Tom Cruise’s Forgotten 154-Minute Historical Epic Is Dominating Streaming
While Tom Cruise is best known these days as a daredevil, an actor who is more than willing to put his body on the line for the perfect shot, one of his most ambitious films leaned less on action and more on the emotion and soul behind the swordplay and stunts. More than two decades after it was first released in 2003, Edward Zwick‘s The Last Samurai is finding a new audience, as the 154-minute historical epic is seeing a resurgence on HBO Max.
When you compare it to the high-flying action, explosions and edge-of-your-seat thrills we’ve come to know Cruise for, it’s hard to imagine audiences connecting in such a way with a slower, denser movie like this — and the film was indeed a U.S. box office flop upon release (though it was notably successful in Japan, the country where the film is set).
But viewers are rediscovering it, because The Last Samurai belongs to a type of blockbuster that the film industry is reluctant to make anymore: a massive, earnest historical drama willing to take time to build its characters and not lean on action. Cruise is the face of the movie, which caused a backlash against the film, with it being lambasted as a “white savior” narrative, but, in many ways, it is an unfair criticism. The movie star may be the face, but the supporting cast, including Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada, are its beating heart. The film’s staying power comes from the combination of the cast with the world that Zwick successfully builds around them.
Tom Cruise Gives One of His Most Underrated Performances in ‘The Last Samurai’
The Last Samurai centers on Nathan Algren (Cruise), a 19th century former United States Army captain who is haunted by his experiences fighting Native Americans, including his participation in a massacre on an innocent village. Algren is a bitter alcoholic who becomes desperate for money and accepts an offer to travel to Japan to help train the nation’s new Imperial Army in Western tactics. Opposing him at first is Watanabe’s legendary samurai warrior Katsumoto, who is fighting the rapid modernization of Japan, which he sees as an abandonment of the country’s traditions.
After an opening battle that proves disastrous for Algren’s army, he is captured by Katsumoto, who wishes to learn more about who he is opposing. Spending months living amongst the Samurai, training with them, and learning their ways, Algren begins to question what he knows and believes about war and honor. With the help of Katsumoto, he learns how to face the horrors of his past, and Cruise’s performance in these scenes is where the movie really shines.
Cruise sells the transformation from depressed soldier to a man at peace with his past because he dials back the movie-star charisma. It’s one of the actor’s most underappreciated performances, a role that often gets buried in his extensive and more well-known filmography. Cruise’s Algren can handle himself in battle, but The Last Samurai is far more interested in exploring how someone handles their past and learns how to move forward.
Ken Watanabe Is the Real Heart of ‘The Last Samurai’
The Last Samurai would not work without Ken Watanabe’s Katsumoto to provide a balance to Cruise’s Nathan Algren. Katsumoto could easily have been an idealized warrior figure, but Watanabe gives him humor, curiosity, and unexpected depth that provides the movie’s emotional center. The relationship between the two men is the core of The Last Samurai‘s narrative, and a mutual respect develops between them as they converse about life and how they both struggle to understand what of the worlds they know is worth protecting.
It’s no surprise that Watanabe earned an Academy Award nomination for this role, and it remains one of his finest performances, with some of his strongest moments coming in the film’s quietest scenes. Algren might be the main character, but Katsumoto is the one who truly becomes the “Last Samurai.” Even alongside his most delicate moments, his action sequences — especially the final battle against the Imperial Army — are some of his best scenes. As his band of samurai mount their charge that they know will likely lead to their demise, Watanabe’s performance helps drill down just how important this is to them, even if they die in the process. The action feels earned and has weight because Katsumoto helps you fully understand why they’re doing this.
This combination of intimate character drama with enormous spectacle helps explain why audiences are returning to The Last Samurai and reminding people why this film deserves attention. Cruise has certainly made bigger movies and headlined massive franchises like Mission Impossible and Top Gun, but few of his movies feel this grand. If you’re a history buff, or just in the mood for a grand epic, The Last Samurai remains one of Tom Cruise’s most rewarding films.
- Release Date
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December 5, 2003
- Runtime
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154 minutes
- Director
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Edward Zwick