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View Full Version : The Moose Hole - Review of The Last Samurai



MickeyMoose15
12-07-2003, 07:03 PM
Released December 5th, 2003

Director: Edward Zwick

Starring: Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Ken Watanabe, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shun Sugata, Shin Koyamada, Seizo Fukumoto, Schichinosuke Nakamura, Koyuki, Masato Harada, Sosuke Ikematsu, Aoi Minato

Premise: After examining the ravages of 19th century America in his Academy Award-winning Civil War drama "Glory", director Edward Zwick explores the birth of modern Japan in "The Last Samurai," a sweeping epic set in Japan during the 1870s. Tom Cruise stars as Capt. Nathan Algren, a respected American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. As the Emperor 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.

Warner Brothers can’t catch a decent break, can they? For the last three years, the studio has had a mixed year based on the performance and public reaction of their films with the missteps outshining the successes. 2003 continues that trend with the poor reception of films like Gods & Generals, Dreamcatcher, Alex & Emma, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action. But what makes this year all the more hurtful was the fact that studio was expected to have had a good year riding the Matrix sequels alone. After the mixed reaction Reloaded received in May, The Matrix Revolutions couldn’t compete like it was expected too and failed to even break the $170 million mark the original film set in 1999. So with those thoughts in mind, what good can Warner Brother executives find in this year? ....

Click Here to Read the Full Review! (http://www.hostultra.com/~TheMooseHole/The%20Last%20Samurai.htm)

tabuno
12-07-2003, 08:41 PM
MickeyMoose15 wrote as part of this complete review that:


The only performance that drew some criticism was Koyuki’s role as the widow wife Yaka. The problem was that she was focused on for a small portion of the film but the audience doesn’t really get to see her full range of emotional acting within the course of the feature.

Not realized, however, is that this performance is more than adequate. To expect more emotional acting in the role of Yaka would not be appropriate within the context of the Japanese culture. What was seen in the movie was quite proper and more focus on her would have been disrespectful and perhaps an inaccurate rendering that would instead blemished the movie even more.