The Last Samurai (Full Screen Edition)

The Last Samurai (Full Screen Edition)

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DVD Reviews of The Last Samurai (Full Screen Edition)

DVD Review: A cinematic but flawed epic....
Summary: 4 Stars

The Story:
The Last Samurai is about the cultural and industrial revolution Japan goes through in the late 19th century, forcing some of its most ancient institutions to crumble under the onslaught of western modernization. Meiji (Schichinosuke Nakamura), the young but rather hasty Emperor of Japan is determined to see his country stand against other industrialized nations and believes this can only happen by forgoeing the traditions that Japan held dear for nearly 2000 yrs.
The first to be sidelined is the very force that was created by erstwhile Emperors and clan chiefs to protect them and Japan. The warrior swordsmen called Samurai. The Samurai (or 'to serve') is in itself a community that adheres to certain strict moral standards of living which it neither changes nor bends. The Samurai are known for their extraordinary loyalty , honour and fighting skill and there traditional sword, the 'Katana', is considered to be the finest sword in the world.

The sudden change in Japan appalls the Samurai, and it is provocation enough to make them turn against there own master. Their leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) believes this resistance to be in the service of the Emperor himself; to make him understand how much the Samurai sacrificed for him and his like and for what values it stands for. However the Emperor, influenced by his coterie of corrupt officials, is unrelenting. He needs a credible force to defeat the Samurai once and for all.
In comes the American connection...

To support and aid the modernization of the Japanese Army, Captain Nathan Algren(Tom Cruise), a guilt-ridden, alcoholic Civil War veteran is recruited by his
his cold, ruthless and remorseless superior Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn). Landing in Japan only to find himself leading an untrained battalion of 'conscript' farmers with guns, the first battle with the enigmatic Samurai ends in total disaster, with Algren being the only man left behind. Injured and semi-conscious, Algren is held captive by the Samurai until he is fully healed. It is during this period that Algren slowly comes to respect his enemy and learns their way of life. And the community in return learns to admire his transformation.
Slowly but surely, Algren understands the plight of the Samurai and joins their cause, culminating in an epic battle between modernity and honour. Swordsman vs Rifleman. The Archer vs Howitzers.

The movie:
There is no doubt the real strength of the movie lies in lack of any flashy effects. Zwick does well to cover even the final battle in the classic war mold without relying too much on the numbers as against realism. The settings are lavish and completely authentic. The costume design is flawless. Though the movie's story does not do justice to the factual events of Japan's history, it is nonetheless interesting. The cinematography is beautiful and the music by Hans Zimmer is exemplary, wonderfully theme oriented. The overall production value will no doubt, keep this movie in the limelight for quite a few years to come.

The cast:
This movie was supposed to showcase Cruise's acting talent,but it ended up being a Japanese delight. Ken Watanabe should have won the Supporting Actor Award (I'm not taking anything away from Tim Robbins though). He was really compelling, dignified and totally original. Shin Koyamada (Nobutada), Sosuke Ikematsu (Higen) as his sons are superb. However the real star of the movie is the newcomer Koyuki(Taka) as the sister of Katsumoto. She brings a rare and beautiful screen presence to the movie, not to mention her silent but wonderfully conveyed feelings towards Algren. And she is downright beautiful. The rest of the cast including Timothy Spall(Simon Graham), Tony Goldwyn(Col.Bagley), Emperor(Nakamura)and Masato Harado(Omura) does its job commendably.

The downside:

If ever there was any reason for this movie to be a disappointment (which it commercially was, as far as epics go), it would have to be the main protagonist himself. Though Tom Cruise is a great actor, here he is steriotypical and unconvincing.Totally predictable. Part,if not most of this fault lies with director Edward Zwick too. Zwick never really showed how Algren changes when held captive by the Samurai, the most important period of the movie. Not only that, the ending was totally cliched as Algren is left the last man standing (and always an American at that!). Hence the title of the movie becomes even more ambiguous. And this only stifles Cruise's performance and lowers his character from being a champion to a 'has been'. I personally feel Zwick should have invested some more time on Cruise's period of transformation.
And oh before I forget,if you have watched Dances with Wolves, you will say that The Last Samurai is a product of pure plaigiarism. And it's true. You just cannot watch this movie without recalling the Dances With Wolves' theme with almost exacting detail. Just the setting is different. On a face-to-face basis, TLS will not beat the true originality of DwW. That is for sure.Unfortuantely the Producer and the Director themselves were resposible for this movie to reach the level of 'a good..'instead of 'a masterpiece...'.

Conclusion:
Luckily the movie does stand on its own. This has to do with the individual themes in the movie than as a whole. See it for the Samurai. Their way of life and honour is extremely interesting and educative. You would wonder how such a thriving culture was virtually wiped out in less than 10 yrs. The cinematography and music are the movie's other assets. The main battle scene is utterly realistic and in the end, poignant.At over 21/2 hrs, the movie has a laid back feel to it that will ultimately give you your money's worth. Definitely go watch it.

Description of The Last Samurai (Full Screen Edition)

DVD Features:
Audio Commentary:Commentary by Edward Zwick
DVD ROM Features
Deleted Scenes:The Beheading (Behind the Beheading) Algren and Katsumoto
Documentaries:History vs. Hollywood: The Last Samurai {History Channel Documentary)
Featurette:Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey Edward Zwick: Director's Video Journal {Behind-the-scenes production journal - narrated by Ed Zwick and Tom Cruise A World of Detail: Production Design with Lilly Kilvert Silk and Armor: Costume Design with Ngila Dickson Imperial Army Basic Training: From Soldier to Samurai: The Weapons
Interviews:Making an Epic: A Conversation with Edward Zwick
Other:Japan Premieres {Tokyo & Kyoto red carpet)