Shinjirō comes to the aid of his brother in this good versus evil plot in which the title character assumes the name of Momotarō. He is one of the most dedicated, loyal and fierce samurai under Katsumoto. Report . The Imperial Omura (Masato Harada) cabinet attempts to eradicate the ancient Imperial Samurai warriors in preparation for more Westernized and trade-friendly government policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds, with only his own sense of honor to guide him. When Omura attempts to protest, the Emperor silences him by threatening to seize the Omura family assets and distribute them among the populace. [17], In 2014, the movie was one of several discussed by Keli Goff in The Daily Beast in an article concerning white savior narratives in film,[18] a cinematic trope studied in sociology, for which The Last Samurai has been analyzed. "[7], In the United States, critic Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "beautifully designed, intelligently written, acted with conviction, it's an uncommonly thoughtful epic. As the Imperial Army marches to crush the rebellion, a grieving Katsumoto contemplates Seppuku, but Algren convinces him to fight until the end, and joins the samurai in battle. Algren is taken to Katsumoto's village to live among his family. Set in Japan during the 1870s, this movie tells the story of Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a respected American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first Army in the art of modern warfare. He brings Algren, intending to release him. His forces take Algren to their isolated village, where Algren gradually recovers in a house belonging to Hirotaro's family, including his widow Taka, her two sons, Higen and Magojiro, and Katsumoto's son, Nobutada (Shin Koyamada).Over time, Algren overcomes both his alcoholism and the nightmares of his traumatic past, and begins to assimilate to village life, although he does not adopt many Japanese customs. Algren fights to the last before he is surrounded; expecting to die, he is taken prisoner when samurai leader Katsumoto decides to spare him. Several of the village scenes were shot on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot in Burbank, California. Bagley dismisses Algren's concerns and orders a regiment to track down and engage Katsumoto.When the regiment arrives at the battlefield, Bagley moves to the rear and orders Algren to do the same, since the Americans are technically non-combatants. Will the last samurai find peace in his quest for redemption? Early in their training, Algren is informed that the samurai are attacking one of Omura's railroads; Omura sends the army there, despite Algren's protests that they are not ready. Tom Cruise did his own stunts for the film. The film's plot was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori, and the westernization of Japan by foreign powers, though in the film the United States is portrayed as the primary force behind the push for westernization. [11] It was one of the most successful box office hits in Japan,[12] where it grossed ¥13.7 billion ($132 million). [13], Motoko Rich of The New York Times observed that the film has opened up a debate, "particularly among Asian-Americans and Japanese," about whether the film and others like it were "racist, naïve, well-intentioned, accurate – or all of the above. It is also influenced by the stories of Jules Brunet, a French army captain who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War and to a lesser extent by Frederick Townsend Ward, an American mercenary who helped Westernize the Chinese army by forming the Ever Victorious Army. In the 1870s, Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a cynical veteran of the American Civil War, who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing Imperial Army in modern warfare using firearms. They set fires that cut the enemy's immediate fighting strength in half and the samurai then unleash volleys of arrows on the infantrymen. He must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when the conflict returns to the battlefield. Led by their captain, the Imperial soldiers show their still-lingering respect for the old order by kneeling and bowing before the fallen samurai.Later, as the American ambassador prepares to receive the Emperor's signature on a treaty that would give the U.S. exclusive rights to sell firearms to the Japanese government, a wounded Algren offers the Emperor Katsumoto's sword as a gift and remembrance of his former teacher's honor. Despite his hatred of Bagley for his role in the Indian Wars, an impoverished Algren takes the job for the money, and is accompanied to Japan by his old friend, Sergeant Zebulon Gant. Algren raises the alarm and then takes up a sword to help defend Taka, her children, and Katsumoto. The film is based on an original screenplay entitled "The Last Samurai", from a story by John Logan. The film's plot was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by Saigō Takamori, and the westernization of Japan by foreign powers, though in the film the United States is portrayed as the primary force behind the push for westernization. Saigō fought for a moral revolution, not a material one, and he described his revolt as a check on the declining morality of a new, Westernizing materialism. In 1876--while still haunted by the massacres against the American-Indian tribes--the former Civil War veteran and now an embittered alcoholic, Captain Nathan Algren, is presented with an offer to train the inexperienced army of the Japanese emperor. Moved by the sight of the dying samurai, who charged fearlessly despite the Imperial soldiers' superior firepower, the captain of the Imperial troops (who was originally trained by Algren) orders the Gatling guns to cease fire, against Omura's wishes. The Imperial captain, previously trained by Algren and horrified by the sight of the dying samurai, orders all of the guns to cease fire, disregarding Omura's orders. "[20], This article is about the film. Badly wounded, Algren's courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) spare his life. It grossed $111,127,263 in the United States and Canada, and $345,631,718 in other territories. Algren and Gant stand their ground and manage to kill several samurai, but Gant is killed by a red-masked samurai named Hirotaro and Algren is thrown from his horse. Release Dates Momotarō-zamurai (桃太郎侍) or Samurai Momotarō is a Japanese novel by Kiichirō Yamate (1899–1978). Suspicious of the new bureaucracy, he wanted power to remain in the hands of the samurai class and the Emperor, and it was for this purpose that he had joined the central government. Yet, when his ill-prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. The film also misses the historical reality that many Meiji policy advisors were former samurai, who had voluntarily given up their traditional privileges to follow a course they believed would strengthen Japan. [10], As of January 1, 2016, the film had grossed $456.8 million against a production budget of $140 million. On approaching the Imperial rear line and progressing far enough to scare Omura, the samurai are finally cut down by Gatling gun fire. Jeffrey A. Okun, Thomas Boland, Bill Mesa, Ray McIntyre Jr. This page was last edited on 27 September 2020, at 06:45 (UTC) . Bagley orders Algren to lead the inexperienced conscripts to engage Katsumoto. [3] All music on the soundtrack was composed, arranged, and produced by Hans Zimmer, performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony, and conducted by Blake Neely. The site's consensus states: "With high production values and thrilling battle scenes, The Last Samurai is a satisfying epic". On foot, he desperately fends off several samurai with a broken spear embroidered with a flag depicting a white tiger. A wave of samurai swordsmen, Katsumoto and Algren among them, attack the disorganized body of soldiers before they can recover from the arrow attack. Algren fights to the last before he is surrounded; expecting to die, he is taken prisoner when samurai leader Katsumoto decides to spare him. Bagley is killed by Algren, but the samurai are quickly mowed down by gatling guns. It grossed $111,127,263 in the United States and Canada, and $345,631,718 in other territories. 1), START-UP rants, discussions, facts, ANYTHING, 12 Japanese Celebrity Couples That Starred Together in Dramas, The Guilty Pleasures List: Top 11 Cutest Japanese Actors. Algren assists the samurai in freeing Katsumoto; in the process, Katsumoto's son Nobutada is mortally wounded, sacrificing himself to allow the others to escape. The film also misses the historical reality that many Meiji policy advisors were former samurai, who had voluntarily given up their traditional privileges to follow a course they believed would strengthen Japan. Character sheet for The Last Samurai. Maybe it is in old language, Samurai … Algren reluctantly accepts an invitation from his former commanding officer Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn), whom Algren deeply hates and blames for his waking nightmares about his role in Indian massacres. [4] It peaked at number 24 on the US Top Soundtracks chart. While various rumors regarding his fate circulate, Graham concludes that Algren has finally found peace as he is seen returning to the village and reuniting with Taka. Knowing that Imperial reinforcements are coming and defeat is inevitable, Katsumoto orders a suicidal cavalry charge. As such, he said, the noble samurai leader Katsumoto "set my teeth on edge. The Imperial captain, previously trained by Algren and horrified by the sight of the dying samurai, orders all of the guns to cease fire, disregarding Omura's orders. Fed up with Algren's perpetual drunkenness, his employer fires him. Last Samurai, The - Hirotaro's Samurai Mask (Warner Bros. Pictures, 2003) This unfinished samurai mask was custom-made by the production for use by the actor that played “Hirotaro”, Katsumoto’s brother-in-law and Taka’s husband. He was opposed to the excessively rapid changes in Japanese society and was particularly disturbed by the shabby treatment of the warrior class." [19] David Sirota at Salon saw the film as "yet another film presenting the white Union army official as personally embodying the North's Civil War effort to liberate people of color" and criticizing the release poster as "a not-so-subtle message encouraging audiences to (wrongly) perceive the white guy -- and not a Japanese person -- as the last great leader of the ancient Japanese culture. Algren reluctantly accepts an invitation from his former commanding officer Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn), whom Algren deeply hates and blames for his waking nightmares about his role in Indian massacres. Official Sites Now that my 聞き取り is much better, I still fail to grasp what he says. Filming & Production Her performance earned her a Best Actress nomination at the Japanese Academy Awards. During their flight, Nobutada is mortally wounded and stays behind to aid his father's escape; Algren watches a mortally wounded Nobutada charge their foes, only to be cut down by gun fire.Katsumoto is still mourning the loss of his son when he receives word that two battalions totaling about 2000 Imperial Army soldiers, commanded by Omura and Bagley, are marching out to engage the samurai. He develops sympathy for the samurai, who are upset that the pace of modern technology has eroded the traditions of their society and their influence and power. [5] Critical reception in Japan was generally positive.
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