutada; but it was meant for all the samurai. "Your way means nothing anymore."
It was known as the Cropped Hair Edict. On August 9, 1871 the Japanese government issued the danpatsurei or Cropped Hair Edict, encouraging samurai to cut their distinctive chonmage topknot. Funny enough this led to a minor photography boom when samurai rushed to photo studios to get their photo taken before their topknots were cut off. If you google it you can see old 19th Century photos of Japanese Samurai having their photos taken with their topknots. Very interesting.
When Katsumoto asked Algren before the first assault on the final battle, "What happened to the soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae?" (they were talking about that battle previously) And Algren answered with a smile, "Died to the last man", to which Katsumoto also responded with a smile That nearly broke me
Thanks, I always wondered who she was. Playing that character she was amazing, compelled hospitality to a savage foreigner who took her husband from her and her family. The whole concept is foreign to a western mind but these people were from a different time, place, and code of honor. I'd be on their side.
Yeah, the thing I remember most is that she appears to be able to express two different emotions on each side of her face. If you watch the emotional scenes with her, one side of her face might look incredibly sad while the other side might be slightly smiling. I think it illustrates the emotional conflict her character must have felt. She is such a compelling mix of duty, discipline, loyalty and humanity. Amazing acting.
I don't think that lines up actually. 'They are all perfect' refers to the cherry blossoms which is not the subject of his haiku. His haiku goes 'The tiger's eyes are like my own. But he comes from across a deep and troubled sea'. So while he has the realisation that all the cherry blossoms are perfect, his haiku remains unfinished in death.
Not sure if it's the poem, but earlier he speaks about cherry blossoms. He says you could spend your entire life searching for the perfect blossom and it would not be a wasted life. So at the end, he sees every blossom is perfect. His was not a wasted life
So Tom Cruise is such a badass that he trained for almost 2 years to do this movie teaching himself traditional Japanese sword so that he could do all of these sword fighting scenes himself. And he actually taught himself right. Talk about method acting
@@hullmees666 Its not as if Scientology is any more bonkers than any other established religious system. You are right, he is crazy... but at least its harmless (afaik). Same can't be said for many.
@@TopTwom yes it is. Calling it a religion itself is bonkers. Its a corp that makes money brainwashing and controlling the lives of every single member. They kidnap people and torture them. Others are quite bad too but their bad things dont come from the creed but shitty and corrupt authority.
@@hullmees666 You kinda defined every major religion right there. Corrupt greedy authorities exploiting people's willingness to believe supernatural lies to further thier gains and to hurt anyone who threatens that fact. Thats organized religion for you.
Hiroyuki Sanada was amazing in this movie. Instantly reminded me of the legendary gruff way Toshiro Mifune played a samurai in the old black & whites. Have followed his career since.
In college, our on-campus theatre showed non- main stream movies. one was "The Red Sun" with Toshiro Mifune. It was all in Japanese with NO closed captioning, but you could easily follow the story. I became a fan of his then. Others we saw that I recall from 45 years ago were "Harold and Maude" and " A Boy and his Dog" - both cult classics, but also "Trojan Women" - I'm sorry, but it was awful.
I disagree. He plays the same fish out of water, lost Irish boy in every movie with 3 notable exceptions, to which I truly laud his performance in Tropic Thunder, however in just about every other sense, I find him as the blandest feature in movies I otherwise adore "because" of the raw talent surrounding his very forgettable roles such as Legend and Day After Tomorrow, Anyone could have sat in that seat and probably made it better, but nope there's ole Tom in a Scale Mail Mini-skirt, kicking trolls in the face. The First Weeaboo, as I lovingly call this movie, is an absolute lividly spectacular mind blast of Medieval Japan vs Modernizing Japan with Tom doing a VERY accurate Branden Fraser, "I have no idea how I got here....." as usual. I do not besmirch his dedication if not his choice in rolls, I just honestly expected more, considering where he was/is.
@@steelgreyed for this specific movie, the audience loved the character he portrayed. The protagonist who had demons in his past and struggled with addiction. One who had an open mind, respected his enemy, and called out others who were in the wrong. The fact that Tom Cruise doesn’t use a stunt double has to be respected as well. Like his role in Mission Impossible- Ghost Recon. I mean come on, it was actually him climbing on the Burj Khalifa. There aren’t many who risk their own safety like that and push their limits. Respect for bringing up Tropic Thunder. A small role but one that was outside usual roles. I thought he was great in Vanilla Sky and Born on the 4th of July too. ✌🏽
Everything I have stated is a personal opinion. I consider the Last Samurai to be Dances with Wolves in Japan meets Born in the Forth of July, cripples are cripples regardless if its yer legs or alcohol, the fight is pretty much the same and that's one thing Tom does exceedingly well. Fight. Whether its trolls, infantry, aliens, alcohol, his own legs, or his own crippling height issues. I "have" to respect Tom as an actor, the very thing you are lauding is the same role he plays in half his movies if not 2/3rds, for me it gets old regardless of how good it is. I've only been watching him act for 40 years, in an industry that tends to bleed you dry in under 5.... Besides most of my angst for the man was laughed out of me in Day After Tomorrow. Vanilla Sky was 99% Tom wandering around "I have no idea how I got here," also how he played "eyes wide shut" and I dare say half the MI's. It is indeed his other defining trait. He stepped out of this in "Rain Man" and "A Few Good Men" but he was obviously not the main character in those movies, though I would include TLS in that. Side Note, I lovingly say the first Weaboo because of how totally Tom went into the roll, his fight scenes have been lauded by actual Samurai, for his following of Bushido practice.
Fun fact about Bob : a lot of people thought he was guarding and keeping his eye on nathan but actually he was protecting him from other samurai in case they attack him
@@BLaCkKsHeEp If Algren stood down, and Ujio (Sanada) attacked him, Bob would've intervened. But in that very scene, Algren himself was defying Ujio. Bob being Japanese, he would've considered it a disrespect to Algren if he intervened, knowing that Algren wanted to face Ujio at that moment.
I have never heard a theatre audience cry more than the final scene when the music goes dead and all you hear is the gatling guns annihilating the samurai. It's such a powerful scene.
Lots of grown men cried to this movie. I truly did when Katsumoto died. The Samurai have always fascinated me and I personally don't think there is any warrior creed and lifestyle better than theirs.
Same reaction here, surprised myself. I travelled to Japan a month later on Business and went to see it again, but in local theater. Lots of sobbing there, too.
In the 80's, businessmen hired graduates of traditional Samurai Academies because of their insight and discipline. Sometimes the old ways guide us better than new technology can. Look how the truth is undermined by social media. I was told by an arrogant western Magat that the Samurai way ruined Japan. Now look at Japan. It has the fourth largest Navy in the world, by Hull Numbers and Displacement. It is the only reason why the rest of Asia can oppose China. And unlike the PLAN, the JMSDF has working jet fighters on carriers, the F35Bs that were purchased from the U.S. Japan's Fleet has 4 Carriers, second only to the U.S. I didn't even mention the JASDF which has modified "Stealth" F15s and F35As ready to help allied forces.
This was filmed in New Zealand and Tom Cruize would have to fly by helicopter from the town he was staying in out to the set in the country side. He would fly over a small country school of only about 20-30 students and they were 5-11 yrs old. Every day they would stand outside and wave to the helicopter and had a little sign they held up saying " Hi Tom". Tom Cruize found out where the school was and arranged for his helicopter to land at the school and spent the morning with the children.
Ujio, the japanese warrior who seems to hate Nathan (Tom Cruise) until he actually trains him, is played by Hiroyuki Sanada, an amazing japanese actor who has played in several american movies.
Sanada is a Master of Arms and will often times help to train other actors, especially those whom he fights against in film. Including Cruise in this movie. Helps to elevate the dynamic of the fight scenes, and later acts as rehearsal for the actual takes. So Ujio training Algren mirrored Sanada training Cruise.
@@ajzmail Sonny Chiba's son (Mackenyu Arata) played the badass Enishi Yukishiro in the live action Rurouni Kenshin: The Final. His swordplay is amazing.
Remember that Katsumoto was the emperor's teacher. As Algrin said, "We will make the emperor hear you". It took his death, but that caused the emperor to finally hear his teachings. Katsumoto would certainly consider that a good death.
Hmmm, right you are! The phrase "ladies' man" seems to be placed around the 1780's, and "What/Who/Where/How on Earth" seems a few decades earlier. 1733, per one article. But there's debate, some citing the Latin phrase in "Nulla in mundo pax sincera" ("In this world there is no honest peace.") from some ancient poem. The idea being that the phrase "in the world" has long been analogous with "to exist". Another example being a Roman legal proverb: "Quod non est in actis, non est in mundo:" "That which is not in the statutes is not in the world."
The ninjas hissing was part of their psychological warfare to intimidate. They wanted to appear scary, possibly demon like. Just like samurai wearing masks with their armor to look like demons.
@@snubbles9991 you may be right I have no historical reference on that. But I think psychologic warfare was always part of combat throughout history and cultures. Intimidation and confidence play a big factor. Now if it was something Samurai actually consciously worked on I have no idea. (Im just talking about mind games, affecting your opponent's confidence/focus, not making any extravagant claim like hypnotizing or something out of cartoons)
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm a huge fan and student of Japanese historic culture. This movie isn't very good as a history lesson, (its flawed with inaccuracies) but it does a great job depicting samurai. And the personal relationships that a built in the village are heart-warming. In general I love this movie and I enjoyed watching you watch it. Your reactions are honest and pure.
It's adorable how Cassie is always looking for love in the movies; truly, seeing the insight of someone who only watched "girl movies" is amazing, gives new perspective on my favorite movies.
I liked how he said: ‘You can look for a perfect blossom for your whole life. And it would not be a wasted life.’ Which for me translates to a love. Amazing movie
I’m not big into Tom Cruise movies but this one is one of my favorite movies. There’s something about rural Japan that is absolutely serene and beautiful. Great choice, I hope you enjoyed it!
Same, I didn't watch this movie for years because I thought it was going to be BS about Tom Cruise being the last samurai. When I finally watched it, it became one of my favorite movies right away.
Two of the most emotional parts for me were when Nobutada had his hair cut off, especially as it’s part of their identity and when he asked his father to leave him after he’d been shot, knowing he was going to die but went out on his own terms. Shin Koyamada portrayed Nobutada perfectly 💔 ❤
@@josephamoraz7990 that’s a good one too, but I said that bc she’s seen enough of WW2 in the pacific and a bit of Japanese culture in this film so now she’s fully equipped to get the most out of “Letters From Iwo Jima”.
@@josephamoraz7990 'dances with wolves' then 'little big man' always come to mind. One is so serious the other crazy but life is crazy. Looking at recommended I see Robocop (1987) another move I love.
Pretty much what it symbolizes, this film is based loosely on the Satsuma rebellion, which was essentially a war between the old way, and the new, where the samurai that didn't want to adapt into a new Empire, and wanted to keep their superior status, rebelled.
@@Darkpara1 Also kind of symbolizes the test of strength between feudalism and capitalism. No matter how elite and capable a warrior class was, it would eventually be no match for a larger conscripted commoner force with more meritocracy and fully standardized equipment.
@@Rob_Fordd it's more the advancement of technology than the economic system that produced it. There's a reason the Europeans became the most technologically advanced after the enlightenment, it was the constant warfare between nation states that advanced the technology, as we were all using it to kill each other. But the same thing happened in Europe when firearms were introduced, the mounted knight basically became irrelevant, and so did all their lifetime of martial training.
That's how I felt playing Total War: Shogun 2 Campaign and then going into the Fall of the Samurai DLC campaign. It gives a lot of insight to the clans of the two eras, the politics, and the how the battle strategies changed over time. Once you get into Fall of the Samurai, there's very little old Samurai units, even Cavalry can do against cannons, gatling guns, and coastal bombardments from steam-powered naval ships. It takes a little time to build up to that tech, but once you acquire mid-tier cannons, it's a downward spiral for the Samurai from then on. Though the Ninja unit can still be fun to use for surprise traps and fort defense due to their bombs.
For as much media criticism / shit flinging there was in the beginning it has a pretty solid IMDB rating and it seems to have a pretty solid following.
little more recognition? underappreciated classic? I'm sorry but this movie was a real blockbuster in the theaters, and it was nominated to the Academy Awards in four categories and for the Golden Globe in three categories (and won several other awards). please don't ride this silly "it's underappreciated/unrecognized" trend about movies you haven't heard about before. it's a 20+ yo movie, of course there is no daily hype about it, but it's quite a well-know, and highly praised/loved movie.
Katsumoto's last words have a double meaning. Even in the era of change from the samurai era to the westernization, he sticks to his own way of life and beliefs as a samurai, dying beautifully in battle, and the falling cherry blossoms that have grown splendidly over the years.
"-They killed women and children like that ?" Ever hear of the Sand Creek Massacre, or Wounded Knee massacre.... those are the famous ones... there are probably 200 more that we never heard of.
@@firstenforemost what the native amercans did do was attack other tribes. No ethnic group is innocent in this world. Skin color does not define character
@@jdeang3531 That's what I was going to say. Native Americans butchered quite a few settlers and Europeans butchered quite a few women and children. Both are bad and should never have happened. It sucked but that's history.
They happened during the days of the Puritans. For 400 years tribes were subject to things that make you question humanity.
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This is maybe one of the most underrated movie of the Tom Cruise. Also Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is unbelievable. So much intense and calm feelings at the same time.
I've been hit with a bokutō (wooden sword) before. Those things HURT like absolute hell and can actually kill you. It's like being hit with a blunt weapon, most noteably a club. There's a reason why protection is needed in Japanese martial arts involving them and why bamboo 'Shinai' are used for sparring instead - a lot of inexperienced people tend to think hitting you with one without being careful is fine because it isn't a real metal sword. TL:DR It really was one hell of a savage beating Tom Cruise's character got and if Ujio had truly wanted to, he could have popped Nathan's head like a watermelon or ruptured one of his vital organs.
The title "The Last Samurai" is such an eloquent fit for Katsumoto and his clan of warriors (unlike the assumption that it is about Nathan Algren). It shows how the world was changing for the Japanese, moreso for the samurai themselves, since the history of Japan is in a way the history of the samurai, and they were helplessly watching the forces of modernity wash away the world they cherished and protected. The men for whom any moment could be their last, and that this realisation made life all the more beautiful, were about to die.
Personally it can be taken many ways and all of them in and of themselves accurate. Nathan Algren could be the Last Samurai because he was the last left alive. Or it could be Katsumoto the last of the great Samurai lords or the whole group as a whole. But you're right it almost certainly isn't meant to be Algren.
@@GhostEye31 Agreed. All the people who ripped the movie for casting a white actor as the main clearly didn't watch it. "The Last Samurai" could be taken as referring to Algren, but it isn't.
Not necessarily. Those Japanese Samurai simply became part of the new Japanese Government and Armed Forces. As a distinct warrior class yes they were gone, but their teachings and beliefs now extended to the whole of the Japanese people. Every soldier in the Army and Navy were considered Samurai and the Emperor was to be the ultimate Daimyo. The codes of obedience and loyalty unto death were adherents of the Samurai class. In fact it was the brutality of Samurai culture is what in many ways are what caused the atrocities of WWII in the first place. There was both a beautiful and an ugly side to Japanese culture and the Samurai ideals. The rapists and murderers of the Nanking Massacre in 1937 were but an extension of the ugly sides of the Samurai culture and a blindness to obedience. On the one hand you have a society that places a high emphasis on tea and beauty and the arts but on the other you have one that practices beheading blind folded POWs, torturing and murdering them and in some cases eating their flesh just because they surrendered and are without value, or fighting to the end even to the point of two atomic bombs. Also much of their teachings of Japanese soldiers came from a book by Yamamoto Tsunetomo called Hagakure which provided a basis for the Samurai ethos to young impressionable minds.
@@Chrismatica There are clear historical examples of Westerners being given the titles of Samurai. If these people actually took serious their own positions they would see that this isn't inaccurate or being simply a manifestation of Hollywood. There was even an African Samurai for God's sake.
@@histman3133 you're right. I think this film wants to concentrate on the beauty of Japanese and Samurai culture. And what happens when something that was once cherished essentially is considered archaic and is forced to evolve or die off. Things will change, it's just nature but it's maintaining and valuing the traditions and cultures that make a people who they are.
The story is inspired by the real life story of a French Captain called Jules Brunet. Although much of him adapting to traditional japanese doctrines and lifestyles are true, his involvement with the last samurai rebellions against westernisation aren't true to the extent that it is portrayed in the movie. Also! The battle that inspired the final battle in the movie is quite different from what the movie shows. In the battle of Shiroyama, the samurai actually did also have guns, simply, they were vastly outnumbered. The samurai forces consisted of 500 soldiers, whereas the imperial forces consisted of 30000 soldiers. They were quickly surrounded and butchered inside of the forest they were hiding in. Also also! the samurai were not just fighting to protect and preserve traditions, they were fighting in great parts to defend their castic rights to certain privileges. In short : they were trying to ensure the survival of their superior position in society, a position of nobility and privilege. The empire/ministry destroyed these privileges and made japanese society more western its true, but also more egalitarian.
Jules Brunét was an advisor to the Shogunate forces during the Boshin War in 1868, about a decade before these (dramatized) events. This film combines aspects of his story with the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, the largest and one of the last of the Samurai rebellions following the reforms that followed the Meiji Restoration. Afterwards, the Emperor posthumously pardoned the leader, Saigo Takamori, and elevated him to the status of a national hero. Elements of the samurai code, Būshido, were integrated into the moral and civil code of Japan, emphasising such things as Honor, Duty, and Loyalty to the Emperor above all, things that would last all the way till the end of The Second World War in 1945.
@@Isildun9 not contradicting, just to follow up. The samurai had just as much social privileges over lower classes as they had social duties to protect them. They were judges, policemen, rangers, town councillors, utopic role models, etc. The comparison can be made to the idealistic vision of medieval chivalry, and to its darker sides too with local corruption, overbearing powers and the wild hedge knights. One thing to dispel tho is that the shogunate wasn't anti western, as it was the shogunate that initially invited western advisers and entrepreneurs, realising just how surpassed technologically Japan was after commodore perry forsibly opened Japan to foreign trade. So while the shogun definitely was for a continued isolation of Japan, it was not backward, they knew Japan had to progress if it could withstand against foreign powers so some introduction of foreign know how was needed. But felt going too far would dilute and threaten Japanese values. Japan still very much a feudal state, was dominated by views that pastoralist, agriculturalist and pseudo ecologist ways of life were superior to urbanism and nascent industrialism. Imagine your share crop plot of land gifted by the feudal lord to your grandpa to honor his deed and merit that feed your family, taken by the government to be aggregated in cash crop industrial farming for national quota export banking board collective thing a magic.... You used to be self sustaining, now you pay rent for your own land, the forest where you used to hunt of gather wild food is now an open pit mine and have to work a wage to live for a job you understand none of the end product's utility, while your boss plays dress up like a foreign continent's dandy and displays mores contrary to yours just to be entitled to the new elites. Oh the joys of the modern world.... Seeing that the shogun had foreign backing, the imperial faction adopted an anti western view yet still held a weird fascination for the western empires. So they began to believe that to achieve parity, Japan not only had to become technological equals with the west but had to imitate western society in its entirety too. Still retaining disdain or suspicion on western nations, they adopted modern medical systems, universal education, universities, factories, equal representation, mass voting, bodily independence, mass media information access, but also imperialism, nationalism, colonialism, racism, supremacism or communism and socialism. That rabbit hole led to the extreme violence of imperial Japan during ww2. This also brought court intrigues and politics to the forefront, as since while the shogun could rule like an authoritarian all powerful dictator legally on behalf of the emperor,the emperor himself was not allowed to rule Japan like a western monarch or Chinese emperor for reasons of tradition and court rules. While having - some - sway over the government, factions, cliques, parties, movements and popular ideologies would dominate Japan, more so than western nations of the era. To illustrate, the address for surrender of emperor hirohito to his people in 1945 was an immense shock to the japanese people as no emperors had never in living memory so directly and openly intervened in domestic politics and their lives. The shugun v imperial clash for the control of japan was inevitable,the stakes were too great and leaving one faction alive would leave the door open for a revolution or a coup.
@@penzorphallos3199 yea the idea they were against western technology was made for the film. A good choice to provide the audience with a motive we could be on board with. But in reality the samurai were using guns for over a 100 years. They didn't use bow and arrows or that Armour at this time. But again thats a film choice. People expect to see samurai in this Armour. And it looks bad ass. But not accurate to the time.
You are just the sweetest woman. Watching this movie through your eyes, a movie I truly love, made it even that much better. You feel it all so deeply and that is a beautiful thing.
My two favorite parts of this movie 1) " A man could spend his life looking for the perfect cherry blossom and it would not be a wasted life." then as he is dying and all the blossoms are blowing in the wind, He realizes and says, "Perfect. They are all "perfect' ." 2) the wooden sword battle in the rain. This is Eastern philosophy meeting Western philosophy. He is expected to accept his defeat, but the Western/American way is to keep getting up, "try try again", etc. the onlookers go from "Oh, you got your ass kicked" to feeling sorry for him getting painfully beaten over and over, to , I think, finally some admiration and some understanding.
very well said, esp. point 1 that unfortunately i think cassie kinda glossed over, but it's the heart of the film. i think that was the first time in my life that i finally understood the purpose and power of zen buddhism.
It's really cool indeed. Almost as if he became a hybrid of the two. We saw Katsumoto being willing to die by his own hand, yet the western/american way of thinking led Nathan to convince him it should be by his enemies.
You need to get rid of your Hollywood-infused sensibilities about “Eastern philosophy” instead of trying to come off as an expert on the matter. I’m pretty sure if you’re going to go by the idealized Japanese bushido ethic, surrendering, or “accepting defeat” as you say, is the _last_ thing a warrior would think of.
"I think he's having a Samurai breakthrough!" :D as someone who has studied karate for some years now, i will use that in the dojo when a training buddy is doing great :D
One of the great films. Incredible story and character development. You DO become really invested in them and the outcomes for them. The bowing of the soldiers to Katsumoto at his death is cinematically amazing and guts me every time!
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 the samurai class does not exist today at all it is illegal in Japan. Anyone who claims to be one is lying to themselves like people who think they are ninja.
@@Thomaswake i guess thats why family badge designs are still in use today... They still exist but have a different purpose today, the same as knights in England no longer roam around fighting battles but are still a recognized social class
@@MikeHunt-uz1qw Yeah, I'd go further and say I don't think the title is even referring to him at all. He's just the witness; the samurai of the title are Katsumoto and his group of samurai.
@@Kai-fb1ol Agreed. He was wearing the armor and carrying a sword, but he was never actually called a Samurai, unlike in Shogun say, where Anjin-San was officially Samurai.
I remember seeing this movie in theatres with my Dad when it came out. We didn't really think too much about it, we figured it would be a fun watch and we didn't have anything else to do that night. I don't think either expected to enjoy it as much as we did. This movie was so much better than we ever could have expected. Bob's our favorite.
Something I find that a lot of people misinterpret about the scenes where he has the soldier shoot at him, and when he keeps getting up while fighting Ujio, is that Nathan is suicidal. Yeah he’s trying to prove a point to a fault, but he’s also literally trying to get someone to kill him.
There is also a cultural difference, or an attempt to make one. The Japanese, at least in the movie, cannot bear the shame of defeat. The Americans, or the Westerners in general presented by the movie, are built on constant attempts to succeed and work against failure. And than add to that his suicidal attitude, a necessity to extinguish the pain but not by himself pulling the trigger as it is "cowardly"
@@ShieldThatGuardsTheRealmOfMen Also back in those days when she was asking about heaven and earth, lotta bible back then so 'what on Earth' definitely coulda been a thing. Matthew 6:10 "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." being famous even these days. As for lady killer, I think it was some British dragoon quoted who's favorite past time was slaying men and the ladies. Two different meanings right there. Being a gentlemen and knowing the proper time and place for violence and bloodshed. That was a long while before this movie was set. Looking up ladies' man that idiom it says late 1700s. "This term dates from the eighteenth century, and presumably contrasts such a person with the strong silent type known as a man’s man. William Cowper used the expression in Tiroc (1784): "
@UCsWnmxKPlk65YKjZkn5HYYg In the scene with the soldier, he was literally mumbling to himself "Shoot me damn it!" No yelling at the soldier, but also talking to himself. He wasn't whispering "Miss me!"...
The scene at 33:58, when all of the soldiers knelt down and bowed to Katsumoto, that portrayed the New Modern Japan saying “Farewell” to Old Traditional Japan.
Just for historical purposes. The samurai did not hate guns or viewed them as a dishonorable weapon. They actually loved them and used them very heavily, especially Oda Nobunaga. The Samurai actually had several schools dedicated to gunnery.
@@Tarnatos14 @The Psychic Spoon is right. Samurai never forbid firearms and openly embraced it. The reason this myth is so prevalent is because of bushido. These rules were similar to chivalry for knights and followed much the same way. That's to say nobody actually followed them. Unfortunately, modern media portrays bushido as something all samurai adhered to when in reality most samurai could've cared less.
@@thomast8539 oh man Collateral. I didn’t care for MI2 so I was kinda done with Cruise at the time but his work in Collateral re-convinced me immediately
I cry every time I watch this and I seem to watch it at least once a year. It's a beautiful movie. A story of not just war, but of honour and strength and purpose. I'm still looking for that small measure of peace that Timothy Spall alludes too at the end. I hope to find it one day.
You have to check out Tom Cruise in ""Interview with a Vampire" based on Ann Rice's books. Rutger Haurer was thought to be the choice for lead role but Tom Cruise was chosen in the last hours. He became the main character of the Vampire Lestat. Nailed it!!
Hans Zimmer’s score for this has to be one of his best, it’s so hauntingly, emotionally, beautiful and makes this masterpiece of a film that ,icy more special ❤ Both the film and score are so underrated it’s unbelievable!
"Eat your heart out Horowitzes, or whatever those cannons are called". I love this channel. There are a bunch of reaction channels and this is one of my favorites.
"He was only in it for the money" - well yes. Omura was from the merchant caste of Japanese society. A caste that was persecuted by the samurai and was made the lowest caste in Japanese society. Omuras hatred for the samurai is actually deeper and more nuanced than the movie let's on. Omuras Rose to power or the merchants rise over the samurai was a contributing reason why some samurai did revolt
The original work of this movie is modeled on Japan's last civil war, the Battle of the South. The name of the model is "Takamori Saigou" My 4th and 5th generation grandfather has died. My fifth grandfather was a close friend and was retired at the time, and I just wanted to see the "Saigou" outing, but suddenly I brought my sword to my house and died. The fifth generation of his son fought until the end, and like the movie, he was "Harakiri" at the age of 25 and pierced the last SAMURAI. The two tombs are now sleeping in the same place as "Takamori Saigou.
the samurai practice Aikido. what he is stating when he says "too many mind" is that you arent focusing on the fight. hes focusing on everything else but the fight in front of him.
The Samurai practice Jiu Jitsu actually. Not Aikido although Aikido evolved from Jiu jitsu and became a style in the 20th century. This takes place before Aikido actually became a separate style.
@@hatsiepatsie The actual unarmed fighting discipline of most of the samurai (including some onna-bugeisha) throughout Japan's history (and used by almost all during the Edo period iirc) is called 'Daito-ryu', otherwise known as 'Aiki-jujutsu'. It is/was the root discipline that birthed Jujutsu, Aikido, and Judo; and was created by the Seiwa Minamoto clan way *waaay* back before the 10th century. That's most of what I recall from a paper I wrote (and aced) back in senior high. I'm sure I missed a lot of details. Maybe someone else can fill in some gaps and correct any errors.
@@hatsiepatsie aikido is a joke martial art meant to fool students into coughing up money. jujitsu is the real deal, used by samurai to fight armored opponents; hence its focus on joint manipulation and submissions rather than strikes. no point punching a dude wearing armor.
This film never gets enough love. I think most people see the poster with a white guy, and the title, "The Last Samurai", assume the wrong things, and roll their eyes with no intention of ever checking it out. Which is sad, because it's such an amazing movie, in so many ways. I got to visit the temple (Engyo-ji) where some of the scenes were filmed while I was in Japan on deployment in the Navy. I'd been teaching myself Japanese for a few years at that point, and tried to see as much of the country as I could in my short time there (I was even lucky enough to see a kabuki performance, even though it accidentally led to a missed curfew on base due to missing the last train back from Fukuoka). The movie feels so much more powerful when you see these places, and get a sense for the history, and culture. Just seeing some of the locations now, after having been there is enough of a gut-punch to bring me close to tears, before the actors even start talking.
I remember me and my girlfriend passed on seeing it in the theater because we both thought --- "Oh great, Tom Cruise acting like a tough guy learning to be a Samurai warrior just like a Navy fighter pilot or NASCAR driver" LOL --- but luckily I rented it on VHS a few years later and was pleasantly suprised it was much better than I presumed
Your reaction to this was great! You got it right. Everyone that blasted this movie as Tom being the last samurai didn't understand what you did. Katsumoto was the last samurai!
Ninjas would use theatrics, such as smokebombs, fireworks and snake-like hisses to appear more inhuman, like demons or wraiths. Samurai used a similar tactic with their helmets and masks adorned with horns and beastly grins, which resembled the Oni(demons that are often considered japanese ogres)
@@lalalarose8197 Not true. The most famous historical "ninja" was Hattori Hanzo who was a Samurai under Tokugawa Ieyasu and the leader of hundreds of samurai/ninja from the Iga region throughout the ascension and rule of Tokugawa.
@@lalalarose8197 If you look up any known historical ninja, you will see they are almost always from a ninja clan. Usually Iga or Koga. These clans trained their members in all matters relating to covert operations and were often employed by the ruling samurai of the area. Now, there are records of ninja who turned their training to banditry when their clan was wiped out, but you have to understand that with regards to feudal Japan, the term ninja actually refers to a profession (that of a spy or assassin) and is not a term for anyone who employs ninja-like tactics to fight. Ninja were trained professionals.
This was the first R rated film my parents allowed me to watch; I was 9 years old and it left quite an impact. It only occurs to me now that it was the same year that they got divorced (had nothing to do with the movie lol). But, it all kind of swims together as an extra emotional experience rewatching it. Great film.
By “To many mind” Nobutada was saying that Algren was getting distracted. He needed to focus or he would be defeated every time. It’s a Samurai principle, focus on what you’re doing and give no regard to anything else.
It’s a reference to the concept in martial arts that the Japanese call “mushin,” or “no mind.” Basically honing skill to the point of muscle memory, so you won’t need to think before you react.
It reminds me of a video of this instructor teaching a kid how to dodge a weapon attack in a martial arts class. The kid kept ducking too early and the instructor reminded him that he was being too distracted by the weapon in his hand and not at his opponent himself.
Oh nice 😉. A good film, they made a good job by representing the culture even if it's not absolutely perfect, it's really well done. I was in a little village like that and when you are in the shrines you could really feel how peaceful it is, a really nice experience i recommend you 😉. The real story is not so interesting, the shogun Tokugawa had guns, canons even European style forts (check the fort of hakodate, it's the French vauban style).....Tom cruise's character is inspired from the French officer Jules brunet, he's completely forgotten now in France, only very very few people know he's name, only Japanese know who he was.....the character is also similar with an American medic who went to Japan after the Civil War, he brought baseball to Japan, thanks to him i love that sport 😉.
Yes, I was going to comment on this too. The actual last Samurai had just as many guns as the emperor’s forces, which I guess would kinda kill the romanticism of the movie.
"Eat your heart out, Horowitzs'! Or whatever those cannons are called..." 😂😂😂😂😂 So. Damn. Adorable!!! This reaction has been my favorite of hers by far!
If I remember correctly, the actor, Bob, has a long history in Japanese samurai movies. He has played a dying samurai in action movies. I believe the last dying scene saving Tom's character was his last as he retired after this movie.
It was so enjoyable to see your reactions to this movie! Did you notice when Katsumoto died, he saw the cherry blossoms and said "they are all perfect." It probably took me seven or eight times watching this to understand that he was referring to himself and all those who served him. At the moment of his death, he saw that "they are all perfect" in their imperfections and that you don't have to spend a life seeking perfection when it is already all around you. That blew my mind.
""they're all perfect" in their imperfections" I think the Japanese have some kinda word or idea for that. Forget what it is though. Kinda why they repair and fix something that breaks showing it's scars and the love they have for it. Like pottery with gold cracks or something. Making it more perfect with it's flaws. An idea I think we sorta used to share for a while. Now it's consume and replace with something new and better at a frightening pace. I remember watching some Canadian youtuber gushing over something made in Japan 'for a human'. He was taking it apart some luxury single slice toaster but apart from the design everything was put together, labeled and laid out for a human to be able to repair it. Replacement parts in this day and age? When most things it's cheaper to throw away and buy a new one no matter what it is. I gotta admit I understand his feeling.
Just as an FYI, Tom is very loved in Japan ffor this movie. It came at a time where they where losing themself again, and this reminded them of their roots.
Funny how they see their roots as the Samurai caste,...nobody ever traces their roots back to the peasants, merchants or the unclean labourers on whose backs the Samurai stood,...it's a sort of anti-communist utopia, LOL.
@@lonewanderer3456 in fairness it wasn't realy Samurai but more of the older paths. I think it is more about how the life in the village was compare to being a samurai that that fights. So more with harmony then anything else.
good old days when you get your village sacked by vikings and pirates. j/k i sometimes wonder if our modernization and technology made us empty and unhappy. i remember days before cellphones and computers..playing outside all day without a worry in the world. well grass is always greener on the other side.
@@lonewanderer3456 Fact: all human societies are hierarchical. Whether it's samurai, aristocrats, commune "founders", bureaucrats or "Party Leaders". Changing the labels isn't "Social Revolution". "Meet the new boss; same as the old boss."
@@lonewanderer3456 Clearly you do not understand Japanese culture, there was and is an idea that you should take pride in all forms of work and to practice it and do it with as much skill as you can everytime. Do any less then your best is dishonorable be it as a soldier of the period or the people swinging hammers at the forge.
37:35 "I have seen very few of Tom Cruises movies" 2 years later, gets personally invited to the red carpet premiere of "Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1" by Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures. Don't think Cassie never expected THAT whan she started the channel and reviewed this movie! 🙃
The model of the main character Nathan Algren played by Tom Cruise came to Japan as a French military advisory group of the Edo Shogunate, participated in the former Shogunate army led by Takeaki Enomoto, and participated in the Battle of Hakodate (Boshin War (1868-1869)). ) Was fought by Jules Brunet.
“Whose this guy? I love his accent” It’s only SIR William (Billy) Connolly - retired actor, artist, comedian, musician and presenter. Now you must watch the Boondock Saints to see just how amazing Sir Connolly’s acting is.
You can find plenty of clips of his stand up comedy routines on TH-cam, some people might find some of his humour a bit....earthy though it never bothered me.
While it is a sensual scene, I believe he may have actually needed her help to dress in that armor. A lot of suits of armor requires help to be fully suited in. It's part of the reason Knights had squires, lol
Likely, though honestly Samurai armor is not too terribly difficult to put on by yourself, not by the versions of the Sengoku Jidai anyway; I think the fact she's assisting though really adds to the scene because of that: She doesn't need to help him really, he could just struggle with it, but instead she is more or less accepting him as the new head of house so to speak. It's a really powerful statement when you think of the arc of their relationship from a broken man and wounded warrior, and a recently widowed wife at said man's hands all the way to a mature growing of mutual respect, admiration and love, all of which is expressed with VERY little actual dialogue at all, and almost NONE of it is directly romantic, AND with no physical intimacy besides the armor scene. WONDERFUL choices for the characterization in this move EDIT: A similar thing, to add on to the whole "she doesn't HAVE to help" thing, is the approval of Ujio as well. Ujio would have known Hirotoro (Katsumoto's brother and Taka's Husband), fairly well in their small-ish community, and Algren showing up for battle, as a former outsider and the man responsible for Hiro's death, IN HIRO'S ARMOR, and passing the scrutiny of Ujio who is arguably their best warrior, adds the acceptance of the other half of the spirit of their way of life: the Warrior and the Family, spiritually, have approved him.
Yeah I've got a set of European armour, and you can pretty much put the leg pieces on yourself but you do need help once you get to the upper torso, doing up arming points on your shoulders or buckling straps on your back gets harder the more pieces you have on. It's sorta possible without help, but a lot slower and more frustrating.
Billy Connolly was the name of the actor with the accent. He's a Scotish actor, comedian. He came into mainstream popularity as the teacher in "Head of the class" after Howard Hesseman left the show. He had a couple of stand-up showcases on HBO in the early 90s.
Probably my favourite Tom Cruise film but its Ken Watanabe who steals the show.
Ken is amazing in almost everything thing he has done
Also Hiroyuki Sanada!
@@bombomos Not Almost!
hear hear
Hear hear
This has got to be one of Tom Cruise's best movies.
Even though he gets acted off the set by Ken Wantanabe.
@Marc wow I never knew that, I always figured it was just a fun yet historically inaccurate movie 😄
@@Apollo890 To give Cruise his credit, there are very few people who have acted opposite Ken Watanabe and NOT been acted off the set. Hell other than Cillian Murphy and maybe Leo Di Caprio I'd say Watanabe gives the best performance in Inception, and Watanabe is barely even in Batman Begins and he's still memorable in that role. Dude's one of the greatest.
Hands down his best performance.
@@TehFrenchy29 no argument there, I've seen him on stage in: The King and I and his performance blows you away.
When Katsumoto says "Perfect" and the tear rolls off his cheek. That is one of the most perfectly shot scenes I have seen in cinema.
The ending to his poem
Yes, the armor dressing scene was intended to be more sensual than a sex scene. The director made that conscious choice. He mentioned it in the director's commentary. It was a good choice.
Strongly agree. I saw it as Nathan being accepted into the samurai. Great scene
The most beautiful scene I have ever seen.
would have been awful if he made it the other way around
I think you’re confusing sensuality with intimacy.
It’s more intimate than sensual but I get what you meant.
“you have disgraced me!”
“if your shame is too unbearable”
*offers sword*
such a brilliant moment
Haha right dude chickened out whikw the samurais were willing to sacrifice themselves.
means that he still considered the shame is bearable. makes him totally a shameful person.
You believe a man can change his destiny?
l think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed to him
"I dreamed of a unified Japan, of a country strong and independent and modern. And now we have railroads and cannon, western clothing. But we cannot forget who we are or where we come from"
I've always liked when Nathan tells Bagley "I'll look for you on the field" right before the final battle commences and after having been threatened that he would be shown no quarter. It seems like a relatively innocuous comment by comparison, but after having it be made repeatedly clear throughout the film that Algren holds the Colonel personally responsible for the Cheyenne massacre and that he would even go so far as to "gladly kill him for free" the menacing undertone of the remark gives me goosebumps every time.
Completely agree.
The work that Hans Zimmer did on the soundtrack is exquisite. The score that plays over the credits is worth every minute.
a true masterpiece!
One of Zimmer's absolute finest soundtracks. When you combine a great story with a fine soundtrack, the result is often more than the sum of its parts. This is one of my favorite films.
Always felt Gladiator was Zimmer’s Magnus Opus. Everything else felt a bit perfunctory up until Interstellar. Bladerunner 2049 was very unique. Always puts a ‘spell’ on me when I listen to it.
Hans Zimmer is a musical genius. The score of this film is amazing, it's up their with Gladiator and King Arthur which are my two favorite soundtrack's that he had composed.
He borrowed tons from Thin red line
This movie's title gets a lot of hate because everyone assumes that Nathan was "The Last Samurai" but I believe the creators were going with the plural form of Samurai. This is about "The Last of the Samurai" :)
I thought it was probably referring to Katsumoto.
I believe Katsumoto was the title role.
"Let me tell you how he lived."
@@mokane86 exactly.
I never knew people thought it was something other than the plural Samurai, that's what the movie is about after all.
@@Jim-Mc Katsumoto was daimyo (Noble) not Samurai. Samurai (those who serve) were analogous to knights under a feudal lord
Emperor: "Tell me how he died"
*try not to cry*
Nathan: "I will tell you how he lived"
*roll over and cry*
Είναι ωραίο που cry
It always brings tears
To me, it's the same answer. How he died and how he lived: With Honor.
I did!
Yup.
I legitimately get misty eyed at the ending of the movie.
-Taka forgiving Nathan
-Bob sacrificing himself.
-Katsumoto asking Nathan to help him commit Sepuku and his subsequent comment on the cherry blossoms
-Nathan meeting the emperor.
This movie is slept on. It's got some flaws but still horribly underrated.
It will endure as a timeless masterpiece. From one of the greatest scores ever, to a masterful script and performances.
The comment about the cherry blossoms - and by extension, the battlefield littered with the lives of men from both sides - is an incredibly under-rated moment imo.
The bloke with the accent is a very famous Scottish comedian and national treasure called billy Connelly
He also played the dwarf king in The Hobbit, and was also the lead in Mrs Brown along with Dame Judy Dench, a great movie about Queen Victoria which I'm sure you'd like.
I forgot he was in this. His stand-up stuff is so funny!
Beat me to it. One of the absolute best comedians I have seen. National treasure indeed.👍
Peter Pettigrew
Billy Connelly is also gear in "Lemony Snickets"
The topknot is like part of the samurai's honor. By cutting off Nobutada's topknot he has been publicly shamed.
So once you became a full samurai you can get rid of your knot??
@Daniel Josh T. Limoso so why did the others have short haircuts and kassmoto was bald, were they already dishonored??
So is this where GOT got the idea of the dothraki and their hair?
There are a few instances in the movie where Samurai would suicide when they had shamed themselves. Death before dishonor was the rule. It was the worst insult you could give Nobutada; but it was meant for all the samurai. "Your way means nothing anymore."
It was known as the Cropped Hair Edict. On August 9, 1871 the Japanese government issued the danpatsurei or Cropped Hair Edict, encouraging samurai to cut their distinctive chonmage topknot. Funny enough this led to a minor photography boom when samurai rushed to photo studios to get their photo taken before their topknots were cut off. If you google it you can see old 19th Century photos of Japanese Samurai having their photos taken with their topknots. Very interesting.
When Katsumoto asked Algren before the first assault on the final battle, "What happened to the soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae?" (they were talking about that battle previously)
And Algren answered with a smile, "Died to the last man", to which Katsumoto also responded with a smile
That nearly broke me
their chemistry was amazing. Easily one of my favorite movies
That was Katsumoto’s way of letting Algren know what he was thinking. They both knew there was no way they were going to win this Civil War.
Nope .. the battle of Thermopylae was the battle of the movie "the 300" ... Sparta (300) vs Persia (1.000.000)
@@SkeeveTVR 🤓☝ well akshually it was around 7.000 greek forces against 300.000 at most, but still..
It was beautiful and moving..
The Japanese actress, Koyuki, was phenomenal in this. She always manages to make me tear up when I watch this.
Thanks, I always wondered who she was. Playing that character she was amazing, compelled hospitality to a savage foreigner who took her husband from her and her family. The whole concept is foreign to a western mind but these people were from a different time, place, and code of honor. I'd be on their side.
Absolutely correct, I ALWAYS lose it when she puts her head on his shoulder, after dressing him in the armor.
Yeah, the thing I remember most is that she appears to be able to express two different emotions on each side of her face. If you watch the emotional scenes with her, one side of her face might look incredibly sad while the other side might be slightly smiling. I think it illustrates the emotional conflict her character must have felt. She is such a compelling mix of duty, discipline, loyalty and humanity. Amazing acting.
@@potterj09it's not foreign to a western mind at all. Do you think western people are incapable of feelings?
She’s fine as hell
To me, this is the best Tom Cruise movie.
Born on the 4th of July.
Tropic thunder
agree
legend? lol
His best performance in my opinion. Man can act
Everybody in the theater--no exaggeration--EVERYBODY gave this film a standing ovation at credits.
You really can't blame them --- a truly superb film for the ages
I’ve seen this movie so many times and I’m somehow only realizing now that upon his death, Katsumoto finished his haiku: They are all perfect
what!? Mind blown, never knew that. I've also seen it plenty of times :D
I don't think that lines up actually. 'They are all perfect' refers to the cherry blossoms which is not the subject of his haiku. His haiku goes 'The tiger's eyes are like my own. But he comes from across a deep and troubled sea'. So while he has the realisation that all the cherry blossoms are perfect, his haiku remains unfinished in death.
Not sure if it's the poem, but earlier he speaks about cherry blossoms. He says you could spend your entire life searching for the perfect blossom and it would not be a wasted life. So at the end, he sees every blossom is perfect. His was not a wasted life
@@Antycarr um... but that's not a haiku. Haiku have 17 syllables in lines of five, seven and then five again.
@@hockema56 Hence the unfinished part.
So Tom Cruise is such a badass that he trained for almost 2 years to do this movie teaching himself traditional Japanese sword so that he could do all of these sword fighting scenes himself. And he actually taught himself right. Talk about method acting
i think Tom Cruise has the best P.R.
badass when it comes to acting. other than that he isnt likeable at all. crazy scientologist.
@@hullmees666 Its not as if Scientology is any more bonkers than any other established religious system.
You are right, he is crazy... but at least its harmless (afaik). Same can't be said for many.
@@TopTwom yes it is. Calling it a religion itself is bonkers. Its a corp that makes money brainwashing and controlling the lives of every single member. They kidnap people and torture them. Others are quite bad too but their bad things dont come from the creed but shitty and corrupt authority.
@@hullmees666 You kinda defined every major religion right there. Corrupt greedy authorities exploiting people's willingness to believe supernatural lies to further thier gains and to hurt anyone who threatens that fact. Thats organized religion for you.
この映画は何回観ても号泣してしまう。
武士道、義、誇り、美しさ、日本独特の文化を丁寧に表現して下さってありがとうございます。
感謝しております。
... but Samurais made free use of guns. Also used bows, leaving katans as a last resort weapon.
Hiroyuki Sanada was amazing in this movie. Instantly reminded me of the legendary gruff way Toshiro Mifune played a samurai in the old black & whites. Have followed his career since.
I love him too great in ring and sunshine too.
And he also did a movies with Keanu Reeves' "Ronin 47" and Jackie Chan's "Rush Hour 3"
George Lucas was heavily influenced by those old movies and performances of Mifune.
In college, our on-campus theatre showed non- main stream movies. one was "The Red Sun" with Toshiro Mifune. It was all in Japanese with NO closed captioning, but you could easily follow the story. I became a fan of his then.
Others we saw that I recall from 45 years ago were "Harold and Maude" and " A Boy and his Dog" - both cult classics, but also "Trojan Women" - I'm sorry, but it was awful.
The guy was remotely related to Yukimura. Of course he's a badass. His ancestor was one of the best warriors in all of Japan
Tom Cruise is a bag full of crazy, but he's a damn fine actor.
I disagree. He plays the same fish out of water, lost Irish boy in every movie with 3 notable exceptions, to which I truly laud his performance in Tropic Thunder, however in just about every other sense, I find him as the blandest feature in movies I otherwise adore "because" of the raw talent surrounding his very forgettable roles such as Legend and Day After Tomorrow, Anyone could have sat in that seat and probably made it better, but nope there's ole Tom in a Scale Mail Mini-skirt, kicking trolls in the face. The First Weeaboo, as I lovingly call this movie, is an absolute lividly spectacular mind blast of Medieval Japan vs Modernizing Japan with Tom doing a VERY accurate Branden Fraser, "I have no idea how I got here....." as usual. I do not besmirch his dedication if not his choice in rolls, I just honestly expected more, considering where he was/is.
@@steelgreyed C'mon, "I want the truth!" is an Oscar moment!!!
He never phones it in
@@steelgreyed for this specific movie, the audience loved the character he portrayed. The protagonist who had demons in his past and struggled with addiction. One who had an open mind, respected his enemy, and called out others who were in the wrong.
The fact that Tom Cruise doesn’t use a stunt double has to be respected as well. Like his role in Mission Impossible- Ghost Recon. I mean come on, it was actually him climbing on the Burj Khalifa. There aren’t many who risk their own safety like that and push their limits. Respect for bringing up Tropic Thunder. A small role but one that was outside usual roles. I thought he was great in Vanilla Sky and Born on the 4th of July too. ✌🏽
Everything I have stated is a personal opinion. I consider the Last Samurai to be Dances with Wolves in Japan meets Born in the Forth of July, cripples are cripples regardless if its yer legs or alcohol, the fight is pretty much the same and that's one thing Tom does exceedingly well. Fight. Whether its trolls, infantry, aliens, alcohol, his own legs, or his own crippling height issues. I "have" to respect Tom as an actor, the very thing you are lauding is the same role he plays in half his movies if not 2/3rds, for me it gets old regardless of how good it is. I've only been watching him act for 40 years, in an industry that tends to bleed you dry in under 5.... Besides most of my angst for the man was laughed out of me in Day After Tomorrow. Vanilla Sky was 99% Tom wandering around "I have no idea how I got here," also how he played "eyes wide shut" and I dare say half the MI's. It is indeed his other defining trait. He stepped out of this in "Rain Man" and "A Few Good Men" but he was obviously not the main character in those movies, though I would include TLS in that.
Side Note, I lovingly say the first Weaboo because of how totally Tom went into the roll, his fight scenes have been lauded by actual Samurai, for his following of Bushido practice.
Fun fact about Bob : a lot of people thought he was guarding and keeping his eye on nathan but actually he was protecting him from other samurai in case they attack him
Just like Cruise said to him in the movie. "Your job is to protect me right"?
well he got lit up by Sanada with the practice swords and Bob did nothing LMFAO
@@BLaCkKsHeEp If Algren stood down, and Ujio (Sanada) attacked him, Bob would've intervened. But in that very scene, Algren himself was defying Ujio. Bob being Japanese, he would've considered it a disrespect to Algren if he intervened, knowing that Algren wanted to face Ujio at that moment.
Bobs job was to kill algren if he got out of line. Like he would have done if katsumoto didn’t wave him off
I have never heard a theatre audience cry more than the final scene when the music goes dead and all you hear is the gatling guns annihilating the samurai. It's such a powerful scene.
“They are all perfect” is such a great moment. Character growth even in the moment of death. Cruise and Wantanabe have great chemistry
He finally finished his poem.
Lots of grown men cried to this movie. I truly did when Katsumoto died. The Samurai have always fascinated me and I personally don't think there is any warrior creed and lifestyle better than theirs.
Same reaction here, surprised myself. I travelled to Japan a month later on Business and went to see it again, but in local theater. Lots of sobbing there, too.
I've cried a little at this movie too.
In the 80's, businessmen hired graduates of traditional Samurai Academies because of their insight and discipline. Sometimes the old ways guide us better than new technology can. Look how the truth is undermined by social media. I was told by an arrogant western Magat that the Samurai way ruined Japan. Now look at Japan. It has the fourth largest Navy in the world, by Hull Numbers and Displacement. It is the only reason why the rest of Asia can oppose China. And unlike the PLAN, the JMSDF has working jet fighters on carriers, the F35Bs that were purchased from the U.S. Japan's Fleet has 4 Carriers, second only to the U.S. I didn't even mention the JASDF which has modified "Stealth" F15s and F35As ready to help allied forces.
@@knoahbody69 A book written by a 16th century samurai called "The Book of Five Rings" is popular reading among businessmen.
Yes, I agree. The samurai is the ultimate warrior. A perfect balance of force and discipline.
This was filmed in New Zealand and Tom Cruize would have to fly by helicopter from the town he was staying in out to the set in the country side. He would fly over a small country school of only about 20-30 students and they were 5-11 yrs old. Every day they would stand outside and wave to the helicopter and had a little sign they held up saying " Hi Tom". Tom Cruize found out where the school was and arranged for his helicopter to land at the school and spent the morning with the children.
Ujio, the japanese warrior who seems to hate Nathan (Tom Cruise) until he actually trains him, is played by Hiroyuki Sanada, an amazing japanese actor who has played in several american movies.
Sanada is a Master of Arms and will often times help to train other actors, especially those whom he fights against in film. Including Cruise in this movie. Helps to elevate the dynamic of the fight scenes, and later acts as rehearsal for the actual takes. So Ujio training Algren mirrored Sanada training Cruise.
He showed some good sword play in Wolverine.
@@joelwillems4081 And again in Avengers: Endgame! :D
@@rcslyman8929 I believe he is a disciple of Sonny Chiba.
@@ajzmail Sonny Chiba's son (Mackenyu Arata) played the badass Enishi Yukishiro in the live action Rurouni Kenshin: The Final.
His swordplay is amazing.
Watched this movie probably a thousand times. Your reaction makes me want to watch it a thousand times more
Remember that Katsumoto was the emperor's teacher. As Algrin said, "We will make the emperor hear you". It took his death, but that caused the emperor to finally hear his teachings. Katsumoto would certainly consider that a good death.
Absolutely
The phrase "What on earth" and "Ladies man "both originated in the 1700s
Is that so? That’s so interesting! I should look into that. 🤔
Do people think it was Shakespeare 150 yrs ago? (Bad example because of the mass of stuff that came right from him.)
I'm mean "Ladies man" is the only way to describe Benjamin Franklin
Hmmm, right you are! The phrase "ladies' man" seems to be placed around the 1780's, and "What/Who/Where/How on Earth" seems a few decades earlier. 1733, per one article. But there's debate, some citing the Latin phrase in "Nulla in mundo pax sincera" ("In this world there is no honest peace.") from some ancient poem. The idea being that the phrase "in the world" has long been analogous with "to exist".
Another example being a Roman legal proverb: "Quod non est in actis, non est in mundo:" "That which is not in the statutes is not in the world."
You are right. Sometimes those expressions are older than we thought.
Tom Cruise deserved the Oscar for such great performance. Period.
The ninjas hissing was part of their psychological warfare to intimidate. They wanted to appear scary, possibly demon like. Just like samurai wearing masks with their armor to look like demons.
Genjutsu right?
@@psantosd1 wow, Genjutsu is interesting. I'm going to look into that some more.
@@psantosd1 that's a modern invention.
@@snubbles9991 you may be right I have no historical reference on that. But I think psychologic warfare was always part of combat throughout history and cultures. Intimidation and confidence play a big factor. Now if it was something Samurai actually consciously worked on I have no idea. (Im just talking about mind games, affecting your opponent's confidence/focus, not making any extravagant claim like hypnotizing or something out of cartoons)
@@psantosd1 yep I agree there, not ruling that out.
After a heartfelt moment
"Does he know what she's saying?"
I lol'ed
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm a huge fan and student of Japanese historic culture. This movie isn't very good as a history lesson, (its flawed with inaccuracies) but it does a great job depicting samurai. And the personal relationships that a built in the village are heart-warming. In general I love this movie and I enjoyed watching you watch it. Your reactions are honest and pure.
Great movie. They made reasonable compromises but gave it so much heart. Gave the subject matter real respect and passion.
It's "Howitzer" cannons. "Horowitz" cannons fired matzo balls.
One of her best lines. I also liked it when she referred to Omura as Omaha.
I'm glad that I found this channel.
fucking hell i shouldent have laughed that hard
@@jamesheald7971 Ranks right up there with "neck romancer" from the Hobbit movies.
@@johnalden5821 I have not yet watched her reaction to the Hobbit movies yet. I will listen for that one. Thanks for the heads-up.
@@johnalden5821 and calling Rivindell 'Riverdale' 😂
It's adorable how Cassie is always looking for love in the movies; truly, seeing the insight of someone who only watched "girl movies" is amazing, gives new perspective on my favorite movies.
Her reaction to the "armor dressing" scene is just too classic.
yeah. She'll usually say "I see sparks!" hehe.
I liked how he said: ‘You can look for a perfect blossom for your whole life. And it would not be a wasted life.’ Which for me translates to a love. Amazing movie
To me, this translates as: It's not about the destination. The journey is its own reward.
Life in every breath. Look for a perfect blossom for your whole life and it would not be a wasted life. They are all perfect.
I’m not big into Tom Cruise movies but this one is one of my favorite movies. There’s something about rural Japan that is absolutely serene and beautiful. Great choice, I hope you enjoyed it!
Same, I didn't watch this movie for years because I thought it was going to be BS about Tom Cruise being the last samurai. When I finally watched it, it became one of my favorite movies right away.
watch the series My Country The New Age is brilliant or the movie Saving General Yang
Did you watch "Rain Man" and "The Color of Money"? "A Few Good Men" and "The Edge Of Tomorrow" are also good.
Same I like this one and war of the worlds but he had Dakota fanning as back up which helped in that one
He is also pretty great in born on the fourth of July.._
Hans Zimmer's most underrated soundtrack.
I still listen to it
100% agree
Agreed, good call.
Yess
Wait till you watch Dune. I've heard two pieces of score from it and I think it's going to be his magnum opus.
Two of the most emotional parts for me were when Nobutada had his hair cut off, especially as it’s part of their identity and when he asked his father to leave him after he’d been shot, knowing he was going to die but went out on his own terms. Shin Koyamada portrayed Nobutada perfectly 💔 ❤
After The Pacific, Hacksaw Ridge and now this, I think she’s finally ready to see “Letters From Iwo Jima”, another fantastic Ken Watanabe film.
I was thinking "dances with wolves"
@@josephamoraz7990 that’s a good one too, but I said that bc she’s seen enough of WW2 in the pacific and a bit of Japanese culture in this film so now she’s fully equipped to get the most out of “Letters From Iwo Jima”.
@@josephamoraz7990 'dances with wolves' then 'little big man' always come to mind. One is so serious the other crazy but life is crazy. Looking at recommended I see Robocop (1987) another move I love.
That gattling gun scene is like watching the final breath of an era.
Pretty much what it symbolizes, this film is based loosely on the Satsuma rebellion, which was essentially a war between the old way, and the new, where the samurai that didn't want to adapt into a new Empire, and wanted to keep their superior status, rebelled.
@@Darkpara1 Also kind of symbolizes the test of strength between feudalism and capitalism. No matter how elite and capable a warrior class was, it would eventually be no match for a larger conscripted commoner force with more meritocracy and fully standardized equipment.
@@Rob_Fordd it's more the advancement of technology than the economic system that produced it.
There's a reason the Europeans became the most technologically advanced after the enlightenment, it was the constant warfare between nation states that advanced the technology, as we were all using it to kill each other.
But the same thing happened in Europe when firearms were introduced, the mounted knight basically became irrelevant, and so did all their lifetime of martial training.
That's how I felt playing Total War: Shogun 2 Campaign and then going into the Fall of the Samurai DLC campaign. It gives a lot of insight to the clans of the two eras, the politics, and the how the battle strategies changed over time. Once you get into Fall of the Samurai, there's very little old Samurai units, even Cavalry can do against cannons, gatling guns, and coastal bombardments from steam-powered naval ships. It takes a little time to build up to that tech, but once you acquire mid-tier cannons, it's a downward spiral for the Samurai from then on. Though the Ninja unit can still be fun to use for surprise traps and fort defense due to their bombs.
I'll freely admit, I cried at that scene.
I love that this film is getting a little more recognition. Such an underappreciated classic.
For as much media criticism / shit flinging there was in the beginning it has a pretty solid IMDB rating and it seems to have a pretty solid following.
little more recognition? underappreciated classic? I'm sorry but this movie was a real blockbuster in the theaters, and it was nominated to the Academy Awards in four categories and for the Golden Globe in three categories (and won several other awards). please don't ride this silly "it's underappreciated/unrecognized" trend about movies you haven't heard about before. it's a 20+ yo movie, of course there is no daily hype about it, but it's quite a well-know, and highly praised/loved movie.
@@daniel.maitheny I've literally never met anyone who has ever heard of it, and as far as films of 2003 go, it wasn't like some MEGA hit.
"Tell me how he died." "I will tell you how he lived." Gets me every time.
It should not matter how we die, whether by natural causes or some disease or illness. We should be remembered for how we lived with such things.
“Tom Cruise is some kind of ninja karate guy.”
Sounds like something out of a Ryan George Pitch Meeting.
Ninja karate guys are TIGHT!
@@simulacrae Hi there. Hello.
wow wow wow
Watching this movie is super easy, barely an inconvenience.
Tom Cruise is TIGHT!...:)
Katsumoto's last words have a double meaning. Even in the era of change from the samurai era to the westernization, he sticks to his own way of life and beliefs as a samurai, dying beautifully in battle, and the falling cherry blossoms that have grown splendidly over the years.
"-They killed women and children like that ?" Ever hear of the Sand Creek Massacre, or Wounded Knee massacre.... those are the famous ones... there are probably 200 more that we never heard of.
Yep. Plus the California Genocide.
It happened on both sides
@@firstenforemost what the native amercans did do was attack other tribes. No ethnic group is innocent in this world. Skin color does not define character
@@jdeang3531 That's what I was going to say. Native Americans butchered quite a few settlers and Europeans butchered quite a few women and children. Both are bad and should never have happened. It sucked but that's history.
They happened during the days of the Puritans. For 400 years tribes were subject to things that make you question humanity.
This is maybe one of the most underrated movie of the Tom Cruise.
Also Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is unbelievable. So much intense and calm feelings at the same time.
I've been hit with a bokutō (wooden sword) before. Those things HURT like absolute hell and can actually kill you. It's like being hit with a blunt weapon, most noteably a club. There's a reason why protection is needed in Japanese martial arts involving them and why bamboo 'Shinai' are used for sparring instead - a lot of inexperienced people tend to think hitting you with one without being careful is fine because it isn't a real metal sword.
TL:DR It really was one hell of a savage beating Tom Cruise's character got and if Ujio had truly wanted to, he could have popped Nathan's head like a watermelon or ruptured one of his vital organs.
当時の侍は竹刀などなく
木刀で訓練していた…
The title "The Last Samurai" is such an eloquent fit for Katsumoto and his clan of warriors (unlike the assumption that it is about Nathan Algren). It shows how the world was changing for the Japanese, moreso for the samurai themselves, since the history of Japan is in a way the history of the samurai, and they were helplessly watching the forces of modernity wash away the world they cherished and protected. The men for whom any moment could be their last, and that this realisation made life all the more beautiful, were about to die.
Personally it can be taken many ways and all of them in and of themselves accurate. Nathan Algren could be the Last Samurai because he was the last left alive. Or it could be Katsumoto the last of the great Samurai lords or the whole group as a whole. But you're right it almost certainly isn't meant to be Algren.
@@GhostEye31 Agreed. All the people who ripped the movie for casting a white actor as the main clearly didn't watch it. "The Last Samurai" could be taken as referring to Algren, but it isn't.
Not necessarily. Those Japanese Samurai simply became part of the new Japanese Government and Armed Forces. As a distinct warrior class yes they were gone, but their teachings and beliefs now extended to the whole of the Japanese people. Every soldier in the Army and Navy were considered Samurai and the Emperor was to be the ultimate Daimyo. The codes of obedience and loyalty unto death were adherents of the Samurai class. In fact it was the brutality of Samurai culture is what in many ways are what caused the atrocities of WWII in the first place. There was both a beautiful and an ugly side to Japanese culture and the Samurai ideals. The rapists and murderers of the Nanking Massacre in 1937 were but an extension of the ugly sides of the Samurai culture and a blindness to obedience. On the one hand you have a society that places a high emphasis on tea and beauty and the arts but on the other you have one that practices beheading blind folded POWs, torturing and murdering them and in some cases eating their flesh just because they surrendered and are without value, or fighting to the end even to the point of two atomic bombs. Also much of their teachings of Japanese soldiers came from a book by Yamamoto Tsunetomo called Hagakure which provided a basis for the Samurai ethos to young impressionable minds.
@@Chrismatica There are clear historical examples of Westerners being given the titles of Samurai. If these people actually took serious their own positions they would see that this isn't inaccurate or being simply a manifestation of Hollywood. There was even an African Samurai for God's sake.
@@histman3133 you're right. I think this film wants to concentrate on the beauty of Japanese and Samurai culture. And what happens when something that was once cherished essentially is considered archaic and is forced to evolve or die off. Things will change, it's just nature but it's maintaining and valuing the traditions and cultures that make a people who they are.
The story is inspired by the real life story of a French Captain called Jules Brunet. Although much of him adapting to traditional japanese doctrines and lifestyles are true, his involvement with the last samurai rebellions against westernisation aren't true to the extent that it is portrayed in the movie.
Also! The battle that inspired the final battle in the movie is quite different from what the movie shows. In the battle of Shiroyama, the samurai actually did also have guns, simply, they were vastly outnumbered. The samurai forces consisted of 500 soldiers, whereas the imperial forces consisted of 30000 soldiers. They were quickly surrounded and butchered inside of the forest they were hiding in.
Also also! the samurai were not just fighting to protect and preserve traditions, they were fighting in great parts to defend their castic rights to certain privileges. In short : they were trying to ensure the survival of their superior position in society, a position of nobility and privilege. The empire/ministry destroyed these privileges and made japanese society more western its true, but also more egalitarian.
Jules Brunét was an advisor to the Shogunate forces during the Boshin War in 1868, about a decade before these (dramatized) events. This film combines aspects of his story with the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, the largest and one of the last of the Samurai rebellions following the reforms that followed the Meiji Restoration. Afterwards, the Emperor posthumously pardoned the leader, Saigo Takamori, and elevated him to the status of a national hero. Elements of the samurai code, Būshido, were integrated into the moral and civil code of Japan, emphasising such things as Honor, Duty, and Loyalty to the Emperor above all, things that would last all the way till the end of The Second World War in 1945.
@@Isildun9 Thank you for the addition!
@@Isildun9 not contradicting, just to follow up. The samurai had just as much social privileges over lower classes as they had social duties to protect them. They were judges, policemen, rangers, town councillors, utopic role models, etc. The comparison can be made to the idealistic vision of medieval chivalry, and to its darker sides too with local corruption, overbearing powers and the wild hedge knights.
One thing to dispel tho is that the shogunate wasn't anti western, as it was the shogunate that initially invited western advisers and entrepreneurs, realising just how surpassed technologically Japan was after commodore perry forsibly opened Japan to foreign trade. So while the shogun definitely was for a continued isolation of Japan, it was not backward, they knew Japan had to progress if it could withstand against foreign powers so some introduction of foreign know how was needed. But felt going too far would dilute and threaten Japanese values. Japan still very much a feudal state, was dominated by views that pastoralist, agriculturalist and pseudo ecologist ways of life were superior to urbanism and nascent industrialism. Imagine your share crop plot of land gifted by the feudal lord to your grandpa to honor his deed and merit that feed your family, taken by the government to be aggregated in cash crop industrial farming for national quota export banking board collective thing a magic.... You used to be self sustaining, now you pay rent for your own land, the forest where you used to hunt of gather wild food is now an open pit mine and have to work a wage to live for a job you understand none of the end product's utility, while your boss plays dress up like a foreign continent's dandy and displays mores contrary to yours just to be entitled to the new elites. Oh the joys of the modern world....
Seeing that the shogun had foreign backing, the imperial faction adopted an anti western view yet still held a weird fascination for the western empires. So they began to believe that to achieve parity, Japan not only had to become technological equals with the west but had to imitate western society in its entirety too. Still retaining disdain or suspicion on western nations, they adopted modern medical systems, universal education, universities, factories, equal representation, mass voting, bodily independence, mass media information access, but also imperialism, nationalism, colonialism, racism, supremacism or communism and socialism. That rabbit hole led to the extreme violence of imperial Japan during ww2. This also brought court intrigues and politics to the forefront, as since while the shogun could rule like an authoritarian all powerful dictator legally on behalf of the emperor,the emperor himself was not allowed to rule Japan like a western monarch or Chinese emperor for reasons of tradition and court rules. While having - some - sway over the government, factions, cliques, parties, movements and popular ideologies would dominate Japan, more so than western nations of the era. To illustrate, the address for surrender of emperor hirohito to his people in 1945 was an immense shock to the japanese people as no emperors had never in living memory so directly and openly intervened in domestic politics and their lives.
The shugun v imperial clash for the control of japan was inevitable,the stakes were too great and leaving one faction alive would leave the door open for a revolution or a coup.
Truth.
@@penzorphallos3199 yea the idea they were against western technology was made for the film. A good choice to provide the audience with a motive we could be on board with. But in reality the samurai were using guns for over a 100 years. They didn't use bow and arrows or that Armour at this time. But again thats a film choice. People expect to see samurai in this Armour. And it looks bad ass. But not accurate to the time.
It's good to feel uncomfortable when people fight. Don't you ever lose that empathy. It's a beautiful thing and a beautiful sight to see you coming.
You are just the sweetest woman. Watching this movie through your eyes, a movie I truly love, made it even that much better. You feel it all so deeply and that is a beautiful thing.
My two favorite parts of this movie
1) " A man could spend his life looking for the perfect cherry blossom and it would not be a wasted life." then as he is dying and all the blossoms are blowing in the wind, He realizes and says, "Perfect. They are all "perfect' ."
2) the wooden sword battle in the rain. This is Eastern philosophy meeting Western philosophy. He is expected to accept his defeat, but the Western/American way is to keep getting up, "try try again", etc. the onlookers go from "Oh, you got your ass kicked" to feeling sorry for him getting painfully beaten over and over, to , I think, finally some admiration and some understanding.
very well said, esp. point 1 that unfortunately i think cassie kinda glossed over, but it's the heart of the film. i think that was the first time in my life that i finally understood the purpose and power of zen buddhism.
It's really cool indeed. Almost as if he became a hybrid of the two. We saw Katsumoto being willing to die by his own hand, yet the western/american way of thinking led Nathan to convince him it should be by his enemies.
You need to get rid of your Hollywood-infused sensibilities about “Eastern philosophy” instead of trying to come off as an expert on the matter. I’m pretty sure if you’re going to go by the idealized Japanese bushido ethic, surrendering, or “accepting defeat” as you say, is the _last_ thing a warrior would think of.
@@ZhangK71 I am not nor did I ever try to come off as an "expert on the matter".
I took my grandmother to see this on opening night at the theater. We both loved it very much.
"I think he's having a Samurai breakthrough!" :D
as someone who has studied karate for some years now, i will use that in the dojo when a training buddy is doing great :D
“It’s like he’s The One.” :) Gotta love how she builds on the knowledge of previous movies she’s seen.
Time to watch some Jet Li.
Is she referring to Keanu Reeves or Jet LI as the One?
One of the great films. Incredible story and character development. You DO become really invested in them and the outcomes for them. The bowing of the soldiers to Katsumoto at his death is cinematically amazing and guts me every time!
That was really affecting.
So many superb scenes in this movie
She learned the hard way why the movie is called the “Last Samurai” 🔫⚔️🔫⚔️
But Samurai do exist, its like saying knights today don't exist when they do
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 I meant it in the context of this movie only. Tom Cruise was literally the last samurai standing by the end
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 the samurai class does not exist today at all it is illegal in Japan. Anyone who claims to be one is lying to themselves like people who think they are ninja.
@@Thomaswake i guess thats why family badge designs are still in use today...
They still exist but have a different purpose today, the same as knights in England no longer roam around fighting battles but are still a recognized social class
@@brendansheehy8124 I take the title to be plural in that these samurai that are fighting are the last of their kind. Not Tom being the last one.
I always interpreted "The Last Samurai" to mean all of them, since the singular and plural of the word Samurai is the same.
It's referring to Katsamoto
@@SJ-GodofGnomes21 That's cool too. I just don't think it is necessarily referring to Nathan alone, as many seem to think.
@@MikeHunt-uz1qw Yeah, I'd go further and say I don't think the title is even referring to him at all. He's just the witness; the samurai of the title are Katsumoto and his group of samurai.
@@Kai-fb1ol Agreed. He was wearing the armor and carrying a sword, but he was never actually called a Samurai, unlike in Shogun say, where Anjin-San was officially Samurai.
That's an interesting perspective I like it.
I remember seeing this movie in theatres with my Dad when it came out. We didn't really think too much about it, we figured it would be a fun watch and we didn't have anything else to do that night. I don't think either expected to enjoy it as much as we did. This movie was so much better than we ever could have expected. Bob's our favorite.
Something I find that a lot of people misinterpret about the scenes where he has the soldier shoot at him, and when he keeps getting up while fighting Ujio, is that Nathan is suicidal. Yeah he’s trying to prove a point to a fault, but he’s also literally trying to get someone to kill him.
There is also a cultural difference, or an attempt to make one. The Japanese, at least in the movie, cannot bear the shame of defeat. The Americans, or the Westerners in general presented by the movie, are built on constant attempts to succeed and work against failure. And than add to that his suicidal attitude, a necessity to extinguish the pain but not by himself pulling the trigger as it is "cowardly"
@@ShieldThatGuardsTheRealmOfMen Also back in those days when she was asking about heaven and earth, lotta bible back then so 'what on Earth' definitely coulda been a thing. Matthew 6:10 "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." being famous even these days.
As for lady killer, I think it was some British dragoon quoted who's favorite past time was slaying men and the ladies. Two different meanings right there. Being a gentlemen and knowing the proper time and place for violence and bloodshed. That was a long while before this movie was set. Looking up ladies' man that idiom it says late 1700s. "This term dates from the eighteenth century, and presumably contrasts such a person with the strong silent type known as a man’s man. William Cowper used the expression in Tiroc (1784): "
Absolutely. I'm glad you said what alot of us could not say outloud.
@@xjman546 He was both trying to prove a point AND hoping the guy would kill him.
@UCsWnmxKPlk65YKjZkn5HYYg
In the scene with the soldier, he was literally mumbling to himself "Shoot me damn it!"
No yelling at the soldier, but also talking to himself. He wasn't whispering "Miss me!"...
"Tell me how he died"
"I will tell you how he lived"
One of the all time great movie lines.
I cry every single time I watch this movie. Without fail.
The scene at 33:58, when all of the soldiers knelt down and bowed to Katsumoto, that portrayed the New Modern Japan saying “Farewell” to Old Traditional Japan.
Just for historical purposes. The samurai did not hate guns or viewed them as a dishonorable weapon.
They actually loved them and used them very heavily, especially Oda Nobunaga.
The Samurai actually had several schools dedicated to gunnery.
but it was forbidden once the early guns because at that time they threatned the typical art of war, but youre right later they used them anyway
Oda Nobunaga was an absolute badass.
@@Tarnatos14 @The Psychic Spoon is right. Samurai never forbid firearms and openly embraced it. The reason this myth is so prevalent is because of bushido. These rules were similar to chivalry for knights and followed much the same way. That's to say nobody actually followed them. Unfortunately, modern media portrays bushido as something all samurai adhered to when in reality most samurai could've cared less.
I mean in the Satsuma rebellion, they only went back to traditional weapons and tactics because they ran out of gunpowder.
Samurai are primarily archers, and used bows. Their swords are just secondary weapons. When guns arrived, they simply swapped out their bows for guns.
Such a fantastic movie. Tom Cruise would've deserved an Oscar for that role.
Perhaps, but he was at his ultimate best in Born on The Fourth of July in a starring role and in Collateral in a supporting role.
Completely agree.
@@thomast8539 oh man Collateral. I didn’t care for MI2 so I was kinda done with Cruise at the time but his work in Collateral re-convinced me immediately
@@thomast8539 Yes, BotFoJ was far and away Tom's best performance ever.
Oh my gosh! I forgot Far and Away! And 4th of July! And the one with Jack Nicholson! So many❤️
8:27 Ken Watanabe played Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima".
I cry every time I watch this and I seem to watch it at least once a year. It's a beautiful movie. A story of not just war, but of honour and strength and purpose. I'm still looking for that small measure of peace that Timothy Spall alludes too at the end. I hope to find it one day.
You have to check out Tom Cruise in ""Interview with a Vampire" based on Ann Rice's books. Rutger Haurer was thought to be the choice for lead role but Tom Cruise was chosen in the last hours. He became the main character of the Vampire Lestat. Nailed it!!
Hans Zimmer’s score for this has to be one of his best, it’s so hauntingly, emotionally, beautiful and makes this masterpiece of a film that ,icy more special ❤ Both the film and score are so underrated it’s unbelievable!
"Eat your heart out Horowitzes, or whatever those cannons are called". I love this channel. There are a bunch of reaction channels and this is one of my favorites.
Horror what sits.
I kinda fell in love when she said that.
"He was only in it for the money" - well yes. Omura was from the merchant caste of Japanese society. A caste that was persecuted by the samurai and was made the lowest caste in Japanese society. Omuras hatred for the samurai is actually deeper and more nuanced than the movie let's on. Omuras Rose to power or the merchants rise over the samurai was a contributing reason why some samurai did revolt
The original work of this movie is modeled on Japan's last civil war, the Battle of the South. The name of the model is "Takamori Saigou" My 4th and 5th generation grandfather has died. My fifth grandfather was a close friend and was retired at the time, and I just wanted to see the "Saigou" outing, but suddenly I brought my sword to my house and died. The fifth generation of his son fought until the end, and like the movie, he was "Harakiri" at the age of 25 and pierced the last SAMURAI. The two tombs are now sleeping in the same place as "Takamori Saigou.
I’m an American living and working in Japan. My wife is Japanese and we have four young children. I loved this movie even before I moved here.
One of the most underrated films of the last two decades and one of my favorites. Ken Watanabe absolutely kills it.
“Hard core fighter ninjas!” What a brilliant description of ninjas. I’m gonna use that.
This movie is a masterpiece, gets me everytimes…
the samurai practice Aikido. what he is stating when he says "too many mind" is that you arent focusing on the fight. hes focusing on everything else but the fight in front of him.
The Samurai practice Jiu Jitsu actually. Not Aikido although Aikido evolved from Jiu jitsu and became a style in the 20th century. This takes place before Aikido actually became a separate style.
@@hatsiepatsie ah. I always confuse the two!
@@hatsiepatsie The actual unarmed fighting discipline of most of the samurai (including some onna-bugeisha) throughout Japan's history (and used by almost all during the Edo period iirc) is called 'Daito-ryu', otherwise known as 'Aiki-jujutsu'. It is/was the root discipline that birthed Jujutsu, Aikido, and Judo; and was created by the Seiwa Minamoto clan way *waaay* back before the 10th century.
That's most of what I recall from a paper I wrote (and aced) back in senior high. I'm sure I missed a lot of details. Maybe someone else can fill in some gaps and correct any errors.
feel the force, let the force flow thru you.
@@hatsiepatsie aikido is a joke martial art meant to fool students into coughing up money. jujitsu is the real deal, used by samurai to fight armored opponents; hence its focus on joint manipulation and submissions rather than strikes. no point punching a dude wearing armor.
This film never gets enough love. I think most people see the poster with a white guy, and the title, "The Last Samurai", assume the wrong things, and roll their eyes with no intention of ever checking it out. Which is sad, because it's such an amazing movie, in so many ways. I got to visit the temple (Engyo-ji) where some of the scenes were filmed while I was in Japan on deployment in the Navy. I'd been teaching myself Japanese for a few years at that point, and tried to see as much of the country as I could in my short time there (I was even lucky enough to see a kabuki performance, even though it accidentally led to a missed curfew on base due to missing the last train back from Fukuoka). The movie feels so much more powerful when you see these places, and get a sense for the history, and culture. Just seeing some of the locations now, after having been there is enough of a gut-punch to bring me close to tears, before the actors even start talking.
I remember me and my girlfriend passed on seeing it in the theater because we both thought --- "Oh great, Tom Cruise acting like a tough guy learning to be a Samurai warrior just like a Navy fighter pilot or NASCAR driver" LOL --- but luckily I rented it on VHS a few years later and was pleasantly suprised it was much better than I presumed
Your reaction to this was great! You got it right. Everyone that blasted this movie as Tom being the last samurai didn't understand what you did. Katsumoto was the last samurai!
The only reason we know Katsumoto’s story is because Algren told the Emperor Meiji: “I will tell you how he lived.”
Ninjas would use theatrics, such as smokebombs, fireworks and snake-like hisses to appear more inhuman, like demons or wraiths. Samurai used a similar tactic with their helmets and masks adorned with horns and beastly grins, which resembled the Oni(demons that are often considered japanese ogres)
And the black overalls of ninjas is likely a kabuki trope. In reality they probably did not sneak around in all black.
Ninja were more often than not just impoverished people who would do anything to get by.
@@lalalarose8197 Not true. The most famous historical "ninja" was Hattori Hanzo who was a Samurai under Tokugawa Ieyasu and the leader of hundreds of samurai/ninja from the Iga region throughout the ascension and rule of Tokugawa.
@@P3wP3wPanda Of course there are outliers when discussing statistics.
@@lalalarose8197 If you look up any known historical ninja, you will see they are almost always from a ninja clan. Usually Iga or Koga. These clans trained their members in all matters relating to covert operations and were often employed by the ruling samurai of the area. Now, there are records of ninja who turned their training to banditry when their clan was wiped out, but you have to understand that with regards to feudal Japan, the term ninja actually refers to a profession (that of a spy or assassin) and is not a term for anyone who employs ninja-like tactics to fight. Ninja were trained professionals.
This was the first R rated film my parents allowed me to watch; I was 9 years old and it left quite an impact. It only occurs to me now that it was the same year that they got divorced (had nothing to do with the movie lol). But, it all kind of swims together as an extra emotional experience rewatching it. Great film.
By “To many mind” Nobutada was saying that Algren was getting distracted. He needed to focus or he would be defeated every time. It’s a Samurai principle, focus on what you’re doing and give no regard to anything else.
It’s a reference to the concept in martial arts that the Japanese call “mushin,” or “no mind.” Basically honing skill to the point of muscle memory, so you won’t need to think before you react.
@@mrdropkicker1 Ultra instinct? Haven't even seen that part of DBZ but hear the memes.
It reminds me of a video of this instructor teaching a kid how to dodge a weapon attack in a martial arts class. The kid kept ducking too early and the instructor reminded him that he was being too distracted by the weapon in his hand and not at his opponent himself.
I've watched this movie so many many times and i still get sentimental everytime i watch it or see someone react to it.
A powerful movie about Tradition, Love & Honor! Great reaction my dear!
Oh nice 😉. A good film, they made a good job by representing the culture even if it's not absolutely perfect, it's really well done. I was in a little village like that and when you are in the shrines you could really feel how peaceful it is, a really nice experience i recommend you 😉.
The real story is not so interesting, the shogun Tokugawa had guns, canons even European style forts (check the fort of hakodate, it's the French vauban style).....Tom cruise's character is inspired from the French officer Jules brunet, he's completely forgotten now in France, only very very few people know he's name, only Japanese know who he was.....the character is also similar with an American medic who went to Japan after the Civil War, he brought baseball to Japan, thanks to him i love that sport 😉.
Yup this guy knows his history, he took the words out of my mouth.
was about to say it, well done !
To be fair, it's a mash-up of a few different things.
Like Katsumoto is based on this guy:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saig%C5%8D_Takamori
@@ieyke yep thanks to mention it 😉 it's also a combination between, the boshin war and the Satsuma rebellion.
Yes, I was going to comment on this too. The actual last Samurai had just as many guns as the emperor’s forces, which I guess would kinda kill the romanticism of the movie.
"Eat your heart out, Horowitzs'! Or whatever those cannons are called..." 😂😂😂😂😂 So. Damn. Adorable!!! This reaction has been my favorite of hers by far!
If I remember correctly, the actor, Bob, has a long history in Japanese samurai movies. He has played a dying samurai in action movies. I believe the last dying scene saving Tom's character was his last as he retired after this movie.
I looked him up on imdb, Fukumoto Seizo, he had some 30+ roles after 'Bob'. He passed away two years ago at 77. May He rest in peace.
Gladiator, Brave Heart and The last samurai - my fav war movies.
It was so enjoyable to see your reactions to this movie! Did you notice when Katsumoto died, he saw the cherry blossoms and said "they are all perfect." It probably took me seven or eight times watching this to understand that he was referring to himself and all those who served him. At the moment of his death, he saw that "they are all perfect" in their imperfections and that you don't have to spend a life seeking perfection when it is already all around you. That blew my mind.
""they're all perfect" in their imperfections" I think the Japanese have some kinda word or idea for that. Forget what it is though. Kinda why they repair and fix something that breaks showing it's scars and the love they have for it. Like pottery with gold cracks or something. Making it more perfect with it's flaws. An idea I think we sorta used to share for a while. Now it's consume and replace with something new and better at a frightening pace.
I remember watching some Canadian youtuber gushing over something made in Japan 'for a human'. He was taking it apart some luxury single slice toaster but apart from the design everything was put together, labeled and laid out for a human to be able to repair it.
Replacement parts in this day and age? When most things it's cheaper to throw away and buy a new one no matter what it is. I gotta admit I understand his feeling.
I also think it is how he finished the haiku poem he was working on. Shows real depth and layered meanings. All around great movie.
@@jasonkiefer1894 Nice catch! I totally missed that, and it's intriguing. :D
🔥🔥🔥🔥💯👍🏾
Deep! 👍
This is now my favorite channel. When she called the cannons the "horowitz's" I almost fell over laughing. Love it.
Just as an FYI, Tom is very loved in Japan ffor this movie. It came at a time where they where losing themself again, and this reminded them of their roots.
Funny how they see their roots as the Samurai caste,...nobody ever traces their roots back to the peasants, merchants or the unclean labourers on whose backs the Samurai stood,...it's a sort of anti-communist utopia, LOL.
@@lonewanderer3456 in fairness it wasn't realy Samurai but more of the older paths. I think it is more about how the life in the village was compare to being a samurai that that fights. So more with harmony then anything else.
good old days when you get your village sacked by vikings and pirates. j/k i sometimes wonder if our modernization and technology made us empty and unhappy. i remember days before cellphones and computers..playing outside all day without a worry in the world. well grass is always greener on the other side.
@@lonewanderer3456
Fact: all human societies are hierarchical.
Whether it's samurai, aristocrats, commune "founders", bureaucrats or "Party Leaders".
Changing the labels isn't "Social Revolution".
"Meet the new boss; same as the old boss."
@@lonewanderer3456 Clearly you do not understand Japanese culture, there was and is an idea that you should take pride in all forms of work and to practice it and do it with as much skill as you can everytime. Do any less then your best is dishonorable be it as a soldier of the period or the people swinging hammers at the forge.
i swear this channel and this lady are like a breath of fresh, cool, air! very wonderful! even her music choice is refreshing!
Yes, I always like the music she picks for every reaction.
37:35 "I have seen very few of Tom Cruises movies"
2 years later, gets personally invited to the red carpet premiere of "Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1" by Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures.
Don't think Cassie never expected THAT whan she started the channel and reviewed this movie! 🙃
The Emperor was the "ruler" of Japan but as the movie shows, him being so young made it easy for people like Omura to take advantage.
Sorry but at that time the shougan still ruler japan not the king, the last samurai is full of Hollywood bullshit.
@@23Lgirl the movie was set during the Meiji Restoration, after the Tokugawa Shogunate was deposed. At this point the Emperor WAS in charge again.
@@23Lgirl The shogunate was abolished in 1867.
I just love it when Cassie says, "oh, he/she needs a hug". One of my favorite things about her.
The ashigaru who fires at Algren is like, “um, ok and awkwardly accepts a hug in the background..” Imagine.
The model of the main character Nathan Algren played by Tom Cruise came to Japan as a French military advisory group of the Edo Shogunate, participated in the former Shogunate army led by Takeaki Enomoto, and participated in the Battle of Hakodate (Boshin War (1868-1869)). ) Was fought by Jules Brunet.
“Whose this guy? I love his accent”
It’s only SIR William (Billy) Connolly - retired actor, artist, comedian, musician and presenter.
Now you must watch the Boondock Saints to see just how amazing Sir Connolly’s acting is.
That got me as well. I was like How the Hell can you not know who that it ha ha ha.
You can find plenty of clips of his stand up comedy routines on TH-cam, some people might find some of his humour a bit....earthy though it never bothered me.
And Muppet Treasure Island.
I had the pleasure of watching Billy Connolly’s stand up at a show in NYC, he’s hilarious 😅
While it is a sensual scene, I believe he may have actually needed her help to dress in that armor. A lot of suits of armor requires help to be fully suited in. It's part of the reason Knights had squires, lol
Likely, though honestly Samurai armor is not too terribly difficult to put on by yourself, not by the versions of the Sengoku Jidai anyway; I think the fact she's assisting though really adds to the scene because of that: She doesn't need to help him really, he could just struggle with it, but instead she is more or less accepting him as the new head of house so to speak. It's a really powerful statement when you think of the arc of their relationship from a broken man and wounded warrior, and a recently widowed wife at said man's hands all the way to a mature growing of mutual respect, admiration and love, all of which is expressed with VERY little actual dialogue at all, and almost NONE of it is directly romantic, AND with no physical intimacy besides the armor scene. WONDERFUL choices for the characterization in this move
EDIT: A similar thing, to add on to the whole "she doesn't HAVE to help" thing, is the approval of Ujio as well. Ujio would have known Hirotoro (Katsumoto's brother and Taka's Husband), fairly well in their small-ish community, and Algren showing up for battle, as a former outsider and the man responsible for Hiro's death, IN HIRO'S ARMOR, and passing the scrutiny of Ujio who is arguably their best warrior, adds the acceptance of the other half of the spirit of their way of life: the Warrior and the Family, spiritually, have approved him.
@@zacharyharwell351 well said. The scene somehow carries so much sensuality with barely anything happening between them.
That makes sense! 🤔
Yeah I've got a set of European armour, and you can pretty much put the leg pieces on yourself but you do need help once you get to the upper torso, doing up arming points on your shoulders or buckling straps on your back gets harder the more pieces you have on. It's sorta possible without help, but a lot slower and more frustrating.
Also Nathan being a Westerner, he probably would've been too tall and .. fat... and wouldn't have fit the armour lol. But hey~ Still a good scene
Billy Connolly was the name of the actor with the accent. He's a Scotish actor, comedian. He came into mainstream popularity as the teacher in "Head of the class" after Howard Hesseman left the show. He had a couple of stand-up showcases on HBO in the early 90s.
I like how you screamed for Bob when they were fighting the ninjas even tho that really ain't his name 😂😂😂😂