Last Samurai, The (BD)

Tom Cruise is a famous actor worldwide. Most of you have seen his work in various films, such as A Few Good Men or Jerry Maguire. However, Tom is back in a new movie, which takes the audience back into an era of the past - one that surrounds us in the days of the Civil War. Tom Cruise portrays a man named Nathan Algren, who is a hero during the Civil War, but is disillusioned of the terrible killings he had to perform under the leadership of Colonel Bagloney against the American Indians. He is hired, by the Japanese Emperor, to take down another rebellion by leading a army of Japanese peasants that never saw a gun in their life. Even though he trains them for a time, the rebels attack and Algren is ordered to track them down and defeat the adversary, despite the fact that more training is needed. Fighting somewhere in the forests of Japan, his army is easily defeated and the rebels capture him and take him back to their village. Becoming a captive and not having a chance to escape, due to the fact that winter's coming, Algren spends his time with these people, already inspired and intrigued. He comes to learn that these people are "Samurai", who serve the Emperor and follow life through a different path and a set of principles that keep their life in balance, using such values as loyalty, duty, and compassion, just to name a few. Only one problem remains - Japan is facing a new modernized world and is seeking to keep up with the times by throwing away the traditions of old in favor of a more-friendly government. The rebellion, lead by a samurai named Katsumoto (portrayed by Ken Watanbe), despies that idea and fight back in order to keep their sacred ways alive. Gaining his sense of honor and redemption back, Algren joins the Samurai and aids them in a fierce battle that decides Japan's history for the rest of time. The movie does have its dose of action scenes and story moments, but what really make this movie unique are its philosophical moments. The Samurai, as you know, are people that follow the way of the Bushido, the traditional code of the Japanese samurai, stressing honor, self-discipline, bravery, and simple living. It's the type of values that most people wish to live by, but the Samurai go far beyond that. If they are defeated in battle, then it means that they have dishonored themselves and their clan, thus will kill them for disgracing their families and those close to him or her. It's a tough life, to be sure, but it's the principles of their life that stands out. Tom Cruise said it best about the Samurai: "They are an intriguing people. From the moment they wake, they devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue. I have never seen such strong discipline." In order for the movie to display any realism, the movie was shot around various locations in Japan, from a temple located in Kyoto to a small Japanese town called Himeji. Not only the locations needed to be authentic, but also so did everything else, as this movie took place in two different worlds. Everything had to blend in for the movie a sense of honesty into the whole project. Though there is some historical inconsistencies in the plot, since this is based on a certain era in the past, those can be looked past. The action is wild, but again, had to be realistic. So realistic, in fact, that there was some close calls on the set. Tom Cruise could have died, since an actor's sword nearly beheaded him. That's just one example, but just by checking out the loads of extras on the DVDs, the entire team was committed to the project, making sure that everything went smooth and made the picture look good as a whole. The fighting sequences also add some depth and insight as to how the Japanese and Americans deal with combat, especially in the climatic battle that had both samurai and soldier confronting each other in the end. Overall, The Last Samurai is worth checking out, especially if you are a student of Japanese history or if you're into everything or anything Japanese. It's also some of Tom Cruise's best work by far. Anyone that's a huge fan of Cruise ought to pick up The Last Samurai.

Love the movie. Great story and acting.

Love this movie and its soundtrack.

Dam good movie very entertaining and good story line. good plot with good actors

Good movie worth your collection.

I have loved this movie since it was first released and have the original DVD release which I have watched several times. Most all the reviews I see here are either for the Standard DVD and focus on the great story line and acting but not the quality of the DVD itself. Yes, Tom Cruse does shows some wonderful acting chops and, yes, Ken Watanabe steals the show but let's move on. So this one will focus on the Blu-ray DVD's quality. Bought the Blu-ray version from Amazon and it was delivered post haste. When I first looked at the back cover information I was disappointed that the audio was Dolby Digital 5.1 rather than a lossless DTSHD 5.1, almost thought of returning it before even watching but am glad I kept it. The video quality of the movie is fairly pristine with no artifacting, good details in the shadows and a sparkling clear transfer. While the audio quality is not the higher end DTSHD, never the less, the audio engineers did a fine job with the front and rear surrounds used subtly for action( actually, during the battle scenes, the rears deserved more discreet use of the rear channels) however, during the rainy scenes, of which there are many, the audio is evenly spread to all channels enveloping you in the rainstorm. The many extras on the single disc are from the 2004 standard release and there are only 2 deleted scenes that, to me, could have been included in an extended version. I wish more extended deleted scenes had been included. The supplied extras were all interesting and, as I said before, had seen them on the original release so nothing new on that front. Should you buy this on Blu-ray? Yes, the video quality is definitely superior, however, not by that much. The original release was pretty darn good. However, if you don't already have the Standard version, go for the Blu Ray. I remain disappointed with the lossy audio but it still provides an excellent film. All my movie reviews are of this nature and focus only on the quality of the transfer to BluRay. Hopefully, this review has been of some help to you in determining your purchase, hope I am on the correct path with a review of the transfer quality as opposed to providing plot summaries. Thanks

Despite this being a very good movie. I'm not adding it to my favorite list. It's not one that I would watch over and over like some others on my favorite list.

Great action/drama.

トム・クルーズのストイック生活がここから始まる、制作陣の人生を変える程の作品。その様子をもう一枚のディスクで長々と見せてくれます。本編と合わせて、某駅伝大井⇔箱根片道の時間は覚悟しないといけない、濃密な内容。某ヒストリー〇ャンネルのドキュまるまる入っていたり…インタビューあり、現場風景あり。この映像特典だけ見ようと思っていたら、本編が見たくなって結局、観てしまた。

....His diversity of roles. 'The Last Samurai' is a movie that is by the numbers without any great surprises. It is not an epic nor is it a cheapskate historical film. However, it does have a cogent script, fantastic scenery, good photography and solid performances all round from its cast. Movies like this and 55 Days at Peking or The Sand Pebbles perhaps show why China has no trust of the West. They have long memories plus the physical remnants of when the West lorded over them & are determined not to let it happen again. This is an engaging movie that stands up well to repeated viewings.

The DVD: Delivery speed was ok, packaging was good. Only problem is: I received a Region Coded DVD, which I did not notice previously in the product description. This is region coded to Region 5. Now this should not be problem for DVD/Blue Ray players purchased in India, I understand. since most of them will be free of any Regional Codes. But my blue Ray player was purchased in the US, and hence this DVD won't play there. I tried on my laptops thinking to connect my laptops to the TV by HDMI cable. But my laptops too gave my warnings: I needed to change the region code. So, I played the movie by VLC media player on my laptop, which ignores any Region restrictions. The Movie: This is the hollywood version of the life of one of the most well known Japanese Samurai Heroes: Saigo Takamori, who is regarded as the last samurai of Japan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saig%C5%8D_Takamori In the Movie the character protagonist samurai Katsumoto played by Ken Watanabe is based on Takamori's life. A few gems that I like in the movie despite its Hollywood version of sense of Drama / melodrama: Katsumoto says in the movie: "One can spend a lifetime studying the cherry blossoms, and it will not be a wasted life" Another something like the following: Our destiny slowly uncovers itself in front of us like the spring time cherry blossom. Yet another, "We are all dying like those cherry blossoms, yet they are beautiful" I also loved the reference of the battle of Thermopylae when the 300 Greek Heroes fought the million soldiers of mighty Xerexes and brought him to his knees. Photography: Excellent and Panoramic

I love this steel-book for the colors mosaic, as well as the majestic movie within. Beautiful scenery of Japans' mountains and their valley's. As an actor, I love Tom Cruise movies, letting you know. This is one of his greatest achievements, as an actor he delves write into his movies main character, in my opinion.. Great acting all around in this movie with some well enacted battle scenes.

"Als großer Filmfan wurde ich von dem Film "Last Samurai" auf ganzer Linie begeistert. Die fesselnde Erzählweise zog mich von Anfang bis Ende in ihren Bann und ließ mich die Zeit vergessen. Jeder Moment war mit so viel Spannung, Emotionen und Tiefe gefüllt, dass ich förmlich an meinem Sitz klebte. Was den Film wirklich außergewöhnlich macht, ist die beeindruckende Darstellung aller Haupt- und Nebendarsteller. Allen voran Tom Cruise, der in der Rolle des tief traumatisierten amerikanischen Soldaten Nathan Algren eine beeindruckende Leistung abliefert. Tom Cruise's intensives und einfühlsames Schauspiel in der Rolle des Nathan Algren hat mich zutiefst berührt. Durch seine Darstellung konnte ich förmlich seine innere Zerrissenheit spüren, während Algren seinen körperlichen und emotionalen Wandel durchläuft. Es war faszinierend zu beobachten, wie er im Laufe des Films nicht nur eine tiefe Anerkennung und Respekt für die japanische Kultur und die Samurai entwickelt, sondern auch selbst zu einem Schüler und Verehrer der Samurai wird. Die Entwicklung von einem gebrochenen Krieger zu einem Mann, der seinen Platz in einer neuen Welt sucht, war äußerst bewegend und hat mich vollkommen in den Bann gezogen. Aber auch die japanischen Schauspieler haben mich mit ihren herausragenden Darbietungen fasziniert und restlos begeistert. Ken Watanabe verkörpert den Samurai-Anführer Katsumoto mit solch einer Präsenz und Authentizität, dass ich mich regelrecht in seinen Charakter verliebt habe. Seine ruhige Würde und sein tiefer Glaube an den Ehrenkodex des Bushido haben mich zutiefst beeindruckt. Neben den beiden Hauptdarstellern muss auch die Leistung der anderen Nebendarsteller hervorgehoben werden. Namen wie Hiroyuki Sanada, Shin Koyamada und Koyuki haben mich mit ihrer Nuanciertheit und Hingabe in ihren Rollen fasziniert. Besonders berührend war für mich dabei die Beziehung zwischen Taka und Nathan Algren. Koyuki verkörpert ihre Figur mit subtiler Sensibilität und verleiht Algrens körperlicher und emotionaler Veränderung im Film eine authentische Darstellung. Man kann förmlich spüren, wie sein Respekt und seine Anerkennung für die japanische Kultur und die Samurai wachsen. Koyukis Performance ist einfühlsam und nuanciert, und sie vermittelt auf eindrucksvolle Weise die Tiefe der Veränderungen, die sowohl ihr Charakter als auch Algren durchleben. Es ist von großer Emotion erfüllt, zu beobachten, wie Taka Algren auf seinem Weg begleitet und ihn dabei unterstützt, die inneren Konflikte sowohl bei ihr selbst als auch bei ihm zu überwinden. Diese Entwicklung ist tief berührend und zeigt, wie Liebe und Verständnis die Kraft haben, selbst die tiefsten Wunden zu heilen. Ihre Darstellungen verleihen dem Film eine zusätzliche Tiefe und machen ihn zu einem wahrhaftigen Meisterwerk "Last Samurai" mag zwar nicht zu 100% historisch korrekt sein, aber dennoch gelingt es dem Film auf eindrucksvolle Weise, die damalige Zeit und das Ende einer Ära einzufangen. Besonders die Darstellung des Bushido, des japanischen Ehrenkodexes, spielt eine zentrale Rolle. Der Film vermittelt ein fesselndes Bild des Bushido, des Weges des Samurai, der zu jener Zeit von großer Bedeutung war. Die Charaktere verkörpern auf beeindruckende Weise die Werte des Bushido wie Tapferkeit, Ehre und Loyalität. Damit schafft der Film eine berührende und authentische Darstellung dieser historischen Tradition. Die beeindruckenden Szenen, die die Rituale der Samurai und den Konflikt zwischen Tradition und Moderne in "Last Samurai" darstellen, haben mich tief berührt und zum Nachdenken angeregt. Der Film hat mich insgesamt mit seiner mitreißenden Erzählweise, den einfühlsamen Darstellungen aller Haupt- und Nebendarsteller und der tiefgründigen Thematik tief beeindruckt. Es ist ein absolutes Muss für jeden Filmfan, der ein packendes und emotionales Filmerlebnis sucht.