| Posted by: Raging Bull080 at August 13, 2004, 8:37 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | The Last Samurai is one of the best movies of 2003. It is a beautiful movie, with very good acting from Cruise and Watanabe. The first 2 hours of the film are wonderful, and halfway home I thought it had a shot at a 10, but then it let down in the end. I really was disapointed. The Last Samurai is an epic that is very good, but unfortunately falls short of being great in the end. 8/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: JCPhoenix at June 25, 2004, 8:24 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | this movie was a lot better than i expected it to be. after getting it recommended to me by several friends (including fellow schmoe outsyder), i finally got to see it today and wow, it was an incredible film. everyone else has pretty much touched on all the great things about the movie. There isn't much about this movie that is bad. Yes it is predictable, and yes it might be different (slightly) from historical events, but who cares? I'd just take it as pure entertainment, and from that point of view, it's amazing. The only problem I have with it is the ending. Too Hollywood. BIG SPOILERS 3 2 1 Tom Cruise's character really should've died along with the rest of the samurai, it would have made a lot more sense to me. The emperor could still have "seen the light" and done what was right after hearing about their deaths. I didn't really like the tacked on epilogue that much...it just tried to make everything fit too perfectly. END SPOILERS overall i'd give the film a 9/10. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: slyfox35 at May 25, 2004, 12:59 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | WOW!!!! What a kick ass movie this was! Everyone thought this movie was going to be boring from the beginning but I remained optimistic and well, I was right! Every action sequence was flawless (the ninja scene) and filled with tons of emtion that gave me a shiver down my spine. Tom Cruise was amazinf as Nathan Algren and in my opinion his best performance to date (loved the scene of him bowing before the emperor crying). Ken Watanabe was also quite a pleasant surprise as Katsumoto. I also loved this movie so much because it never slowed down to the point of where it gets boring, but yet it keeps pace between action and non-action moments perfectly. Finally, I liked how the GOOD GUYS LOSE!!!! its about damn time! It was just an amazing experience to watch. 10/10!!!! | | Static Link |
| Posted by: krazy drako at May 17, 2004, 10:28 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | Wow. 2003 blew me away with some of the movies that came out that year. The Last Samurai added to it. The Last Samurai is an excellent movie. Everything fit beatifully together. Tom Cruise was amazing. Ken Wanatabe should of won the best supporting actor nod. I didn't see The Last Samurai untill after the Oscars. I regret not seing it earlier. Even though review was short. I give it an amazing 10/10. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Joshmo at May 17, 2004, 10:30 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | Typical Hollywoodized cliche flick, in which factual material exists, only to not be mined... ONCE AGAIN. ..But, overall, a a somewhat entertaining flick, that copped out in the end.. just like Ebert said. I'll pick it up eventually when its discounted for like $10. 7/10 If you like this sort of thing, and want a better story with some intense graphic carnage, check out Musa: The Warrior..FAR SUPERIOR to Last Samurai.. right down to its unhappy and unhollywood-ized ending. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: drdash at May 16, 2004, 4:00 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | great film. it was like dances with wolves in japan, except this movie was good. the battles were awesome, ant the romantic scenes didn't detract from the story. and the film was gory as hell. the only sword fights that could beat this film were the ones in kill bill. tom crusie was awesome as usual and i really enjoyed ken watanbe. 10/10 ciao drdash | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Backstabba at February 22, 2004, 4:00 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | this was a good movie. great costume, Really good scenery, Incredable Acting. Ill admit, everything from after tom cruise is captured to before the prison break was alittle boring. But everything other that that was great. a solid 9/10. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: MovieMan04 at January 26, 2004, 10:48 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | This has to be the best movie in a long time outdoing the so overrated LOTR by a mile. No nomination for this just pissed me off. I mean everything about this movie is perfect. The acting, the cinematography, everything. Ed Zwick is definatly made for this genre of movie(See Glory). Tom Cruise is awesome as usual. Ken Wantanabe is great too. The emotional drive for this movie is just as good as Mystic River maybe slightly better. Definatly a movie for everyone to watch. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: bondish at January 15, 2004, 1:43 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | The Last Samurai Overwhelming! 9/10 or 5 stars! I often find that I have similar taste in movies to JoBlo, and his review of The Last Samurai was spot on. At the opening of the film, I didn't think it was going to that great, but after half an hour I was hooked. This is my favourite movie of the year, and much, much more enjoyable than the rather tiring Return of the King. The acting was great, and so were the locations down in Taranaki in my home country of New Zealand. The ending battle was the icing on the cake. This is the best movie of the year by all means. 9/10 or 5 stars! SEE THIS MOVIE! | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Billdemart at January 14, 2004, 9:23 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | This movie blew me away. I thought the previews made it look pretty good but I had no idea how good. I can't believe this film hasn't gotten more hype. I know it came out around the same time as ROTK and I am assuming that is the reason, but this movie is just fantastic. The scenery, the music, the acting, the casting, the dialogue, extreme attention to detail, all go into making this a phenomenal movie. The music during the fight scenes was incredible. The Ninja scene left me emotionally drained. I have never before seen a melee fighting scene in film that comes anywhere close to that. It was like I was having some incredible "Movies for guys who like movies" dream and I didn't want to wake up. Since this movie I have begun reading Shogun and its great. I can't wait until this movie comes out on DVD. It's already one of my top 5 favorites of all time, and I thought it was easily better than ROTK the much more heralded film. 10/10. | | Static Link |
| Posted by: TheGodSon at January 5, 2004, 1:29 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | This movie is slowly becoming one of my favorite films of all time. I"ve seen it three times in theatres and plan on seeing it at least once more. If you don't see this movie on the biggest screen possible, you are really missing out. It's a beautiful film and a absolute sure contender for best cinematography oscar as should be considered for others too. Best picture maybe? Tom Cruise is perfect in his role. Ken Watanabe is also a standout in his role. That guy rocks! Both actors deserve acting nominations for their respected roles. This movie has everything I could want from a movie. Great action, characters you learn to love and respect (the samurai even), beautifully choreographed fights, some humor, and raw power and emotion that I connected with and got drawn in by the whole time watching. It's amazing. Perfect length (2 hours 25 minutes or so) of a movie unlike lord of the rings where my ass hurt after seeing. I reccommend this movie to anyone who loves movies. It's amazing and should be given as ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: LedFloyd at January 4, 2004, 2:08 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | An amazing and very involving epic that may take a traditional approach, but manages to still be very powerful. If you're looking for something completely new and original, this isn't the place to look, but to tell you the truth, I normally get pissy with movies that stick too tightly to formula, but this one didn't bug me. Zwick is a director meant to create action epics, and the battles he composes here are completely involving. The action is stirring and plentiful, and the acting is top-notch, with Cruise giving one of his best dramatic protrayals here, and Ken Watanbe giving one of the best performances of the year. And as for the drama, it was suprisingly touching (yeah,yeah, I was tearing up in parts), but the movie suprised me even more with it's gentle sense of humor. Overall a well-rounded package that keeps you entertained throughout it's 2 and 1/2 hour runtime with stirring action, great acting, intriguing drama, and enough variety so it'll appeal to most. 9/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: JollyG87 at December 28, 2003, 8:25 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | Now this was what I was expecting from Lord of the Rings! Lord of the Rings almost met my expectations, but this one takes the cake. Despite what you may have heard from critics, Tom Cruise makes this film work! He does such a great job with his character, that you begin to believe he is that character and not Tom Cruise. He accomplished his role way better than Halle Berry did in Gothika. Throughout the entire movie of Gothika I always felt that the main character was Halle Berry and nothing more! The camera work is just incredible! There's no better word for it. It makes this film seem even better than it is. Seabiscuit, Return of the King, and this movie probably have the best cinematography of the year. They should be nominated for it in my opinion. The Last Samurai does suffer from being a little too overdramatic at times especially at the end, but what you have to realize is that it's a movie and I think movies can really get away with being a little over-the-top at times. Overall, The Last Samurai is ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: willem84 at December 23, 2003, 3:51 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | I'd like to say although I enjoyed this film, I am not thorougly impressed. I do not think it should get a Best Pic Nom. I feel I like this one as about as much as "Gangs of New York" ....while this movie was well directed, acted, ....the score and cinemetography was nice as well, along with the art direction. The plot and the way it was written seemed very weak and rarely do I use the word "dull" It's not that the movie didn't keep my interest the entire 2 hours and 24 minutes. It's just....it didn't make me think, was quite predictable and I just ...wanted something more out of it. If it weren't for the wonderful direction and the acting this movie would have been terrible, in my opinion. What Gangs of New York lacked in style and cheesiness..this movie made up for. They both lacked in dialogue work (originality). But what this movie lacked in plot, Gangs made up for. So overall, this movie was pretty good, but not good enough for another watch or any big oscar nom's. 6/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: tbone at December 19, 2003, 10:54 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | The most overrated movie of the year. Which is a shame because Zwick does a wonderful job directing the battle scenes and Watanbe is Oscar worthy in his role. Sadly, the script is awful and Tom Cruise overacts. First off to compare the Samurai to Native Americans is not a very wise move. First off the Native Americans a nation of people with their own language, religous beliefs and so on. The Samurai are not it was a way of living with its own warrior code. Completly different. Secondly there is no explanition where this hatred for the Samurai comes from. The movie explains that Japan was looking to modernize, but how does that entail that the Samurai must be crushed? They call the Samurai barbarians but where is the proof of this? Most people today look upon the Samurai as honorable soldiers, so we have to some reason to understand why these modern Japenese look down upon them. Then do not even get me started upon the ending. The most unreal ending ever. *Spolier* I mean my God, every last Samurai gets ripp... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: KcMsterpce at December 16, 2003, 8:50 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | I liked it the first time I saw it. When it was DANCES WITH WOLVES. The parallels from THE LAST SAMURAI to the far superior DANCES WITH WOLVES is uncanny, but I'll throw that aside for now and admit that this wasn't a bad movie. Just far from the goodness that I was seeking for enlightenment on my way into the theater. My expectations were like this: Hope for a good performance that furthers the boundaries of what I expect from Tom Cruise; have cool action scenes; get involved with the characters on a very personal level. Tom Cruise, first of all, did his usual Tom Cruise bit. It wasn't bad, because I happen to like the guy a lot, but it was nothing more than what I've seen him do countless times before. Did it not seem as if Ten Bears and Kicking Bird were both personified into Katsumoto? Then of course there's Cruise (Nathan Algren, I know, but to me he's Tom Cruise) being let into the household - and falling for - the woman whose husband he killed in battle. He writes in his diary profusely and ends up ma... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: m ali at December 13, 2003, 1:52 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | Now this is what i call a real movie. Tom cruise give an outstanding performance as a soldier who is kidnapped by the japanese warrior called the samuari. This movie is not just about war like a lot of war movies that just have action and thats about it. This movie is also about life of the samuari. The directing is great the movie is great the casting is great everything about this movie is great. I recommend this movie to everybody who wants to still a real war movie. 10/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: DaMovieMan at December 12, 2003, 1:29 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | The Last Samurai blew me away, as it did most of you. I was always interested in the samurai, their way of life, their beliefs and their history and you get a bit of everything in this movie. Tom Cruise was really good but he did 'over-act' some scenes. Ken Watanbi was truly amazing, and should at the very least get a Best Sup. Actor nom. He reminded of the good ol days we had with Toshiro Mifune. The whole movie actually reminded me of the style and depth of one of my favorite directors: Akira Kurosawa. Great story with real emotion and characters that you fall in love with. Wonderful music as well. 9/10 DMM | | Static Link |
| Posted by: gspawn at December 8, 2003, 10:55 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | First off: Ken Wanatabe must win Best Supporting Actor this year. His performance was so powerful, I came away from the movie amazed that he didn't get billing alongside Cruise instead of paying second fiddle. American moviegoers, however, are a more fickle bunch. The good: Performances by everyone in the cast down to extras are spot on. The Japanese actors and extras exhibit their culture to the utmost- and utterly outshine their American counterparts in the process. They truly drive home the overall plot of this movie- the evil forces of Western industry crushing Eastern philosophy and living. Cruise displays utter perfection in his role, even if his hair stylist was obviously extremely busy in this movie. If their is a weakness in the cast, it lies with a certain American figure. However, a great part of the movie is also that the audience should see ths man's imperfection. It's hard to say whether Samurai went too far or perfectly far enough. Also look for actress Koyuki to be getting a lot more "bi... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: randythetool at December 8, 2003, 10:40 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | http://www.entropyx.com/randy/thelastsamurai ------------------------------------------------------------- The Last Samurai Thinking about Tom Cruise in traditional Samurai armor and fighting in the ancient Japanese fashion, I can see why so many people would roll their eyes. It really doesn't make a lot of sense, at least not until you've seen the movie. What is intriguing about "The Last Samurai," however, is not how Edward Zwick makes us care about Samurai Tom, but how he manages to mix genres and tell stories without taking the time to tell them. There is enough material here for five or six movies, but we don't feel cheated, because we've gotten the broad strokes without even realizing it. As the title would indicate, "The Last Samurai" is set on the edge of the Gun Revolutions, where cannons and rifles almost instantly replace the swords and spears of Samurai. Tom Cruise plays Nathan Algren, a Medal of Honor winner, whose heroics in the wars to stabilize the Native American tribes a... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: anakinsrise at December 8, 2003, 8:27 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | IN SHORT:One of the best movies of 2003 THE GOOD:Movies like The Last Samurai,dont come around often.It is a film in which everything seems to work and seamlessly blends together.Action,Battle scenes,humor,a bitter sweet romance ,and powerful performances.Praise to director Edward Zwick,Tom Cruise ,and the entire cast and crew for making it all work on the big screen.Tom Cruise is Captain Nathan Algren who was once under the command of General Custer,still haunted by taking part in a massacre of an indian tribe,he buries himself in a flask of whisky to try to forget the past,or dull his senses when he's working as a spokesman for Winchester rifles.He is called upon by the Emperor of Japan for his skills as a militairy leader to train the new Japanese army to rid themselves of the Samurai.But the Emperor (SHICHINOSUKE NAKAMURA) is young and easily influenced by those around him that lust for power and wealth,especially MASATO HARADA (Omura) who sees the samurai as an old order standing in the way of progress.... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: Snowboy at December 8, 2003, 3:11 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | THE LAST SAMURAI - 6/10 I'm still undecided about this film. While I really enjoyed it, and consider it to be one of the better films of 2003, I can't say I was completely overwhelmed by it. I can't pick out why. It may be the fact that when I watched it, I was half-asleep from a long day of work. Even so, something about this movie felt "off" for me However, there is much to be said about this film. It's beautiful to look at, with all of the gourgeous scenery. Breathtaking. It's very well-acted, and though I can't say I'm a fan of Tom Cruise, he did very well here, and I was quite surprised by his performance. Not sure if it's enough to earn a Best Actor nomination, but it's a definite possibility. But the real deal for me was Ken Watanabe, wow..I really liked his character, I felt for him, I could relate to him....in fact, Watanbe is probably the one reason why I remotely enjoyed the film. His prescence was just awesome, and I was completely captivated every time he was onscreen. I hope and pray ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: Vicious at December 7, 2003, 2:10 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | i just saw it tonight and i must say it was everythign i hoped and more , though as said before i thought it was perdictable i still enjoyed it alot and loved the action scenes and just the entire environment of the movie. one thing i wish would of been a bit diff would of been cruises love interest (taka) i think that would of been nice but i still realy like it alot. 9/10 i mean comon anyone interested in action alone is gana love it i mean theres freakin NINJAS IN IT!!! and there not kiddie ninjas | | Static Link |
| Posted by: Golden Badtz at December 6, 2003, 10:39 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | THE LAST SAMURAI - 2003 Tom Cruise - Timothy Spall - Ken Watanabe Let's face it folks, everything that surrounded the movie, all the hype, the trailers, posters and all didn't look that great. But then again, the star was Tom Cruise and the movie talked about an American samurai (the part on which I was wrong at first). The movie had to suck. But one day I saw in big black bold letters the words "See This Movie" on JoBlo's review. So, there could only be 1 logical conclusion: The world had gone mad. The movie starts off with beautiful shots of Japan in the early morning with the voice over of a man telling us the legend of how Japan was born. We are then given a peaceful shot of Katsumoto, the last samurai, as he meditates in the morning, suddenly out of the blue, are flashbacks as he fights back soldiers in the forest. We later on meet the constantly drunk hero of the film, Nathan Algren, Cruise, a civil war captain who has a bad past with his hated superior (reminded me of Viggo Mortensen's chara... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: AceD at December 6, 2003, 2:30 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | The Last Samurai ***1/2 (9/10) A phenomenal film. A great movie that can be appreciated by all and will become a classic. Tom Cruise was a nice choice for this role, believeable as an American hero and convincing as a changed man. The movie is not particually innovating (save for a clever "instant replay" of a mini-battle), but that is one of its stregths. It's a movie that brings you into its time and place and holds you there for over two hours. In my opinion, not a wasted moment. Outstanding battle sequences and beautiful cinematography. Also great acting across the board, am I the only one who wants to see Ken Wanatabe in whole lot more movies? The guy has fun and looks great kicking a whole lot of butt Samurai-style. Hard to find any flaws in this movie, but I'm going to hold off giving it 10/10 because I've just seen it and I want to give it some time to stir in my mind a little. Either way, great movie, with surprisingly one of the funniest lines in recent movie memory -- "Well, they ar... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: moviemuffin at December 6, 2003, 12:46 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | I really hate to disagree this strongly with the throng, but... The Last Samurai ©reel-reviews.net Directed by Edward Zwick Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Koyuki, Billy Connelly, Shoji Yoshihara, Masato Harada, Shichinosuke Nakamura In 1886 and 1887 there was an actual Samurai Rebellion led by a legendary figure named Saigo Takamori. He led a band of Samurai expatriot warriors who were struggling to survive with their salaries eliminated and westernization threatening their way of life. The rebellion was more economic and cultural than spiritual and political. The final battle, which took place in 1877, was a confrontation of 40,000 rebels and 60,000 government troops that had been trained by western envoys from several nations, Germany and Britain chief among these. More than half those Samurai died, including Takamori, who was wounded and then took his life in the traditional manner. Another 2,000 rebels were executed after the battle. Saigo Takamori went on to become a hero to the Japanese people whe... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: bigred760 at December 5, 2003, 4:45 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | The Last Samurai is the definitely the best samurai movie I've seen since Kurosawa graced the world with his presence and filmmaking. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm a huge fan of samurai movies (well sword movies in general, but especially ones with the katana swords). What makes this movie so awesome is the underlying symbolism of the dying samurai tradition to modernization of the world. This symbolism was very evident in movies such as Seven Samurai and Yojimbo, two of Kurosawa's best and most famous. What The Last Samurai brings to Kurosawa's legend is the clashing of two cultures: 19th century America and feudal Japan. The audience is meant to learn as much as possible through Tom Cruise's presence in the movie during his "stay." Cruise's character, Nathan Algren, begins to appreciate the way of the samurai more than the American. He decides to adapt it. One thing that I noticed was present in The Last Samurai that is mostly absent in Kurosawa's brilliant epics is the topic of ... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: El Bracamonti at November 30, 2003, 9:16 pm | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | Going into the Last Samurai, it is only honest to say that I had very mixed feelings. I’d always like flicks that have lots of sword fighting, but there was something about Tom Cruise as a sword wielding motha fucka that seemed a little bit odd and idiotic. Nevertheless, I went into the theater with an open mind. The beginning of the film was just like any other, in the sense that everything is developing at a rather slow pace, and you get to make your first impressions of your main character and the ones around him. Cruise’s character’s persona is made very evident in the first few scenes of the movie. You get the feeling that he’s a tired and guilt stricken military man who, for whatever reason, is sick of war, but can’t seem to take his mind of the green that he gets. He’s hired to turn a bunch of inexperienced Japanese soldiers into killing machines, and it sure as hell don’t seem easy, judging by the characters that cruise has to work with. Needless to say, cruise has little luck preparing these guys fo... | | Read Entire Entry |
| Posted by: MovieMan75 at November 30, 2003, 12:05 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | First off: What I didn't like about it. I don't want to use the word cliche, but the film does have a rather formulaic approach, with predictable pacing of the beginning, middle, and end. BUT...the film totally kicks ass every where else! I absolutely loved the scenery, production design, costuming, and oh, yeah--the battles! Wow! What a spectacle! Tom Cruise comes off excellently here, as well. I loved how this film dripping with symbolism, as well. The story was pretty good, I guess (I just loved how he emersed himself in the Samurai culture), but the characters shined even brighter. Every frame of this film shows off how much hard work must have gone into this. It's a truey epic, spectacular film that seriously respects the Japanese. I don't see why anyone couldn't like it at least a little bit. My Rating: 8/10 | | Static Link |
| Posted by: JoBlo at November 24, 2003, 12:29 am | | Topic: Reviews: The Last Samurai Forum: JoBlo | | JoBlo's 9/10 review of THE LAST SAMURAI can be found here: http://www.joblo.com/lastsamurai.htm And what did you think of the movie? Add your comments below. GUIDELINES: CONSTRUCTIVE REVIEWS ONLY! 1) If you haven't seen the movie, don't post here, because it will be deleted. 2) If you add two-bit comments like "it rocked" or "it sucked the big one" or just a grade, it will be deleted. 3) If you insult anyone from the board in your post, it will be deleted and you will be banned from the board. You can disagree with others all you want but no putdowns are necessary to make your points. Read our rules here. | | Static Link |
|