Anyone see ...?

[burp]

Howdy,

Anyone see the 10 minute long "The Last Samurai" promotion on the Independent Film Channel yesterday during the showing of Miyamoto Musashi (Samurai 1,2,3)?

I finally turned the channel waiting for part 3 of Miyamoto Musashi. I couldn't stand listening to Tom Cruise and the Director(?) praise and critique each other on ... how perfectly Japanese the movie was, how perfect each other was on the work done, how they accurately depicted the period, how Tom Cruise mastered a particular sword "style", etc. etc. Ad infinitum. Gag. I couldn't wait for Samurai 3 to start up. I just couldn't get over Tom Cruise's and the Director's "expert" analysis of everything bushido and period Japanese.

One person who will not be seeing The Last Samurai is me. BTW, who is the last samurai in the movie supposed to be? Tom Cruise's caracter?

For an entertaining Japanese culture type movie, I will be watching Lost in the Translation again. At least there you can just sit and watch many cultural things unfold before you and the actors.

Enjoy!

mikehansen

[ghp]

who is the last samurai in the movie supposed to be? Tom Cruise's caracter?

From what I was told, it is Watanabe Ken's character.

--Guy

[Chrono]

I saw a documentary of the samurai on National Geographic just last night and it told mostly about Musashi. I thought it was pretty good. After that they showed another show about geisha. I didn't watch that but I taped them both.

Jon

[David T Anderson]

Originally posted by ghp
From what I was told, it is Watanabe Ken's character.

It could refer to either Watanabe or Cruise's character...or it could refer to all the Samurai in the story collectively. This may be the closest thing to subtlety in the entire film...

[burp]

Howdy!

Thanks for the replies. Pleased it is not Tom Cruise.

Just questioned, since every movie poster or advertisement shows Tom Cruise's face between the large typeprint of "The Last Samurai". I've probably been overeacting ... after all it is a Hollywood movie, Tom Cruise is the leading man and selling point.

Anywho ...

mikehansen

[burp]

BTW in the promo they kept referring to the "style" of swordsmanship that Tom Cruise practiced intently in preparation for the role, but they never did say what it was?

All things aside on whether he actually did much or not, would anyone venture to say what style this is supposed to be?

Enjoy!

mikehansen

[Shitoryu Dude]

Last I heard it was a non-specified style of Iaido. The training sequences with boken in the movie was fun to watch, and very brutal. Nobody was pulling their blows and people were getting the snot knocked out of them.

What I found unbelivable was Cruise's character so quickly understanding and absorbing such concepts as "no mind" and becoming a butt kicker with the katana over the course of just a few months.

[David T Anderson]

Originally posted by Shitoryu Dude
Last I heard it was a non-specified style of Iaido. The training sequences with boken in the movie was fun to watch, and very brutal. Nobody was pulling their blows and people were getting the snot knocked out of them.

What I found unbelivable was Cruise's character so quickly understanding and absorbing such concepts as "no mind" and becoming a butt kicker with the katana over the course of just a few months.

Agreed, although that beating with a bokken he took should have left him with broken bones and a concussion. Everybody in this film was able to suck up an incredible amount of punishment...

If Algren has spent 5 years in the samurai village, I would have found it all more credible...

[Shitoryu Dude]

I was trying to explain to my wife that the beatings he took would have killed him. You don't get up after that sort of punishment, no matter how "tough" and determined you are. Sticks are considered lethal weapons in their own right, and just about everybody instinctively knows that, but movies have their own reality.

Still, they were well choreographed and had the realistic tone of being short and violent. None of that Highlander or Star Wars crap of long extended swordfights - it gets over in a real hurry.

Regardless of what the reviewers say, the real star was Ken Watanabe. I found his character far more interesting and convincing. I still think that Bob the Samurai is my favorite. That old guy was still kicking butt and not taking any crap.

[Daniel san]

Hello,
I read somewhere that they invented a special effects technique for this film. It involves making say an arm from the inside out. This fake arm can then be cut at any point with a real sword. Thus, you end up with a visible cross section from marrow to skin. Did I dream this?

[dan keup]

You gotta love Bob the badass.

[Nyuck3X]

I'm not a big Cruise fan. I haven't liked a film
of his since Top Gun was first released. All of them
seem to be the same theme, an angry young man in a car,
an angry young man behing a bar, an angry young man
on a secret mission. They all kinda blended together.
I wasn't sure about this one but I thought I'd check
it out anyways. I figured I'd see some good acting
from the rest of the cast.

I don't profess to knowing much about swordmanship and
granted, much of it was theatrical, it was fun. Those of
you wanting to see some real fighting might be dissapointed
but expecting Cruise to handle a sword like a true Budoka
is like expecting Stallone to be a real boxer, Clint Eastwood
to be a real gun fighter or Bush Jr. to fly his own plane
(Sorry for the political dig).

The movie was entertaining. Kinda like Braveheart meets
Dances with Wolves and Shogun all combined.

I was trying to explain to my wife that the beatings he took would have killed him. You don't get up after that sort of punishment, no matter how "tough" and determined you are. Sticks are considered lethal weapons in their own right, and just about everybody instinctively knows that, but movies have their own reality.

I brought my wife to the attention that when they spoke about
the bokken(?), they referred to them as swords and not just sticks
because they can be just as lethal.

Good one to see on the big screen.
Peace.

[ChrisMoon]

Originally posted by Nyuck3X
or Bush Jr. to fly his own plane
(Sorry for the political dig).

Bush Jr. was a qualified F-102 fighter pilot. He was still flying in them until the late 80s or even early 90s.

[Daniel san]

Originally posted by Daniel san
Hello,
I read somewhere that they invented a special effects technique for this film. It involves making say an arm from the inside out. This fake arm can then be cut at any point with a real sword. Thus, you end up with a visible cross section from marrow to skin. Did I dream this?

Answered my own question. There was very little gore. Even less that was anatomicly correct.

[Brian Owens]

Originally posted by Shitoryu Dude
What I found unbelivable was Cruise's character so quickly understanding and absorbing such concepts as "no mind" and becoming a butt kicker with the katana over the course of just a few months.

Well, remember that in the story Algren was already a veteran of the Civil War and numerous Indian Campaigns, he was an accomplished sabre and bayonet fighter, etc. He was already a warrior, just from a different "ryu."

And...

It's a movie, not a training film!