The Last Samurai (2003) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. —jgp3553@yahoo.com. Katsumoto: Life in … Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) and Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) disucssing the "way of the warrior." The Last Samurai was well received by audiences and made a respectable amount of box office return, though not everyone was as impressed. The Last Samurai is a 2003 American period action drama film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz. The movie The Last Samurai, featuring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe, which portrayed fictional events inspired in the Meiji Restoration and the Satsuma Rebellion, took Saigō’s last stand as their main inspiration. Saigō Takamori (Takanaga) (西鄕 隆盛 (隆永), January 23, 1828 – September 24, 1877) was one of the most influential An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to … “The Last Samurai is an original work of brilliance about, in part, the limits of brilliance.” - Time “The book has been a great source of motivation for me. 'The Last Samurai' directed by Edward Zwick, 2003. A leader of Japan’s 19th-century drive to modernize, and at the same time a defender of its ancient samurai values, Saigo Takamori's dramatic last stand embodied his nation’s identity crisis. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a respected American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. With Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, William Atherton. The Last Samurai (2003) Plot Summary (4) An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle. Edit Report This. Critics, in particular, saw it as an opportunity to focus on the historical inconsistencies rather than the effective storytelling it delivered. Following the trail of a samurai ancestor, two Japanese businessmen on a quest for spiritual fulfillment arrive in Africa with a group of tourists, only to get kidnapped by the local guerrilla leader. Plot Summary | Add Synopsis Nathan Algren: What does it say? Katsumoto: I belong to the warrior in whom the old ways have joined the new. A tough mercenary must rescue them. The Last Samurai Quotes. Set in Japan during the 1870s, The Last Samurai tells the story of Capt. Directed by Edward Zwick.