Just wanted to say that i watched this film last night and thougth it was very good.

If you are into Martial Arts, expecially the JApanese MA's you will love this film. I was very surprised by the inclusion of Ninja's as well. Excellent stuff.

Tom Cruise was supposed to have trained for 10 months before the film began shooting. It definately shows. He was excellent in his role as he never looked uncomfortable with a sword in his hand.

There are a few bits in the film where you will be like "aye right" but you will make exceptions to these as the film is throughly entertaining.

Big Bear

Yup a good movie. I think though I would like to see see a documentry, or read a book regarding the true events the flick was baised on.

hey get the dvd it has a warrior within segment that goes into the historical stuff.

I love that movie!

I can tell you somewhat the events that this movie was based on.Once the Meiji empire had begin to "westernize" or modernize Japan a samurai,Saigo Takamori(Katsumoto is the subsitute in the movie) revolts and tries to rid the government of modernazation.At one point Takamori had actually aided the Meiji reign. Anyways fighting between Saigo and his samurai and the government lasted for about 6 months. At one of the final battles Takamori asked a close freind(Tom Cruise is the subsitute in the movie) to cut off his head, which he does. The death of Saigo marked the end of official samurai status in Japan.

yes the movie was excellent i watched it at the cinema when it first came out.I seen it at least another six times since.All the fighting in the movie is brilliant.Tom cruise must have really worked hard to become that good with a sword.Definitely one to watch.
best wishes
e.m.b

By far my favorite martial arts film ever, just due to the fact that it shows the focus and dedication it takes to master whatever it is you strive to do, physicaly and spiritualy. it's a great movie, i recomend it to everyone especialy MA practicioners, (it'll make you want to go train when you are done watching it!)

When I first saw the previews to this movie, I thought "DEAR GOD NO!! TOM CRUISE IS GOING TO DESICRATE WHAT THE SAMURAI STANDS FOR!!!" I went to see the movie just out of curiosity...and by the end I was weeping T_T Katsumoto died a good death! BEST MOVIE EVER!!!!!!

I wanted to like the movie but I just couldn't due to the presence of Tom Cruise. In my opinion it just seemed like the whole Captain role was just introduced as an excuse to have a white main character in a samurai movie...

Also, the fact that EVERY single asian good guy died was sort of depressing. I know some asians who were a little peeved about that.

These are all just my opinions of course.

If you want to learn more about what really happened, do a little search about Satsuma-no-ran (the revolt of samurai against Meiji's modernist reforms) and Saigo Takamori (leader of the revolt, the guy after whom the character Katsumoto was inspired). I would tell you more but I'm just back from a night shift, it's almost half past three in the morning and I'm dying for my bed! Sorry...

This movie had an excellent story. I too was skeptical of Tom Cruise being in the movie, but he did a good job and iwas quite surprised. At first I was very angry that all the Japanese Samurai died and only Tom lived. However when you look back on it this helps add to the story and also a sense of irony (a white man is the one to bring the sword to the emporer and help him make the decision that he will not sign a contract with the americans).

Anyhow excellent movie, anyone who hasn't seen it should!

Do you know how hard it was to find this rinky-dinky thread?

Anyway, came across a review of the movie that discusses the treatment of Zen Buddhism and Bushido:

http://homepage.mac.com/doubtboy/lastsamurai.html

Interesting read ... I love this movie and is one of my favorites that I own. Have watched it so many times that I get caught up in it that I can almost believe they are going to make it one of these times.

I enjoyed the fictional presentation of the Last Samurai.

I see it as a shortened version of the tv mini-series "Sho-Gun" based on James Clavel's novel of the same name. Sho-Gun is set several hundred years earlier but deals with similar issues of an outsider trying to survive in Japan, with a similarly unlikely premise. (everyone owes it to themselves to see and read Sho-Gun).

I find The Last Samurai interesting as it was set in the same period that Karate was being bourn on Okinawa. A nice contrast to all who believe karate had military asperations. In the 1500's the Okinawan's couldn't stop the Japanese invasion, nor in the late 1800's would it have worked against either army.

Interesting contrast to consider.

One more masterpiece, the book "Last of the Zinja" (originally published as two volumes and then combined into one, is a similar spectacular novel about Japan (and China). The Zinja were martial monks (fictional) and precursors of Zen masters and Ninjutsu, and superb Japanese martial fiction.

Been waiting for the movie for over 20 years now.

Just wanted to mention that all the swords and armour in Last Samurai were made by a friend of mine who has just finished part of my new armour!



Most of you prob already know Last Samurai was filmed here in NZ, + we now own one of the stunt horses in our club.

Quote:

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Most of you prob already know Last Samurai was filmed here in NZ, + we now own one of the stunt horses in our club.

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Right next to Shadowfax?

No we don't own Shadowfax, he was in LOTR. But I do know where he is standing at stud.

We bought one of the horses used in the Last Samurai and he is now being used as a jousting horse. He's pretty cruisy and laid back.