Didn't like this movie too much... here's my take on it

Thank you for sharing your view! I enjoyed it for what it was, a movie. Historical accuracy isn't something I'd look for in a movie. This film was made to entertain and that is what it did.

I also think this movie was overhyped a bit. Though why you take it as some historical film? Hollywood loves romanticizing everything, especially ww2 and jewish holocaust even though 99 percent of stuff that is shown in movies never happened. I accept movie as just a movie, not documentary and in this regard it was fun to watch but still I think it is just OK movie. Not good or superb, but ok.

The "American" did not solve everything. It was not "easy" for him to gain the respect of the Samurai. It only happened after he proved himself to actually be on a path to becoming one of them.

The Ninja attack...

You notice that immediately after, they bow to "The American", where before this, they did not... he was one of them now.

I enjoyed this film for the acting and direction. Edward Zwick, known for Glory, About Last Night (the good one), and Moonlighting....
The soundtrack is awesome! Hans Zimmer never disappoints.
And yes, it's all fiction, but that's what a good Director does! He turns a story into art... the great ones do, anyway.

AND....

Those of us intrigued by the actual history of Japan can go ANYWHERE (computers????) to read and learn the real history. This film and other great media like NARCOS beckon to the fans, real ones, to go research.... find out what really happened.... what motivated the production to change this or that...

And yes, that's peeking behind the curtain, but after you've seen a film or any media you actually liked and enjoyed, what better way to enrich that sentiment but to research the subject matter AND LEARN ALL YOU CAN ABOUT IT, not just seeing the 2 hour "movie"...?

What are you, a deplorable?! Never get your history from the loudmouth on tv. Always get more than one source.


I suspect you know this....

And the "American"... he's in it, and it's just my humble opinion, to WITNESS the events. To see the substance of the Samurai. To translate it. To bring it into the modern era just as Katsumoto said. Nothing in the film shows "things going great because of the American"... if anything, he f*cked up the treaty they were about to sign.

Algren (sic?) was lucky to be there. He was able to restore his own personal honor as Katsumoto also realizes before his end.
The last one.... that was Katsumoto.... Algren was there to RECORD it... why you think they focus on his journals????

The love angle...

He doesn't even get any of that in the film! It's assumed that after perhaps... but nothing is explicitly stated. The weight of Algren's guilt was clear to Taka and thru the course of the film, she waivers on her disdain for him because she can tell he IS CHANGING... maybe not into her husband, but a man who has lived and loved that what she does, understands somewhat what she does, and with that guilt of taking her husband, accepts the responsibilty to care and love for the her and her kids.

All the men of the village are dead... and this is when Algren goes back to begin anew with her....

That's NOT "winning the fight and getting the girl". Have some depth to your vision, bro.

I loathed it... there's a pompous self-importance to Ed Zwick's movies that rubs me the wrong way, and I think this is my least favourite of those I've seen. A lumbering bore from start to finish, with even Watanabe's well-liked performance a far cry from his charismatic best.

The rebelling samurai were the bad guys; not that anyone would know this by watching this film. I guess it would be like watching a WWII film with the Nazis as the good guys. :)

Interesting commentary here; https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/2746