The Last Samurai Movie Cast, Plot and Everything to Know

Amy Renner

Last modified: Dec. 22, 2008

The Last Samurai

Release Date: Friday, December 5, 2003

Director: Edward Zwick

Starring: Tom Cruise • Timothy Spall • Billy Connolly • Tony Goldwyn • Ken Watanabe

R Action N/A

3.6 / 5

56% WILL SEE 44% WON'T SEE

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Plot

What's the story about?

Plot: Set in the late 1870s, this epic film depicts the beginnings of the modernization of Japan, as the island nation evolved past a feudal society, as symbolized by the eradication of the samurai way of life. We see all this happen from the point of view of an alcoholic Civil War veteran turned Winchester guns spokesman, Captain Woodrow Algren (Tom Cruise), who arrives in Japan to train the troops of the emperor, Meiji, as part of a break away from the long-held tradition of relying on employed samurai warriors to protect territories, as the emperor's new army prepares to wipe out the remaining samurai warriors. When Algren is injured in combat and captured by the samurai, he learns about their warrior honor code from their leader, Katsumoto, which forces him to decide which side of the conflict he actually wants to be on.

Action Adventure Drama Historical

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Top Cast

The lead cast starring in The Last Samurai.

Tom Cruise
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Tom Cruise/Alejandro Iñárritu Movie
T
Timothy Spall
Wicked Little Letters, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II
Billy Connolly
Quartet, Brave
T
Tony Goldwyn
Divergent, Plane
K
Ken Watanabe
Transformers 4: Age of Extinction, Inception
H
Hiroyuki Sanada
Mortal Kombat 2, Life
S
Shun Sugata
Marebito
S
Shin Koyamada
S
Seizo Fukumoto
S
Schichinosuke Nakamura
K
Koyuki
M
Masato Harada

Crew Behind the Film

The The Last Samurai behind-the-scenes crew and production team.

The film's director Edward Zwick last directed Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and Defiance.

Director: Edward Zwick
Screenwriters: —

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Companies: —

Production Details

What we know about the The Last Samurai movie production.

Production Updates for The Last Samurai

Dec 2004

Completed

Changed The Last Samurai movie production status. The movie is ready for release.

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Additional Information

Parent Rating: R Restricted for strong violence, battle sequences
Runtime: N/A
Tagline: Not available
Also known as: Not available
Language: English

All Trailers

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Release Dates

When was the film released?

The Last Samurai was released in on Friday, December 5, 2003. There were 3 other movies released on the same date, including Forget Baghdad: Jews and Arabs - The Iraqi Connection, Honey and Prisoner of Paradise.

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On DVD, Blu-ray / 4K

2004-05-04 DVD

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Across the Web

Follow the Updates

Mon., Dec. 22, 2008 2008-12-22

Added the soundtrack release date of November 25, 2003

Sun., Nov. 9, 2008 2008-11-09

Added the DVD release date of May 4, 2004

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