Common Sense Media Review
By Nell Minow , based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 14+
Japan-set war epic has intense battle violence, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Intense battle scenes with sword fighting, shooting, cannon fire, and explosions. Characters use katanas, spears, guns, and arrows to kill one another (there's blood, but no gore). Soldiers catch fire, and horses die during battle. War flashbacks to White Americans invading and gunning down a Native American settlement, including shooting children (screaming, blood splatters). Seppuku depicted, as a samurai disembowels himself with a short sword and is decapitated (head rolls; no blood). Sad scenes as several sympathetic characters are killed on-screen. A character stitches a bloody wound.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Characters drink, including the main character, who drinks to inebriation as a coping mechanism for his flashbacks to war trauma. Characters occasionally smoke.
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Language
some
Language includes "s--t," "damn," "ass," "son of a bitch," and "bastard." White villains say "the red man" and "savage" to describe Native Americans. Neutrally portrayed White characters say "Jappos" and "Orientals."
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See AlsoIs The Last Samurai Real At All? True Story ExplainedThe Last Samurai movie review (2003) | Roger EbertThe Last Samurai | Rotten Tomatoes‘The Last Samurai’: THR’s 2003 ReviewGet started
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a little
Implied romance as one character refers to a widow and her son as people he's "come to love," plus lingering looks and a near kiss. Sexual tension when he comes across her at the end of a bath (a bare shoulder is shown) and when she takes off his shirt in order to put armor on him.
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Positive Role Models
some
Algren committed wartime atrocities that still haunt him. When he's ordered to put down another rebellion, he finds himself siding with the rebels -- the samurai -- showing curiosity and humility as he learns about their culture. Several samurai are positively portrayed, if two-dimensional and martyred: Katsumoto has deep wisdom and radical compassion, Nobutada is kind and joyful, Taka is the perfect caregiver, etc. Many greedy characters also exist, such as Mr. Omura, who will gladly see the samurai murdered so that he can build his railroad, and the racist Colonel Bagley.
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Diverse Representations
a little
Story centers on White character in a movie about samurai and the Meiji Restoration, easily falling into White savior narrative, but it does have a majority Asian cast and stars veteran Japanese actors Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada. It's also one of the few American films to explore this time in history -- Japan's 19th century efforts to modernize -- and it does so with curiosity and a deep respect for bushido (the samurai way of life). Algren's behavior in a remote samurai village is positive, as he stays humble, learns Japanese, and defers to locals. But the film's respect for bushido slips into glorification, arguably fetishization, as samurai fall into "noble savage" stereotypes: innocent but wise and uncorrupted by modern civilization. Also uses the historical genocide of Native Americans to further a White character's narrative, painting Algren as a "good guy" for feeling tortured about taking part in a massacre. The only female character of note is Taka, who's clichéd as the main love interest who nurses Algren back to health. The film has racist language, mainly used to depict White characters as villains as they call Native Americans "the red man" and "savage." But neutrally portrayed White characters also use words like "Jappos" and "Orientals."
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Positive Messages
very little
It's better to approach people with curiosity and humility than arrogance, even when dealing with enemies. But the film simplifies/glorifies bushido, the samurai way of life, while modernity (guns, railroads, capitalism) is portrayed as a loss of innocence. These flat depictions portray Japanese samurai as clichéd "noble savages" who are innocent but wise.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Last Samurai is a historical war drama starring Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe that's set during Japan's Meiji Restoration era in the late 1800s. Expect intense battle scenes with sword fighting, shooting, cannon fire, and explosions. The main character has war flashbacks to invading and gunning down a Native American settlement, including shooting children (screaming, blood splatters). Several sympathetic characters are killed on-screen, including by seppuku (a suicide ritual). Characters drink to inebriation and sometimes smoke. They also say "s--t," "damn," "ass," and "son of a bitch," while White characters say "red man" and "savage" to describe Native Americans, plus use the terms "Jappos" and "Orientals." There's a bit of romantic tension that includes lingering looks and a near kiss. Though the film falls into the White savior narrative, main character Algren (Cruise) does demonstrate curiosity about other cultures and has humility when interacting with them, as does samurai leader Katsumoto (Watanabe). The film also has a majority Asian cast. But it uses the historical genocide of Native Americans to further a White character's narrative, and the only female character of note is clichéd as a love interest who nurses the main character back to health. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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The Last Samurai
Parent and Kid Reviews
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- Parents say (9)
- Kids say (41)
age 13+
Based on 9 parent reviews
ejonesrn Parent of 11-year-old
December 26, 2020
age 11+
Excellent movie!
This is a fantastic movie with a lot of deep meaning. I agree that it is violent but not overly so, and there is purpose to any scenes of violence unlike most movies today. I am baffled at the sexual content rating as there is zero content and I agree with a previous reviewer about how any looks are wholesome and respectful like in traditional courting. The good messages within the movie definitely outweigh any negative aspects of the movie and there is a lot to be learned about honor, respect of different cultures, not letting mistakes of the past dictate our future and etc. I think the age of the child watching the movie would greatly depend on their intellectual maturity and understanding of history, but also depends on a parent’s ability and willingness to highlight and reinforce the deeper positive messages found within this movie. I do not think the suicide depicted in this movie is like the suicide of today and if a child was interested in the samurai and read about them this information would be present as it is historically significant information. I am also a firm believer that suicide should not be a taboo subject, but should be openly discussed, but that has nothing to do with this movie or the review;)
Mr. Media42 Adult
April 2, 2020
age 13+
Good Movie With Lessons To Teach
I saw this movie in theatres upon its release and have seen it several times. I even own a copy on DVD. I have a slight disagreement with the reviewers on this site over two categories. These are the Violence and Sex categories. Yes, the movie contains violence. The use of guns and melee weapons, such as the katana sword, are prevalent throughout. However, I would not give the violence a 5-star rating. When I envision a maximum rating on violence movies such as Rambo Last Blood and John Wick 3 come to mind. At most I would give it a 4-star rating for violence. The reviewers also give it a 3-rating in the Sex category. The movie does not contain nudity or sex scenes. You will find much stronger sexual connotations in a CW TV show than you will find in this movie. One last note. Reviewers have also mentioned the movie's inclusion of the topic of suicide. It is important to remember the story takes place in the 1870s when the samurai class of Japan still existed. The practice of seppuku was a rite practiced only by the elite samurai class of Japan. However, the act of "falling on one's sword" has roots going back to ancient Rome and is the last act of Saul recorded in the Christian bible (1 Samuel 31). It was a way to avoid capture and the subsequent torture and humiliation at the hands of one's enemies. The samurai class used it for the same reason and also for a way to atone for the serious offense of bringing shame to themselves or their family. Obviously, we do not practice such rites in our modern society nor should we. Parents can use this movie as a teachable moment for younger people to compare and contrast an ancient culture's understanding of shame and dishonor with that of the society we live in today.
See all 9 parent reviews
What's the Story?
THE LAST SAMURAI centers on Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a Civil War veteran who's been irredeemably corrupted by wartime atrocities and is now devoid of honor. When he's offered a job to train Japanese soldiers in modern fighting techniques, he doesn't care whose side he'll be on, as he's still haunted by a raid that killed civilian Native Americans. Algren goes to work training soldiers in modern tactics so that they can defeat a samurai rebellion led by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). Against Algren's best judgment, the troops are sent in against the samurai too soon. They're defeated, and Algren is captured. Algren learns that the samurai believe that they, not the troops Algren has been training, are doing what the emperor needs. He's impressed and ultimately moved by them. Algren -- or at least the man he once was -- has more in common with the samurais' life of "service, discipline, and compassion" than he has with any of his peers. The samurai have all the honor and self-respect that Algren left behind when he followed orders he despised. Algren is trained by the samurai in the ancient arts, which include not just fighting but living.
Is It Any Good?
Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (41):
This epic action drama has some outstanding action scenes and memorable performances, but its greatest strength is its scope. Director/co-author Edward Zwick imbues every part of the screen with respect, even majesty. The epic reach of The Last Samurai is grounded in committed and thoughtful performances, especially from Watanabe and Koyuki as Taka, Katsumoto's sister. Cruise delivers his usual performance, sincere and loaded with movie-star charisma. His mastery of the samurai fighting techniques is impressive.
However, the movie's greatest weakness is that, while we know that Algren's commanding officer is a bad guy, the emperor is a weak guy (who's advised by a greedy guy), and Katsumoto is a good guy, we never understand the substance of the conflict well enough to take sides. One side may be corrupt, but it's grappling with the inevitable in engaging with modernity. And the other side may have honor and dignity, but by embracing its own extinction, it seems to have forgotten how to do anything other than fight, no matter what the consequences to its community. And the last 20 minutes or so are disappointingly formulaic, undercutting the power of everything that came before.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the meaning of The Last Samurai's movie title. Who is it referring to? Or does it have multiple meanings? What's the significance of summarizing this war epic as "the last samurai"?
What do you think of the filmmakers' decision to center The Last Samurai on a White character? Does it give you different insight into Japanese culture, or is Algren an imperfect ambassador who uses stereotypes in how he views 19th century Japan?
Does the violence in The Last Samurai seem true to real life? Is it too gory, or do you think battles in real life are even bloodier? What do you think about the film's presentation of seppuku, or ritualized suicide? Is the violence in the film portrayed responsibly?
The film covers topics of culture clash, both violent and nonviolent. What do you think about Algren's approach to learning about Japanese society? What about Katsumoto's approach to learning about Westerners? Why are traits like curiosity and humility key to learning about others? Why are these considered important character strengths?
Movie Details
- In theaters: December 4, 2003
- On DVD or streaming: May 4, 2004
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Masato Harada
- Director: Edward Zwick
- Inclusion Information: Asian actors
- Studio: Warner Bros.
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: History
- Character Strengths: Curiosity, Humility
- Run time: 154 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: strong violence and battle sequences
- Last updated: September 29, 2024
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