alive in kyoto

November 27, 2003

Movie review: The Last Samurai, sneak preview in Kyoto, Japan

In addition to meeting Tom Cruise, Yoshiko waited first in line to get tickets to Saturday's sneak preview in Kyoto of The Last Samurai, in advance of the December 6 (in Japan) wide release of the movie. We had the best seats in the house

My review:

Postmodern society has equipped us with a refined ability to preemptively dismiss everything as a contemptible sham, in case it turns out to be embarrassingly unpopular or embarrassingly popular; once you realize that there are only 36 possible movie plots, it's easy to snicker at any movie and call it hack or formulaic.

Tom Cruise as the hero in a samurai movie?

Line up on the left to pick up your tomatoes, on the right for sarcastic insults. Or if, perchance, for just a moment you can let down your fortified walls of ironic self-awareness,

GO SEE THIS FREAKIN' MOVIE!

In two and a half hours, this movie flew by. When you see the samurai come charging over the hill on horseback in full regalia, you'll be glad you watched it. It is epic, a visual materpiece. Expect many nominations. Cruise is great in his role, he may finally be onstage to pick up a Oscar, and Watanabe may get one as well in the supporting role. The film was shot partially in Kyoto (related post) but more in Himeji and a reconstructed village in New Zealand.

Cruise plays a veteran of the Civil War and Indian campaigns, Nathan Algren, trying to drink away his nightmares of slaughtering natives. He is offered a job training the new Western-style army of emeror Meiji, so they will buy plenty of American armaments.

"If you want to pay me to kill Jappos, I'll kill Jappos. Pay me to kill the enemies of Jappos, and I'll kill the enemies of Jappos."

The enemies, it turns out, are the samurai. Fierce warriors, loyal to the emperor, ironically they are now an anachronistic embarrassment and need to be finished off as Japan modernizes. Algren leads his first batch of raw recruits against the samurai, toting their new rifles, and they get massacred. The American is captured, taken to the samurai's village, and slowly he heals and comes to know them, especially Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) and Ujio (Hiroyuki Sanada). The embers of his warrior spirit are fanned as he finds they have something in common: Algren and the samurai have been discarded.

You don't need to know much more than that about the story, but the cinematography, the cosutmes, the acting, it all works in this movie.

In my experience, very few Japanese people under 40 have seen a Kurosawa samurai movie, but here they were to see this one, and there was a buzz in the theater when it was over. Everyone enjoyed it.

Posted by nils at November 27, 2003 12:14 AM

Kyomments

Interesting - I sorta figured it woulda been "Mavrick in Japan" given that Cruise's acting is usually not that versatile. I was sorta planning to check it out as I have a vested interest, but now I might even enjoy it! I've found a few fictional novels that take place during the last dynasty and a number that take place after the "modernization" period but only one so far that takes place during the "exile" of the samurai. Should be interesting.

Posted by: Randy on November 27, 2003 12:32 AM

Thoroughly enjoyed a quick look at your website. I've had a soft spot for Tom Cruise ever since my then teen aged daughter plastered her walls with circa Risky Business posters. Therefore could readily identify with WTF! Charming story about the girls meeting. Intriguing review . . . I look forward.

I'm also gratefully relieved that someone with your experience and apparent good taste has chosen the FZ10 . . . because I've just spent many Canadian bucks, sight unseen, to place an order.

I shall return.

Thanks, and take care.

Posted by: Bob MacLeod on November 29, 2003 10:51 AM

Thanks for sharing your pictures - looks like the FZ-10 is a great cam, like his ancestors the FZ-1 and FZ-2. (I have his grandfather, the LC-5, Panasonic's first foray into serious dcams.) The Venus engine seems to produce very accurate colors and the 2.8 stabilized Leica zoom looks very sharp.
I'm just wondering about the bulk of that puppy. Does it take a while to get used to it? Can you really call it a cam that will fit inyour pocket? Or is this not really an issue? Cheers.

Posted by: Jeff on December 2, 2003 01:00 PM

it is a bit of a chunk, Jeff. It is most definitely not going to fit in a pocket, I have a Sony Cybershot for that. It's in the category of SLR-like, which means you are usually going to use your left hand to steady it. I keep the lens shade on for this purpose, and I have already learned its angles and made it fit my big clumsy hands. A few times I have one-handed it, and it worked fine. Because it is SLR-like, I am better able to instinctively bring it to level. Many times I have taken tilted shots with the cybershot without realizing it.

Full SLR control was important to me, and I like the location of the auto/manual focus switch, so if I don't want to focus on the obvious but rather on something peripheral, there is absolutely no delay in flipping the switch and giving the focus ring a nudge. Exposure comp and bracketing are also lightning quick to enable.

Posted by: nils on December 2, 2003 06:36 PM

I saw the 22 50 sneak preview at Movix in Shinkyogoku. Which showing did you see?

Posted by: Dave on December 3, 2003 11:55 AM

Hi Jeff,

I loved the movie! I happened to get 2 free tickets from a friend and we just got back. I loved the movie!!! I told the wife we have to get some land on a mountain and build a old style house. I got the evil eye....

Dave

Posted by: David on December 3, 2003 02:14 PM

We saw the one at Movix at 7:30 in the evening, dead center in the front of the second section, so I hd plenty of leg room.

One good thing I forgot to mention was that while of course all the English parts had Japanese subtitles, all the Japanese parts had English subtitles as well.

Posted by: nils on December 3, 2003 10:32 PM

Saw the movie this past weekend and thought some parts were great, some not so great.

Great:

All of the cast except Tom Cruise, who I think was miscast but who did admirably all told.. I was surprised and happy to see Sanada Hiroyuki in there, who I didn't recognize initially...

All of the battle scenes, but particularly the smaller intimate confrontations - on the bridge during the escape, in the hills with the ninja.

Ken Watanabe, who has amazing screen presence and gravity. He pretty much blows Cruise away, effortlessly.

Not So Great:

Some of the line readings. Cruise: "These are the most disciplined people I have ever seen." Groan. Or, "I am beset by the irony of my situation." Algren is almost bipolar in the first third of the film, which I suppose is the point... but Cruise doesn't pull it off convincingly.

The ending(s). If that's not a Hollywood ending, I don't know what is.

Otherwise I really enjoyed it - it's a gorgeous production. I'm sure I'll see it again, but I don't think it approaches the weight of a film like Mystic River, or the finess and lucidity of Lost In Translation. I doubt it wins for best picture at the Oscars.

Posted by: Erik on December 10, 2003 01:22 PM

It is not difficult to find ways to criticize the movie, which is what I meant by "Tom Cruise as the hero in a samurai movie?" I was waiting for the "Do you find our ways strange?" line, and Watanabe delivered it. The ninjas were there, and the fight where he defeats a whole circle of guys around him. Did I see Mt. Fuji in the matte-painted scene where they sail into Tokyo Bay? I think so. The cliches were there, this is an action movie and certain elements are required.

But,

I bought into this movie, and I went along for the ride and enjoyed it, especially, as you echo, visually. The pacing was really quite good, I think, and just seeing an army of samurai cresting a hill in battle armor was breathtaking.

Titanic lost me at the very beginning with the Picasso gag. ("He won't amount to anything. Trust me.") For the rest of the movie I kept my wall up: it's just a movie.

I literally fell asleep and missed much of Mission Impossible 2 (didn't see the first one) because it was wall-to-wall mindless action. My wife was upset at me after that.

Part of my cynical thinking about Oscars is that the industry people who vote want to encourage these big star epics that pay increasing sums to stars, as well as employing vast armies of second and third units, technicians, effects people, hair and makeup, all the way down to caterers and laundresses. It's good for business.

I could let go of the workaday world and really enjoy this movie, which is not easy for a cynical bastard like me. I think we agree quite a bit, actually.

Plus, you know, Tom really likes Kyoto, and he laid that $20 million smile on my wife. Gotta upload that video soon.

Posted by: nils on December 10, 2003 07:38 PM

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Laura's body stiffened like a limp balloon becoming fully inflated. Her head slowly turned 180 degrees, to face her husband. Her vacant eyes became glowing embers. Tiny flashes of light, as from a distant violent thunderstorm, shown from her mouth, which was open slightly. From this storm, a voice hissed out.

You have nothing to fear, My pet. What is, matters not. Only what is perceived. Do you remember, after Afghanistan, when you announced your plans to attack Iraq?

America, with one united voice replied, "Huh?". For 6 months, you beat the war drum, until slowly, they took their places, in line behind you. Do you remember that, My precious?

The time has come to beat the drum again. Not for Iraq, which I promised unto you so many years ago, but for the economy. Tell your people to heed not the wailing of the unemployed factory worker or computer programmer. Their jobs are desperately needed by the starving masses in Mexico, India, China, and so many other deserving nations. Beat the drum for the new, exciting opportunities created by smaller, entreprenerial companies in the janitorial and trash collection fields. Ask your people how there can be a "job shortage" when Americans work longer hours than in any industrialized nation in the world!

And fear not, my Best Beloved. We will not fail. You have served Me well and We have much work yet to do.

Dubya's stern frowny-face grew an impish grin. "Master, would you stay inside Laura for another couple of minutes? We can do some of your work right here and now. "Tune in again for another episode of bio-snoop.com theater. Posted by: bio-snoop on February 22, 2004 02:24 PM