First teaser up for The Last Samurai (1 Viewer)

[Alex Prosak]

Oh...great, Top Gun samurai now.But then I've really only liked a couple of his movies. I'll take Zatoichi or a Toshiro Mifune flick over that any day.

 

[oscar_merkx]

thanks for the link to the trailer

 

[John Doran]

they should call this one Dances with Wolves II - The Samurai Years

 

[Andy Sheets]

they should call this one Dances with Wolves II - The Samurai Years

Heh, no doubt. I just read the script the other day and the first thing that went through my mind was "hey, it's Dances With Wolves...but in Japan" It could still be a good movie, though, if Ed Zwick and the supporting cast do well.

 

[Scott_Jua]

Man I really hope he does jsutice to the culture and art of the samurai.

 

[Scott_Jua]

Oh...great, Top Gun samurai now. But then I've really only liked a couple of his movies. I'll take Zatoichi or a Toshiro Mifune flick over that any day.

DITTO... but I'll give it a try out of love for the arts and culture...

(EDIT) I Just watched the new footage and I saw twirling katana by Cruise!!!

 

[John Doran]

(EDIT) I Just watched the new footage and I saw twirling katana by Cruise!!!

remember cruise is a westerner who is trained in the art of kenjutsu - it's understandable (and perhaps even to be expected) that he would add his own personalizing embellishments to the technique.

 

[Andy Sheets]

Man I really hope he does jsutice to the culture and art of the samurai.

Based on what I read, I'd say the movie's well-intentioned. However, I'm not knowledgeable enough about Japanese culture but there were one or two things that seemed highly questionable to me. It wouldn't surprise me at all if experts on samurai rip into the movie when it comes out.

 

[Dustin Wind]

woooohoooo this movies looks great.
Great scenery and culture.

Plus not too many cruise movies are bad.

I can't wait.

 

[Chad A Wright]

It may be inconsistent as hell, but next to ROTK, this my next most anticipated film. Unlike a lot of people, I don't really have a problem with Tom Cruise. I've enjoyed quite a few of his films. I also love samurai films. Combine the two and you have a winner in my book.

 

[TheLongshot]

I'm still looking forward to this film. It looks great.

Jason

 

[John Doran]

I'm still looking forward to this film. It looks great.

me too. and yes, it certainly does.

 

[Michael Martin]

Anyone know the source for the teaser and trailer music - specifically the intense drums near the end? I can't find any info online identifying. Of course, it is possible that it was made specially for the marketing campaign.

 

[Steve_Tk]

That sure was a nice teaser.

 

[Scott_Jua]

remember cruise is a westerner who is trained in the art of kenjutsu - it's understandable (and perhaps even to be expected) that he would add his own personalizing embellishments to the technique.

I think I remember it was a Bokken now, instead of a live blade katana, but still... I buy this if he is a hollywood actor sent over to Japan to embellish and make mockery of the arts, but in that time period I would find it hard to believe that men who used the weapon (Even Union/U.S. Soldiers) like a saber (not katana) as a side arm to play with. I don't think anyone actually had the bright idea that twirling blades around was cool, when it offered nothing in the realm of practicality other than to feel Cool.

Anyone actually know the history of American soldier training with weapons in this time period? I'm sure twirling and show-boating wasn't the norm, or probably didn't exist at all...??? What I'm trying to say is I doubt that men of his supposed training would take weilding and training with deadly weapons so cavalierly.

Sorry, maybe I'm bitter, but in practical Kenjutsu and in this era of Japan, it's likely that a Samurai would have lsot the duel due to laughin at cruise with his twirly comedy act.

 

[John Doran]

I buy this if he is a hollywood actor sent over to Japan to embellish and make mockery of the arts, but in that time period I would find it hard to believe that men who used the weapon (Even Union/U.S. Soldiers) like a saber (not katana) as a side arm to play with. I don't think anyone actually had the bright idea that twirling blades around was cool, when it offered nothing in the realm of practicality other than to feel Cool.

yikes. i think maybe you're drastically misinterpreting the footage in the trailer: he does indeed have a bokken, and what he does is one slow "twirl" with it in his right hand just prior to entering his initial stance. i am not sure how this in any way constitutes a "mockery" of the art of kenjutsu.

as for the function of such "twirling", while i can't speak to kenjutsu, i can tell you that exactly that move does figure significantly into the filipino stick-fighting martial arts (kali, arnis), and is used not only combatively, but also in training as a means of increasing the flexibility of the wrist; ideally, you should be able to have the weapon in a full fist - with no fingers opened or slack on the hilt - and to spin it around so that it looks like the weapon is spinning on a string.

of course, if one kind of sword-based art uses the technique, it's to be expected that it will appear as a form in other similar arts, just like the certain angles of attack and thrusts and parries are common to many weapons-based fighting systems.

but at any rate, purely on the narrative side of things, from what i can gather of cruise's character, it certainly doesn't seem implausible that the "twirl" would be an expression of what might be reasonably understood as his fundamental self-assuredness or cockiness, you know? i wouldn't be altogether surprised to see him get pantsed right after that move....

 

[Shane Gralaw]

I saw this trailer in front of Matrix Reloaded in a theater in Tokyo and the crowd didn't react at all. Of course Japanese audiences never make noise in the theater anyway, so I'm not sure what to make of the non-reaction. But I thought, hey- they love Tom Cruise and it is set here so I thought this might be an exception, but no...

 

[Sean Moon]

The twirling could be a form of self expression. It is a signature thing that he does. I am learning some Japanese sword arts myself. The twirl is not really touched upon by my instructor, but in one stance I use a small twirl to reposition my blade, and my instructor likes the fact that I added a form of self expression to it all. But to each their own.

 

[Scott_Jua]

John and Sean, I agree with you both on that it's possible for character's sake, but in the context of the movie and times it kind of gripes me since I believe this would not be a common thing, or even possibly not widely visible "expression".

It's another cruise-ism that irks me, as well as the forcing of american hollywood bravado on a traditional subject. But hey, I could be wrong, there may have been the one or two American soldiers at that time to have come up with this. Maybe Cruise's character was one of them, but I jsut hope, like you said, that he get's put to the ground soon after.

In the end I'll see the movie, and take it on face value... leave the trashy parts for dead and take away what I like about it. Hopefully there's some to like.

 

[Chad A Wright]

Then, God bless the Japanese. Don't even get me started on talking in the theater. That's why I don't like going to the movies with my father-in-law.