In the 1870s a Westerner (Tom Cruise) is caught in the middle of a battle between Japan's emperor and the... (Learn more)
Starring: Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly (View All)
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Starring: Tom Cruise, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly
Captain Nathan Algren is a man adrift. The battles he once fought now seem distant and futile. Once he risked his life for honor and country, but, in the years since the Civil War, the world has changed. Pragmatism has replaced courage, self-interest has taken the place of sacrifice and honor is nowhere to be found--especially out West where his role in the Indian Campaigns ended in disillusionment and sorrow. Somewhere on the unforgiving plains near the banks of the Washita River, Algren lost his soul. A universe away, another soldier sees his way of life about to disintegrate. He is Katsumoto, the last leader of an ancient line of warriors, the venerated Samurai, who dedicated their lives to serving emperor and country. Just as the modern way encroached upon the American West, cornering and condemning the Native American, it also engulfed traditional Japan. The telegraph lines and railroads that brought progress now threaten those values and codes by which the Samurai have lived and died for centuries. But Katsumoto will not go without a fight. The paths of these two warriors converge when the young Emperor of Japan, wooed by American interests who covet the growing Japanese market, hires Algren to train Japan's first modern, conscript army. But as the Emperor's advisors attempt to eradicate the Samurai in preparation for a more Westernized and trade-friendly government, Algren finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by his encounters with the Samurai. Their powerful convictions remind him of the man he once was. Thrust now into harsh and unfamiliar territory, with his life and perhaps more important, his soul, in the balance, the troubled American soldier finds himself at the center of a violent and epic struggle between two eras and two worlds, with only his sense of honor to guide him.
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US Release Date
12/5/03
MPAA Rating
Rated R for strong language, battle sequences
Running Time
154 mins.
Locations
- Japan
- Los Angeles, California, USA
- New Zealand
Language
- English
- Japanese
Box Office Total
$111,110,575
Awards
- Nominated for a Best Score award at the 2003 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Cinematography award at the 2003 American Society of Cinematographers [ Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Costume Design award at the 2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Picture award at the 2003 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion award at the 2003 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Winner of the Best Picture award at the 2003 American Film Institute [Festival/Awar Awards.
- Winner of the Best Director award at the 2003 National Board of Review [Festival/Awa Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award at the 2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award at the 2003 Screen Actors Guild [Festival/Award] Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Sound award at the 2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Art Direction award at the 2003 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie Awards.
- Nominated for a Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama award at the 2003 Hollywood Foreign Press Association [F Awards.
- Nominated for a Producer of the Year award at the 2003 Producers Guild of America [Festival/A Awards.
Distributor
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
- Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
- Warner Brothers
