The Last Samurai was on the telly a couple of nights ago. I had seen it in the kino when it was released[1] and although thought aspects of it were good, it had annoyed me. So why did I watch it again?
I have no idea. But it annoyed me even more this time round.
I’d actually probably have to reevaluate the whole review, cause I no longer think it is worth watching. Instead it is a whiney overly full-of-itself piece of rubbish. Interspersed with good bits.
Weird how opinions can change isn’t it?
Although I’d keep the stupid part. Just expand it. The whole film is stupid. Albeit pretty in places.
I agree. And I used to love Tom Cruise so much. Ah well. Happy weekend, Fence. :)
i too found myself compelled to watch this the other night.
here's an interesting stat i learned after watching it: in the uk, about 12m people go to bed before half ten (3.9m people saw the first half of the film, which was a 19% audience share but only 2.5m people bothered with the second half, which was a 29% audience share – so the total tv audience fell from 20.5 to 8.6m between the first and second half. aren't statsistics truly fascinating?)
anyway. back to the film. i do have an aversion to tom cruise, based on seeing far and away. i can forgive him magnolia and eyes wide shut, but nothing else. there is so much wrong with the last samurai that it's just not possible to know where to begin. it's writing by numbers. everything that happens is obvious. nothing takes you by surprise.
i guess my biggest gripe about it is how the story is really about america, in a very sickly knd of way, with a real liberal whiney twist to it. thus we get one good american (cruise) fighting bad americans (his commander, the guys trying to cut the trade deal). it's the fight for the soul of the american dream. with japan there just for a bit of ethnic porn.
As a liberal myself (sorta, kinda) I have to say that I hated the America Bad, traditional Japan Good aspect of the storyline. I actually found myself agreeing with the ebil dude and wondering why Cruise hated his own people so much?
Plus, the Samurai weren't exactly a shining beacon of wonder. Kept in the life they were accusomted to by their serfs. Or something similar, I'm not big on Japanese history/society but I'm pretty sure that the set-up was fairly medieval.
And why oh why do ITV continue to divide films with the news (your stats are fascinating, btw). It makes no sense whatsoever.
"I actually found myself agreeing with the ebil dude and wondering why Cruise hated his own people so much?"
that's easy actually. what's the right's typical reponse to the left in america? it's "why do you hate your own country so much".
so here we get the liberal's response to this question. typical of liberals though, it's so up its own arse that the point is buried and has to be explained.
rather sad, really.
For some reason this show never appealed to me when I saw the trailers and I have heard enough bad stuff about it now that I probably will never watch it.
Actually fmk I don't think it is a liberal v conservative film at all. More a general black and white simplistic view of the world that reduces everything to two opposing sides. Life is a lot more complicated than that, and that is why this film didn't work.
Better off not watching it Carl
as i said fence, the so-called liberal consevrative face-off :)