The Last Samurai

{{short description|2003 film by Edward Zwick}} {{About|the film|the unrelated novel|The Last Samurai (novel){{!}}''The Last Samurai'' (novel)|other uses}} {{Use American English|date=March 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox film | image = The Last Samurai.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Edward Zwick | screenplay = {{Plainlist| * John Logan * Edward Zwick * Marshall Herskovitz }} | story = Vincent Ward | producer = {{Plainlist| * Marshall Herskovitz * Edward Zwick * Tom Cruise * Paula Wagner * Scott Kroopf * Tom Engelman }} | starring = {{Plainlist| * Tom Cruise * Timothy Spall * Ken Watanabe * Billy Connolly * Tony Goldwyn * Hiroyuki Sanada * Koyuki Kato }} | cinematography = John Toll | editing = {{Plainlist| * Steven Rosenblum * Victor Dubois }} | music = Hans Zimmer | production_companies = {{Plainlist| * Warner Bros. Pictures<ref>{{cite web |title=The Last Samurai |url=https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/international/showcase/last-samurai |website=New Zealand Film Commission |access-date=28 February 2024}}</ref> * Radar Pictures<ref name="AFI">{{cite web |title=The Last Samurai - AFI{{!}}Catalog |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/54275 |website=American Film Institute |access-date=28 February 2024}}</ref> * The Bedford Falls Company<ref name="AFI"/> * Cruise/Wagner Productions<ref name="AFI"/> * Samurai Pictures, LLC<ref name="AFI"/> }} | distributor = Warner Bros. Pictures | released = {{Film date|2003|11|20|Tokyo|2003|12|05|United States}} | runtime = 154 minutes<ref>{{cite web |title=The Last Samurai |url=https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/last-samurai-2004-3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414055408/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/last-samurai-2004-3 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 14, 2016 | publisher=British Board of Film Classification |access-date=April 1, 2016}}</ref> | country = United States<ref name=afi>{{Cite web |title=The Last Samurai |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/54275 |access-date=2024-05-29 |website=AFI Catalog of Feature Films}}</ref> | language = {{Plainlist| * English * Japanese }} | budget = $140 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |title=The Last Samurai (2003) |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lastsamurai.htm |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=September 17, 2012}}</ref> | gross = $456.8 million<ref name="BOM"/> }}

'''''The Last Samurai''''' is a 2003 American epic period action drama film directed and produced by Edward Zwick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan. The film stars Tom Cruise, who also produced, along with Timothy Spall, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Koyuki Kato in supporting roles. The film's plot was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, led by Saigō Takamori, and the Westernization of Japan by foreign powers.{{Efn|In the film the United States is portrayed as the primary force behind the push for Westernization, despite mostly European powers influencing this historically.}}

Cruise portrays Nathan Algren, an American captain of the 7th Cavalry Regiment, whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in 19th century Japan. The character of Algren is very loosely based on Eugène Collache and Jules Brunet, both French Imperial Guard officers who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War.<ref name="protein_ambig">{{Cite journal|last1=Loudcher|first1=Jean-François|last2=Faurillon|first2=Christian|date=2017|title=The influence of French gymnastics and military French boxing on the creation of modern karate (1867-1914)|journal=Martial Arts Studies|volume=11|issue=11|pages=80–11|doi=10.18573/mas.135|issn=2057-5696|doi-access=free}}</ref>

''The Last Samurai'' premiered in Tokyo on November 20, 2003 before being released by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 5, 2003. The film grossed a total of $456.8 million<ref name="BOM" /> at the box office and became the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2003. It received mixed-to-positive reviews, with praise for the acting, visuals, cinematography and Hans Zimmer's score, but criticism for some of its portrayals. It was nominated for several awards, including four Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and two National Board of Review Awards.

== Plot ==  In 1876, former U.S. Army Captain Nathan Algren, an alcoholic traumatized by his actions during the American Indian Wars, is in San Francisco advertising for a gun making company. After being let go, he is brought before his former commanding officer, Colonel Bagley. Bagley asks him to train the newly created Imperial Japanese Army for a Japanese businessman, Matsue Omura, who intends to use the army to suppress a samurai rebellion against Japan's new emperor. Despite his hatred of Bagley after being ordered to massacre a Cheyenne village, Algren takes the job for the money. His old friend, Sergeant Zebulon Gant, accompanies him. Upon arriving, Algren meets Simon Graham, a British translator knowledgeable about the samurai.

Algren struggles to train the poorly disciplined Imperial conscripts. Omura and Bagley arrive with word of an attack by the rebels on one of Omura's railroads. Against his wishes, Algren is forced to lead a counterattack. His fears are proven true when the conscripts flee in terror and are easily routed by the samurai, while Gant is killed. Algren is wounded, and he is taken prisoner when samurai leader Moritsugu Katsumoto spares him. Imperial General Hasegawa, a former samurai who once served with Katsumoto, is allowed to commit ''seppuku''.

Algren is taken to Katsumoto's village and, at Katsumoto's request, is taken in and tended to by Taka, Katsumoto's sister, who Algren later realizes is the widow of a samurai he killed before being taken prisoner. While initially poorly treated, he eventually gains the samurai's respect. With Taka's help, Algren overcomes his alcoholism and guilt, learns the Japanese culture as well as the language, and is trained in the art of kenjutsu. He develops sympathy for the samurai, who are upset that modernization has eroded their political power and traditions. Algren and Taka develop an unspoken affection for each other.

One night, ninjas infiltrate the village and ambush Katsumoto. Algren saves Katsumoto's life and then helps defend the village, concluding that Omura is responsible. Katsumoto requests a meeting with Emperor Meiji in Tokyo. He brings Algren, intending to release him. Upon arriving, Algren observes how the Imperial Army is now fully trained and equipped. Katsumoto, to his dismay, discovers that the young and inexperienced emperor is a puppet of Omura. At a government meeting, Omura orders Katsumoto's arrest for carrying a sword in public and offers him either ''seppuku'' or the humiliation of a trial. Katsumoto's son, Nobutada, is publicly humiliated by soldiers who chop off his topknot.

A disgusted Algren resigns his post in the Imperial Army. After defeating Imperial agents sent by Omura to assassinate him, Algren enlists Graham to smuggle him and a band of men into Katsumoto's cell to free him. During the rescue, Nobutada is seriously wounded and sacrifices himself to allow the others to escape.

As the Imperial Army marches to crush the rebellion, a grieving Katsumoto contemplates ''seppuku'', but Algren convinces him to fight and pledges to join the samurai in battle. Taka dresses Algren in her late husband's samurai armor, and Katsumoto presents him with a newly forged samurai sword engraved with an inscription dubbing Algren "the warrior in which the old ways have joined the new."

On the battlefield, Algren and Katsumoto meet with Omura and Bagley for parley; Katsumoto refuses to surrender. The samurai use the Imperial Army's overconfidence to lure them into a trap; the ensuing battle inflicts massive casualties on both sides. Realizing that defeat is inevitable, Katsumoto orders his surviving followers to join him in a suicidal cavalry charge. Bagley is slain by Algren, but the samurai are quickly mowed down by Gatling guns. Deeply touched and filled with remorse by the slaughter, Omura's men disobey him and stop firing. Katsumoto, mortally wounded, commits ''seppuku'' with Algren's help as the soldiers kneel in respect.

Later, as trade negotiations conclude, the injured Algren interrupts the proceedings. He presents the emperor with Katsumoto's sword and asks him to remember the traditions for which Katsumoto and his fellow samurai fought and died. The emperor realizes that while Japan should modernize, it can't forget its own culture and history. He rejects the trade offer, and when Omura protests, the emperor silences him with a threat to seize his assets. The emperor asks Algren how Katsumoto died, to which Algren responds that he will instead tell the emperor how he lived. Algren returns to the village to reunite with Taka.

==Cast== {{Multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=300 | image1 = Tom_Cruise_by_Gage_Skidmore_2.jpg | image2 = Ken_Watanabe_2007_(cropped).jpg | footer = Tom Cruise (left) and Ken Watanabe play Capt. Nathan Algren and Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto respectively. Watanabe garnered critical acclaim for his performance as Katsumoto, earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. }} *Tom Cruise as Captain Nathan Algren, a Civil War and Indian War veteran. Although he is an exceptionally talented soldier, he is haunted by his role in the massacre of Native Americans at the Sand Creek or Chivington and/or the massacre of Native Americans at the Washita River. Following his discharge from the United States Army, he agrees to help the new Meiji Restoration government train its first Western-style conscript army for a significant sum of money. During the army's first battle he is captured by the samurai Katsumoto and taken to the village of Katsumoto's son, where he soon becomes intrigued with the way of the samurai and decides to join them in their cause. His journal entries reveal his impressions about traditional Japanese culture, which almost immediately evolve into unrestrained admiration of Japan. *Ken Watanabe as the reactionary Lord Moritsugu Katsumoto, the eponymous "Last Samurai," a former ''daimyo'' who was once Emperor Meiji's most trusted teacher. His displeasure with the influence of Omura and other Western reformers on the Emperor lead him to organize his fellow samurai in a revolt, which he hopes will convince the government not to destroy the samurai's place and power in Japanese society. Katsumoto is based on real-life samurai Saigō Takamori, who led the Satsuma Rebellion. Takamori, however, supported modernizing Japan in general and used firearms, unlike the far more reactionary Katsumoto. *Koyuki as Taka Katsumoto, widow of a samurai slain by Nathan Algren and younger sister of Moritsugu. She and Algren develop feelings for each other, and she gives him her husband's armor to wear in the final battle of the rebellion. *Timothy Spall as Simon Graham, a British photographer and scholar hired as an interpreter for Captain Algren and his non-English speaking soldiers. Initially portrayed as a friendly yet mission-oriented and practical-minded companion, he later comes to sympathize with the samurai cause and helps Algren rescue Katsumoto from Imperial soldiers. Graham is loosely based on real-life British Japanologist Ernest Mason Satow, who befriended Saigō Takamori during the Satsuma rebellion. *Shin Koyamada as Nobutada Katsumoto, Katsumoto's only son and lord of the village where Algren is sent. Nobutada befriends Algren when Katsumoto assigns him to teach Algren Japanese culture and the Japanese language. He dies when he willingly chooses to distract Imperial troops so his father can escape their custody. *Tony Goldwyn as Colonel Bagley, Nathan Algren's former commanding officer in the 7th Cavalry Regiment. Ruthless and amoral, Bagley convinces Algren to serve as a training instructor for the Imperial Army despite Algren's hatred of Bagley for his role in the Washita River massacre. In contrast to Algren, Bagley is arrogant and dismissive of the samurai, at one point referring to them as nothing more than "savages with bows and arrows". He is killed by Algren who throws a sword into his chest when Bagley tries to shoot Katsumoto in the final battle. *Masato Harada as Matsue Omura, an industrialist and pro-reform politician. He quickly imports Westernization and modernization while making money for himself through his ownership of Japan's railroads. Coming from a merchant family, a social class repressed during the days of Shogun rule, Omura openly expresses his contempt for the samurai and takes advantage of Emperor Meiji's youth to become his chief advisor, persuading him to form a Western-style army for the sole purpose of wiping out Katsumoto and his rebels while ignoring their grievances. His appearance is designed to evoke the image of Ōkubo Toshimichi, a leading reformer during the Meiji Restoration. Omura is shown to be an intelligent businessman and favors social mobility and greater political equality in Japan. He, however, is shown to be relatively naive on military matters. *Shichinosuke Nakamura as Emperor Meiji. Credited with the implementation of the Meiji reforms to Japanese society, the Emperor is eager to import Western ideas and practices to modernize and empower Japan to become a strong nation. However, his inexperience causes him to rely heavily on the advice of men like Omura, who have their own agendas. *Hiroyuki Sanada as Ujio, a master swordsman and one of Katsumoto's most trusted followers. Initially showing the most disdain towards Algren during the latter's time in captivity, he teaches Algren the art of sword fighting, coming to respect him as an equal. He is one of the last samurai to die in the final battle, being gunned down during Katsumoto's charge. *Seizo Fukumoto as Silent Samurai, an elderly samurai tasked with monitoring Algren during his time in the village, who calls the samurai "Bob". "Bob" ultimately saves Algren's life (and speaking for the first and only time, "Algren-san!") by taking a bullet meant for him in the final battle. *Billy Connolly as Sergeant Zebulon Gant, an Irish American Civil War veteran who served with and is loyal to Algren, persuading him to come to Japan and working with him to train the Imperial Army. During the first battle, he is killed by Hirotaro (Taka's husband) after being wounded with a spear. *Shun Sugata as Nakao, a tall samurai who wields a naginata and is skilled in jujutsu. He assists Algren in rescuing Katsumoto and dies along with the other samurai in the final battle. * Togo Igawa as General Hasegawa, a former Samurai serving in the Imperial Japanese Army. He commits seppuku after the first battle.

== Production == The producer's involvement in the film was originally developed in 1992 when Interscope Communications, a predecessor to Radar Pictures, developed the film, which was originally written by Michael Alan Eddy. Eddy sued the film's producers in 2004 claiming the WGA and Warner Bros. refused to give him credit.<ref>{{Cite magazine |author=Billboard Staff |date=2004-03-22 |title=Last Samurai' Writer Sues Producers |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/last-samurai-writer-sues-producers-1432293/ |access-date=2024-10-17 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>

Filming took place in New Zealand, mostly in the Taranaki region,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Last Samurai Filming Locations {{!}} New Zealand |url=https://www.newzealand.com/nz/feature/the-last-samurai-filming-locations/ |access-date=2022-08-11 |website=www.newzealand.com |language=en-NZ}}</ref> with mostly Japanese cast members and an American production crew. This location was chosen due to the fact that Egmont/Mount Taranaki resembles Mount Fuji, and also because there is a lot of forest and farmland in the Taranaki region. American Location Manager Charlie Harrington saw the mountain in a travel book and encouraged the producers to send him to Taranaki to scout the locations. This acted as a backdrop for many scenes, as opposed to the built up cities of Japan. Several of the village scenes were shot on the Warner Bros. Studios backlot in Burbank, California. Some scenes were shot in Kyoto and Himeji, Japan. There were 13 filming locations altogether. Tom Cruise did his own stunts for the film.

The film itself was inspired by writer and director Vincent Ward. Ward became executive producer on the film – working in development on it for nearly four years and after approaching several directors, including Francis Ford Coppola and Peter Weir, until he became interested with Edward Zwick. The film production went ahead with Zwick and was shot in Ward's native New Zealand.

Cinematographer John Toll invited Gary Capo on the project to serve as second unit director and cinematographer. Capo specifically supervised a lot of the filming of the climactic battle sequence between the Japanese army and the samurai.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theasc.com/magazine/jan04/cover/page3.html |title=American Cinematographer: T3 - Heavy Metal. - page 3|access-date=24 November 2024}}</ref>

The film was based on the stories of Eugène Collache and Jules Brunet, both French Imperial Guard officers, who fought alongside Enomoto Takeaki in the earlier Boshin War; and Philip Kearny, a United States Army (Union Army) and French Imperial Guard soldier, notable for his leadership in the American Civil War, who fought against the Tututni tribe in the Rogue River Wars in Oregon.

== Music == {{Further|The Last Samurai (soundtrack)}} {{Infobox album | name = The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture Score | type = film | artist = Hans Zimmer | cover = | alt = | released = November 25, 2003 | recorded = | venue = | studio = | genre = Soundtrack | length = 59:41 | label = Warner Sunset | producer = Hans Zimmer | prev_title = Matchstick Men | prev_year = 2003 | next_title = King Arthur | next_year = 2003 }}

'''''The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture Score''''' was released on November 25, 2003, by Warner Sunset Records.<ref name="notes">{{cite AV media notes |title=The Last Samurai: Original Motion Picture Score |others=Hans Zimmer |year=2003 |type=CD liner notes |publisher=Warner Sunset Records}}</ref> All music on the soundtrack was composed, arranged, and produced by Hans Zimmer, performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony, and conducted by Blake Neely.<ref name="Allmusic">[https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-last-samurai-original-motion-picture-soundtrack-mw0000328630 "''The Last Samurai'' – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"]. ''Allmusic.com''. Rovi Corp. Retrieved September 17, 2012.</ref> It peaked at number 24 on the US Top Soundtracks chart.<ref name="Allmusic"/>

== Release == ''The Last Samurai'' had its world premiere in Tokyo on November 20, 2003. The film was released worldwide to theaters on December 5, 2003, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

== Reception == === Critical response === Critical reception in Japan was generally positive.<ref>[http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=6157 "Sampling Japanese comment"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726064143/http://asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=6157 |date=2010-07-26 }}. ''Asia Arts''. UCLA.edu. Retrieved September 17, 2012.</ref> Tomomi Katsuta of The ''Mainichi Shinbun'' thought that the film was "a vast improvement over previous American attempts to portray Japan", noting that director Edward Zwick "had researched Japanese history, cast well-known Japanese actors and consulted dialogue coaches to make sure he didn't confuse the casual and formal categories of Japanese speech." Katsuta still found fault with the film's idealistic, "storybook" portrayal of the samurai, stating: "Our image of samurai is that they were more corrupt." As such, he said, the noble samurai leader Katsumoto "set my teeth on edge."<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news |title=Land Of the Rising Cliché |first=Motoko |last=Rich |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/04/movies/04RICH.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 4, 2004 |access-date=June 25, 2012}}</ref>

In the United States, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 65% of critics have given the film a positive review based on 216 reviews, with an average score of 6.4/10. The site's consensus states: "With high production values and thrilling battle scenes, ''The Last Samurai'' is a satisfying epic."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_samurai|title=''The Last Samurai''|website=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Fandango Media|access-date=November 2, 2021}}</ref> At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 55, based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-last-samurai "''The Last Samurai''"]. ''Metacritic''. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 17, 2012.</ref> Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=http://www.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com}}</ref>

Roger Ebert of ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "beautifully designed, intelligently written, acted with conviction, it's an uncommonly thoughtful epic."<ref>Ebert, Roger (December 5, 2003). [https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-last-samurai-2003 "''The Last Samurai''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009051738/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20031205%2FREVIEWS%2F312050302%2F1023 |date=2012-10-09 }}. ''Chicago Sun-Times''. RogerEbert.com. Retrieved August 8, 2010.</ref>

=== Box office === The film achieved higher box office receipts in Japan than in the United States.<ref>[http://www.countingdown.com/movies/567538/news?item_id=3367385 "''The Last Samurai'' (2003) – News"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210094002/http://countingdown.com/movies/567538/news?item_id=3367385 |date=2009-02-10 }}. ''CountingDown.com''. Retrieved September 17, 2012.</ref> Upon its debut, it collected a total opening weekend gross of $8 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/japan-swept-up-by-last-samurai/4016400.article|title=Japan swept up by Last Samurai}}</ref> Overall, it ranked number two at the box office behind ''Finding Nemo''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/nemo-finds-459m-in-stunning-weekend-for-bvi/4016422.article|title=Nemo finds $45.9m in stunning weekend for BVI}}</ref> It became the highest-grossing R-rated film there, surpassing ''The Matrix Reloaded''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.screendaily.com/the-last-samurai-smashes-through-250m-barrier/4017220.article|title=The Last Samurai smashes through $250m barrier}}</ref> The film grossed $456.8 million against a production budget of $140 million. It grossed $111,127,263 in the United States and Canada, and $345,631,718 in other countries.<ref name="mojo">{{Cite web|title = The Last Samurai (2003) - Box Office Mojo|url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lastsamurai.htm|website = www.boxofficemojo.com|access-date = 2016-01-28}}</ref> It was one of the most successful box office hits in Japan,<ref>{{cite news |title=Aiming to get its name in lights, Japan pitches movie locations |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Aiming-to-get-its-name-in-lights-Japan-pitches-movie-locations |access-date=January 25, 2019 |work=Nikkei Asian Review |date=January 23, 2018}}</ref> where it grossed {{JPY|13.7 billion}} ({{US$|132 million|long=no}}).<ref name="Schwarzacher (2005)">{{cite news |first=Lukas |last=Schwarzacher |title=Japan's B.O. tops record |date=1 February 2005 |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2005/film/news/japan-s-b-o-tops-record-1117917255/ |access-date=10 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714125658/http://variety.com/2005/film/news/japan-s-b-o-tops-record-1117917255/ |archive-date=2014-07-14 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Accolades === {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |- ! scope="col" | Award ! scope="col" | Date of ceremony ! scope="col" | Category ! scope="col" | Recipient(s) ! scope="col" | Result ! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Refh}} |- ! scope="row" rowspan="4"| Academy Awards | rowspan="4"| {{sort|2004-02-29|February 29, 2004}}<ref name="Oscars"/> | Best Supporting Actor | Ken Watanabe | {{nom}} | rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="Oscars">{{cite web |title=THE 76TH ACADEMY AWARDS｜2004 |date=October 4, 2014 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2004 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508171359/https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2004 |archive-date=2019-05-08 |accessdate=2021-12-15 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences}}</ref> |- | Best Production Design | Lilly Kilvert and Gretchen Rau | {{nom}} |- | Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson | {{nom}} |- | Best Sound | Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Jeff Wexler | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| ADG Excellence in Production Design Awards | {{sort|2004-02-14|February 14, 2004}}<ref>{{cite web |date=2004-01-22 |title=Press Release Detail |url=http://www.artdirectors.org/scenic/news_press/press_detail.php?entryid=38 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051225094210/http://www.artdirectors.org/scenic/news_press/press_detail.php?entryid=38 |archivedate=2005-12-25 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |publisher=Art Directors Guild}}</ref> | Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film | Lilly Kilvert, Christopher Burian-Mohr, Jess Gonchor, Kim Sinclair, Tristan Paris Bourne, Martha Johnston, Elizabeth Flaherty, Harry E. Otto and John Berger | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{Cite web |title=SELECT YEAR: 2004 / 8TH ADG AWARDS WINNERS & NOMINEES |url=https://adg.org/awards/adg/winners/2004/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725033646/https://adg.org/awards/adg/winners/2004/ |archive-date=2018-07-25 |access-date=2021-12-22 |publisher=Art Directors Guild}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| African-American Film Critics Association Awards | {{sort|2003-12-22|December 22, 2003}}<ref name="AAFCAA"/> | Top 10 | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{runner-up|5th place}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="AAFCAA">{{Cite web |date=2003-12-22 |title=The African American Film Critics Association Select The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King As The Top Film Of 2003 |url=http://www.blackfilm.com/20031219/features/aafca_topten.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019125630/http://www.blackfilm.com/20031219/features/aafca_topten.shtml |archive-date=2012-10-19 |access-date=2021-12-23 |website=blackfilm.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2003-12-25 |title=Director Honored |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/248602074/ |url-access=subscription |accessdate=2023-02-07 |newspaper=The Baltimore Sun |page=2E |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| All Def Movie Awards | {{sort|2017-02-27|February 27, 2017}}<ref name="All Def"/> | Most Out of Place White Person in a Movie | Tom Cruise | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="All Def">{{Cite news |date=2017-02-27 |title=Russell Simmons' All Def Movie Awards return with irreverence, silliness for a second year |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mg-all-def-movie-awards-20170224-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222153709/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mg-all-def-movie-awards-20170224-story.html |archive-date=2021-12-22 |access-date=2021-12-22 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| American Film Institute Awards | {{sort|2003-12-15|December 15, 2003}}<ref name="AFIA"/> | AFI Movies of the Year | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI AWARDS 2003 |url=https://www.afi.com/award/afi-awards-2003/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200528140442/https://www.afi.com/award/afi-awards-2003/ |archive-date=2020-05-28 |access-date=2021-12-29 |publisher=American Film Institute}}</ref><ref name="AFIA">{{Cite news |date=2003-12-15 |title='Splendor' among AFI's top movies of '03 |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/splendor-among-afis-top-movies-03-wbna3717788 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230022913/https://www.today.com/popculture/splendor-among-afis-top-movies-03-wbna3717788 |archive-date=2021-12-30 |access-date=2021-12-29 |website=TODAY.com}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| American Society of Cinematographers Awards | {{sort|2004-02-08|February 8, 2004}}<ref>{{cite web |title=18th Annual ASC Awards |url=http://theasc.com:80/awards/index.html?18th_awards.htm~main |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006062316/http://www.theasc.com/awards/index.html?18th_awards.htm~main |archivedate=2007-10-06 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |publisher=American Society of Cinematographers}}</ref> | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases | John Toll | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web |title=18th Annual ASC Awards — 2003 |url=http://www.theasc.com/asc_news/awards/awards_history.php |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100307131724/http://www.theasc.com/asc_news/awards/awards_history.php |archivedate=2010-03-07 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |publisher=American Society of Cinematographers}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | {{sort|2004-04-21|April 21, 2004}}<ref name="ASCAPA"/> | Top Box Office Films | Hans Zimmer | {{won}}{{Efn|Tied with 12 other people}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="ASCAPA2">{{cite web |title=ASCAP HONORS TOP FILM AND TELEVISION COMPOSERS AND SONGWRITERS AT 19TH ANNUAL AWARDS CELEBRATION |url=http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/filmtv/2004/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040613065325/http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/awards/filmtv/2004/ |archivedate=2004-06-13 |accessdate=2021-12-24 |publisher=American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers}}</ref><ref name="ASCAPA">{{Cite news |last=Gallo |first=Phil |date=2004-04-22 |title=Film, TV composers score ASCAP honors |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/film-tv-composers-score-ascap-honors-1117903644/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619204055/https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/film-tv-composers-score-ascap-honors-1117903644/ |archive-date=2021-06-19 |access-date=2021-12-24 |work=Variety}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Blue Ribbon Awards | {{sort|2004-02-00|February 2004}} | Special Award | Ken Watanabe | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ja:２００３年第４６回ブルーリボン賞 |trans-title=2003 46th Blue Ribbon Awards |url=https://www.allcinema.net/award/ブルーリボン賞(2003) |access-date=2021-12-23 |work=allcinema |language=ja}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Cinema Audio Society Awards | {{sort|2004-02-21|February 21, 2004}}<ref name="CASA"/> | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures | Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Jeff Wexler | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="CASA">{{cite web |title=The 2004 Cinema Audio Society Awards For Outstanding Achievement In Sound Mixing |url=http://www.cinemaaudiosociety.org/html/noms.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040201211027/http://www.cinemaaudiosociety.org/html/noms.html |archivedate=2004-02-01 |accessdate=2021-12-23 |publisher=Cinema Audio Society}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Costume Designers Guild Award | {{sort|2004-02-22|February 22, 2004}}<ref name="CDGA">{{cite web |title=COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF ITS SIXTH ANNUAL COSTUME DESIGNERS GUILD AWARDS |url=http://costumedesignersguild.com/news/2004(6th)AwrdWinnersPrssRelsemodified.pdf |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040621184724/http://costumedesignersguild.com/news/2004(6th)AwrdWinnersPrssRelsemodified.pdf |archivedate=2004-06-21 |accessdate=2021-12-23 |publisher=Costume Designers Guild }}</ref> | Excellence in Period/Fantasy Film | Ngila Dickson | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite news |last=Variety Staff |date=2004-02-12 |title=Feature costume noms |url=https://variety.com/2004/more/news/feature-costume-noms-1117899995/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220101062844/https://variety.com/2004/more/news/feature-costume-noms-1117899995/ |archive-date=2022-01-01 |access-date=2022-01-01 |work=Variety}}</ref><ref name="CDGA"/> |- ! scope="row" rowspan="3"| Critics' Choice Movie Awards | rowspan="3"| {{sort|2004-01-10|January 10, 2004}}<ref name="CCMA"/><ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-01-13 |title='Rings' cycle continues with four Critics' Choice Awards |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-13-et-critics13-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306163639/http://articles.latimes.com/2004/jan/13/entertainment/et-critics13 |archive-date=2016-03-06 |access-date=2021-12-25 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> | Best Picture | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{nom}} | rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="CCMA">{{cite web |date=2004-01-10 |title=THE 9th CRITICS' CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS WINNERS AND NOMINEES |url=http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/2003.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/60jmekfJO?url=http://www.bfca.org/ccawards/2003.php |archive-date=2011-08-06 |access-date=2021-12-25 |publisher=Broadcast Film Critics Association}}</ref> |- | Best Supporting Actor | Ken Watanabe | {{nom}} |- | Best Score | Hans Zimmer | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | rowspan="2"| {{sort|2004-01-06|January 6, 2004}}<ref name="DFWFCA"/> | Top 10 Films | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{won}} | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="DFWFCA">{{Cite news |last=Rooney |first=David |date=2004-01-06 |title=Jackson, 'King' top Dallas crix list |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/jackson-king-top-dallas-crix-list-1117897885/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241217173213/https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/jackson-king-top-dallas-crix-list-1117897885/ |archive-date=2024-12-17 |access-date=2024-11-29 |website=Variety}}</ref> |- | Best Supporting Actor | Ken Watanabe | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| EMMA Awards | {{sort|2004-05-24|May 24, 2004}}<ref name="EMMA"/> | Best Film Actor | Tom Cruise | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="EMMA">{{Cite news |date=2004-05-25 |title=Passion wins Emma media awards |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3743853.stm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211230022918/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3743853.stm |archive-date=2021-12-30 |access-date=2021-12-23 |website=BBC}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" rowspan="3"| Golden Globe Awards | rowspan="3"| {{sort|2004-01-25|January 25, 2004}}<ref name="GGA"/> | Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Tom Cruise | {{nom}} | rowspan="3" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Last Samurai |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/last-samurai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215093002/https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/last-samurai |archive-date=2021-12-15 |access-date=2021-12-15 |website=www.goldenglobes.com}}</ref><ref name="GGA">{{Cite news |last=Hayes |first=Dade |date=2004-01-26 |title=By Gollum, it's 'The King' |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/by-gollum-it-s-the-king-1117899023/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111164947/http://variety.com/2004/film/awards/by-gollum-it-s-the-king-1117899023/ |archive-date=2018-01-11 |access-date=2021-12-15 |work=Variety}}</ref> |- | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Ken Watanabe | {{nom}} |- | Best Original Score | Hans Zimmer | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Golden Reel Awards | rowspan="2"| {{sort|2004-02-28|February 28, 2004}}<ref name="GRA"/> | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR for Feature Film | Mark Stoeckinger, Kerry Dean Williams, Laura Harris Atkinson, Anna MacKenzie, Kelly Oxford, Michelle Pazer and David A. Cohen | {{nom}} | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite news |last=Graser |first=Marc |date=2004-01-20 |title='Pirates' reels in most MPSE noms |url=https://variety.com/2004/tv/awards/pirates-reels-in-most-mpse-noms-1117898745/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224213759/https://variety.com/2004/tv/awards/pirates-reels-in-most-mpse-noms-1117898745/ |archive-date=2021-02-24 |access-date=2021-12-23 |work=Variety}}</ref><ref name="GRA">{{Cite news |date=2004-03-18 |title=MPSE Golden Reel Awards Announced |url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/mpse-golden-reel-awards-announced-376528 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223132036/https://www.mixonline.com/recording/mpse-golden-reel-awards-announced-376528 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |access-date=2021-12-23 |work=Mix}}</ref> |- | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley for Feature Film | Mark Stoeckinger, Michael Kamper, Jon Title, Craig S. Jaeger, Christopher Assells, Dino Dimuro, Alan Rankin, Bruce Tanis, Ben Wilkins, Bob Beher and Frank Smathers | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| Japan Academy Film Prize | {{sort|2005-02-18|February 18, 2005}}<ref>{{cite web |script-title=ja:■2005（第28回）「日本アカデミー賞最優秀賞予想クイズ」 |url=http://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/quiz01.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050220033337/http://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/quiz01.html |archivedate=2005-02-20 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |language=ja |script-website=ja:{{lang|ja|日本アカデミー賞}} |trans-website=Japan Academy Film Prize}}</ref> | Outstanding Foreign Language Film | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="JAP">{{cite web |script-title=ja:第28回日本アカデミー賞優秀作品 |url=https://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/prizes/?t=28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117104229/https://www.japan-academy-prize.jp/prizes/?t=28 |archive-date=2019-01-17 |accessdate=2021-12-16 |language=ja |script-website=ja:{{lang|ja|日本アカデミー賞}} |trans-website=Japan Academy Film Prize}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild Award | rowspan="2"| {{sort|2004-01-17|January 17, 2004}}<ref name="MAHSG"/> | Best Period Hair Styling - Feature | Janice Alexander, Terry Baliel, Karen Asano-Myers, Carol Pershing and Kimberley Spiteri | {{won}} | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosen |first=Lisa |date=2004-01-16 |title=Hollywood's great-hair day |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-16-et-rosen16-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223040012/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-16-et-rosen16-story.html |archive-date=2021-12-23 |access-date=2021-12-23 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name="MAHSG">{{Cite news |last=Feiwell |first=Jill |date=2004-01-18 |title=Hair, makeup nods weaved |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/hair-makeup-nods-weaved-1117898661/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223040012/https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/hair-makeup-nods-weaved-1117898661/ |archive-date=2021-12-23 |access-date=2021-12-23 |work=Variety}}</ref> |- | Best Period Makeup - Feature | Lois Burwell, Margaret E. Elliott and Tina Harrelson | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| MTV Movie & TV Awards | {{sort|2004-06-05|June 5, 2004}}<ref name="MTV"/> | Best Actor in a Movie | Tom Cruise | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite news |last=Mancini |first=Rob |date=2004-04-19 |title='Pirates Of The Caribbean' The Flick To Beat At 2004 MTV Movie Awards |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1486450/pirates-of-the-caribbean-the-flick-to-beat-at-2004-mtv-movie-awards/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225082800/http://www.mtv.com/news/1486450/pirates-of-the-caribbean-the-flick-to-beat-at-2004-mtv-movie-awards/ |archive-date=2021-12-25 |access-date=2021-12-25 |work=MTV News}}</ref><ref name="MTV">{{cite web |title=MTV Movie Awards｜2004 |url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2004/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726021926/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2004/ |archivedate=2008-07-26 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |website=MTV}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Variety Staff |date=2004-06-07 |title='King's' the thing at MTV Movie Awards |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/king-s-the-thing-at-mtv-movie-awards-1117906074/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617230041/https://variety.com/2004/film/markets-festivals/king-s-the-thing-at-mtv-movie-awards-1117906074/ |archive-date=2022-06-17 |access-date=2022-01-01 |work=Variety}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| MTV Movie Awards Mexico | {{sort|2004-06-22|June 22, 2004}}<ref>{{cite web |title=2004 MTV Movie Awards |url=http://www.mtvla.com/canal/especiales/movieawards/ma04/ |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040701051117/http://www.mtvla.com/canal/especiales/movieawards/ma04/ |archivedate=2004-07-01 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |website=MTVla.com}}</ref> | Most Funniest "Gringo" in Japan | Tom Cruise | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite news |title=DIEGO LUNA EL BUFALO DE LA NOCHE |url=https://www.lasnoticiasmexico.com/68642.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225084535/https://www.lasnoticiasmexico.com/68642.html |archive-date=2021-12-25 |access-date=2021-12-25 |work=Las Noticias México |language=es}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| National Board of Review Award | rowspan="2"| {{sort|2003-12-03|December 3, 2003}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rooney |first=David |date=2003-12-02 |title='Samurai' lenser Toll draws career kudos |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/awards/samurai-lenser-toll-draws-career-kudos-1117896462/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217094830/https://variety.com/2003/film/awards/samurai-lenser-toll-draws-career-kudos-1117896462/ |archive-date=2021-12-17 |access-date=2021-12-17 |work=Variety}}</ref> | Top Ten Films | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{won}} | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite web |title=The Last Samurai |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/search/The%20Last%20Samurai/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216092711/https://nationalboardofreview.org/search/The%20Last%20Samurai/ |archive-date=2021-12-16 |access-date=2021-12-16 |publisher=National Board of Review}}</ref><ref name="NBR">{{Cite web |title=2003 Award Winners |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/2003/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429120412/https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/2003/ |archive-date=2020-04-29 |access-date=2021-12-16 |publisher=National Board of Review}}</ref> |- | Best Director | Edward Zwick | {{won}} |- ! scope="row"| Nikkan Sports Film Awards | {{sort|2004-12-29|December 29, 2004}}<ref name="NSFA"/> | Best Foreign Film | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite web |script-title=ja:歴代受賞者・作品 - 日刊スポーツ映画大賞 |url=https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/award/ns-cinema/history/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713231041/https://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/award/ns-cinema/history/ |archive-date=2017-07-13 |access-date=2021-12-23 |language=ja |script-work=ja:日刊スポーツ |trans-work=Nikkan Sports}}</ref><ref name="NSFA">{{cite news |date=2004-12-29 |script-title=ja:渡辺謙、ビデオで喜び報告／映画大賞 |url=http://www.nikkansports.com/ns/entertainment/p-et-tp0-041229-0002.html |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041229082829/http://www.nikkansports.com/ns/entertainment/p-et-tp0-041229-0002.html |archivedate=2004-12-29 |accessdate=2021-12-23 |language=ja |script-work=ja:日刊スポーツ |trans-work=Nikkan Sports}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" rowspan="2"| Online Film Critics Society Awards | rowspan="2"| {{sort|2004-01-05|January 5, 2004}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Kimberly |date=2003-12-30 |title=Online crix nod to 'King' |url=https://variety.com/2003/scene/awards/online-crix-nod-to-king-1117897622/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224071530/https://variety.com/2003/scene/awards/online-crix-nod-to-king-1117897622/ |archive-date=2021-12-24 |access-date=2021-12-24 |work=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rooney |first=David |date=2004-01-05 |title='King' takes crown from 3 crix' groups |url=https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/king-takes-crown-from-3-crix-groups-1117897804/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211224071530/https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/king-takes-crown-from-3-crix-groups-1117897804/ |archive-date=2021-12-24 |access-date=2021-12-24 |work=Variety}}</ref> | Best Cinematography | John Toll | {{nom}} | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-01-03 |title=2003 Awards (7th Annual) |url=https://ofcs.org/awards/2003-awards-7th-annual/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190626160734/http://ofcs.org/awards/2003-awards-7th-annual/ |archive-date=2019-06-26 |access-date=2021-12-24 |publisher=Online Film Critics Society}}</ref> |- | Best Original Score | Hans Zimmer | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| Producers Guild of America Awards | {{sort|2004-01-17|January 17, 2004}}<ref name="PGA"/> | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="PGA">{{cite web |title=Producers Guild Awards 2004 |url=http://www.producersguild.org/pg/awards_a/awards2004.asp |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215034907/http://www.producersguild.org/pg/awards_a/awards2004.asp |archivedate=2008-12-15 |accessdate=2021-12-17 |publisher=Producers Guild of America}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Susman |first=Gary |date=2004-01-06 |title=''Return of the King'' wins Producers, Online kudos |url=https://ew.com/article/2004/01/06/return-king-wins-producers-online-kudos/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217102220/https://ew.com/article/2004/01/06/return-king-wins-producers-online-kudos/ |archive-date=2021-12-17 |access-date=2021-12-17 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-01-06 |title=Producers Guild posts 6 nominees |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-06-et-quick6.2-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020202323/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-06-et-quick6.2-story.html |archive-date=2021-10-20 |access-date=2021-12-17 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2004-01-19 |title=Producers Guild goes for 'Rings' |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-19-et-producers19-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020205033/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jan-19-et-producers19-story.html |archive-date=2021-10-20 |access-date=2021-12-17 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" rowspan="10"| Satellite Awards | rowspan="10"| {{sort|2004-02-21|February 21, 2004}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Schedule & General Information |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-sked.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404025229/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-sked.html |archivedate=2004-04-04 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |publisher=International Press Academy}}</ref> | Best Motion Picture, Drama | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{nom}} | rowspan="10" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web |title=Current Nominees The 2004 8th Annual SATELLITE™ Awards Nominees |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-nominees.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040402023056/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-nominees.html |archivedate=2004-04-02 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |publisher=International Press Academy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Motion Picture Nominees and Winners 2004 8th Annual SATELLITE™ Awards |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-w2004film.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040404031144/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/ipa-satelliteawards-w2004film.html |archivedate=2004-04-04 |accessdate=2021-12-25 |publisher=International Press Academy}}</ref> |- | Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama | Tom Cruise | {{nom}} |- | Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama | Ken Watanabe | {{nom}} |- | Best Original Score | Hans Zimmer | {{won}} |- | Best Cinematography | John Toll | {{won}} |- | Best Art Direction and Production Design | Lilly Kilvert and Gretchen Rau | {{nom}} |- | Best Costume Design | Ngila Dickson | {{won}} |- | Best Editing | Victor Du Bois and Steven Rosenblum | {{won}} |- | Best Sound | Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer and Jeff Wexler | {{nom}} |- | Best Visual Effects | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row" rowspan="5"| Saturn Awards | rowspan="5"| {{sort|2004-05-05|May 5, 2004}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=DeMott |first=Rick |date=2004-05-06 |title=Return of the King Cleans Up At Saturn Awards |url=https://www.awn.com/news/return-king-cleans-saturn-awards |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101144736/http://www.awn.com/news/return-king-cleans-saturn-awards |archive-date=2016-01-01 |access-date=2021-12-25 |work=Animation World Network}}</ref> | Best Action or Adventure Film | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{nom}} | rowspan="5" style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web |title=The 30th Annual Saturn Awards Nominations |url=http://www.saturnawards.org/san30.html |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009185400/http://www.saturnawards.org/san30.html |archivedate=2004-10-09 |accessdate=2010-04-27 |publisher=Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films}}</ref> |- | Best Director | Edward Zwick | {{nom}} |- | Best Actor | Tom Cruise | {{nom}} |- | Best Supporting Actor | Ken Watanabe | {{nom}} |- | Best Performance by a Younger Actor | Sosuke Ikematsu | {{nom}} |- ! scope="row"| Screen Actors Guild Awards | {{sort|2004-02-22|February 22, 2004}}<ref name="SAGA"/> | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | Ken Watanabe | {{nom}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref>{{cite web |date=2004-01-15 |title=Nominations announced for the 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards |url=http://www.sagawards.org:80/press_release.asp?pr_Id=19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040821090229/http://www.sagawards.org/press_release.asp?pr_Id=19 |archive-date=2004-08-21 |access-date=2017-06-23 |publisher=Screen Actors Guild}}</ref><ref name="SAGA">{{cite web |date=2004-02-22 |title=Screen Actors Guild honors outstanding film and television performances in 13 categories at the 10th Annual SAG Awards |url=http://www.sagawards.org/media-pr/press-releases/screen-actors-guild-honors-outstanding-film-and-television-performances-13-c |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518124211/http://www.sagawards.org/media-pr/press-releases/screen-actors-guild-honors-outstanding-film-and-television-performances-13-c |archive-date=2017-05-18 |access-date=2017-06-23 |publisher=Screen Actors Guild}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=King |first1=Susan |date=2004-02-23 |title=In a Surprise, SAG Chooses Johnny Depp as Best Actor |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2004/feb/23/local/me-actors23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527003543/http://articles.latimes.com/2004/feb/23/local/me-actors23 |archive-date=2016-05-27 |access-date=2017-06-23 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | {{sort|2004-02-22|February 22, 2004}}<ref name="SBMA"/> | Most Overrated Movie | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"| <ref name="SBMA">{{cite web |title=2003 26th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinker Awards |url=http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/2003/2003st.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103154944/http://theenvelope.latimes.com/extras/lostmind/year/2003/2003st.htm |archivedate=2007-01-03 |accessdate=2021-12-24 |website=The Envelope |publisher=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Taurus World Stunt Awards | {{sort|2004-05-16|May 16, 2004}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Morfoot |first=Addie |date=2004-05-18 |title=Kudos no idle stunt |url=https://variety.com/2004/scene/markets-festivals/kudos-no-idle-stunt-1117905164/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204135841/https://variety.com/2004/scene/markets-festivals/kudos-no-idle-stunt-1117905164/ |archive-date=2021-12-04 |access-date=2021-12-04 |work=Variety}}</ref> | Best Fire | ''The Last Samurai'' | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref>{{Cite web |title=2004 taurus world stunt awards - Winners & Nominees |url=https://www.taurusworldstuntawards.com/awards/2004-winners-nominees/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912010943/https://www.taurusworldstuntawards.com/awards/2004-winners-nominees/ |archive-date=2018-09-12 |access-date=2021-12-16 |website=Taurus World Stunt Awards}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| Visual Effects Society Awards | {{sort|2004-02-18|February 18, 2004}}<ref name="VESA"/> | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture | Jeffrey A. Okun, Thomas Boland, Bill Mesa and Ray McIntyre Jr. | {{won}} | style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="VESA">{{Cite web |title=2nd Annual VES Awards |url=https://www.visualeffectssociety.com/portfolio-items/2003-2nd-annual-ves-awards/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216141056/https://www.visualeffectssociety.com/portfolio-items/2003-2nd-annual-ves-awards/ |archive-date=2021-12-16 |access-date=2021-12-16 |publisher=Visual Effects Society}}</ref> |}

== Criticism and debate == [[File:1873_Seikanron_Debate_Saigo_Takamori_Ukiyo-e_by_Suzuki_Toshimoto.png|thumb|right|The Seikanron debate of 1873. Saigō Takamori insisted that Japan should go to war with Korea.]] Motoko Rich of ''The New York Times'' observed that the film has opened up a debate, "particularly among Asian-Americans and Japanese," about whether the film and others like it were "racist, naïve, well-intentioned, accurate – or all of the above."<ref name="NYTimes" />

Todd McCarthy, a film critic for the ''Variety'' magazine, wrote: "Clearly enamored of the culture it examines while resolutely remaining an outsider's romanticization of it, yarn is disappointingly content to recycle familiar attitudes about the nobility of ancient cultures, Western despoilment of them, liberal historical guilt, the unrestrainable greed of capitalists and the irreducible primacy of Hollywood movie stars."<ref>McCarthy, Todd (November 30, 2003). [https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117922542?refcatid=31 "''The Last Samurai''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112174829/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117922542?refcatid=31 |date=2012-11-12}}. ''Variety''. Reed Elsevier Inc. Retrieved September 17, 2012.</ref>

According to the history professor Cathy Schultz, "Many samurai fought Meiji modernization not for altruistic reasons but because it challenged their status as the privileged warrior caste. Meiji reformers proposed the radical idea that all men essentially being equal.... The film also misses the historical reality that many Meiji policy advisors were former samurai, who had voluntarily given up their traditional privileges to follow a course they believed would strengthen Japan."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schultz |first=Cathy |date=2010-05-31 |title=The Last Samurai offers a Japanese History Lesson |url=http://www.stfrancis.edu/content/historyinthemovies/lastsamurai.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100531200536/http://www.stfrancis.edu/content/historyinthemovies/lastsamurai.htm |archive-date=2010-05-31 |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=History in the Movies}}</ref>

The fictional character of Katsumoto bears a striking resemblance to the historical figure of Saigō Takamori, a hero of the Meiji Restoration and the leader of the ineffective Satsuma Rebellion, who appears in the histories and legends of modern Japan as a hero against the corruption, extravagance, and unprincipled politics of his contemporaries. "Though he had agreed to become a member of the new government," wrote the translator and historian Ivan Morris, "it was clear from his writings and statements that he believed the ideals of the civil war were being vitiated. He was opposed to the excessively rapid changes in Japanese society and was particularly disturbed by the shabby treatment of the warrior class." Suspicious of the new bureaucracy, he wanted power to remain in the hands of the samurai class and the Emperor, and for those reasons, he had joined the central government. "Edicts like the interdiction against carrying swords and wearing the traditional topknot seemed like a series of gratuitous provocations; and, though Saigō realized that Japan needed an effective standing army to resist pressure from the West, he could not countenance the social implications of the military reforms. For this reason Saigō, although participating in the Okinoerabu government, continued to exercise a powerful appeal among disgruntled ex-samurai in Satsuma and elsewhere." Saigō fought for a moral revolution, not a material one, and he described his revolt as a check on the declining morality of a new, Westernizing materialism.<ref>Ivan Morris (1975), ''The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of japanese'', chapter 9, Saigō Takamori. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. {{ISBN|978-0030108112}}.</ref>

In 2014, the movie was one of several discussed by Keli Goff in ''The Daily Beast'' in an article on white savior narratives in film,<ref name="goff">{{cite news | last=Goff | first=Keli | url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/can-belle-end-hollywoods-obsession-with-the-white-savior | title=Can 'Belle' End Hollywood's Obsession with the White Savior? | work=The Daily Beast | date=May 4, 2014 | access-date=May 14, 2014 }}</ref> a cinematic trope studied in sociology, for which ''The Last Samurai'' has been analyzed.<ref name="hughey2014">{{cite book | last=Hughey | first=Matthew | year=2014 | title=The White Savior Film: Content, Critics, and Consumption | publisher=Temple University Press | isbn=978-1-4399-1001-6 }}</ref> David Sirota at ''Salon'' saw the film as "yet another film presenting the white Union army official as personally embodying the North's Civil War effort to liberate people of color" and criticizing the release poster as "a not-so-subtle message encouraging audiences to (wrongly) perceive the white guy -- and not a Japanese person -- as the last great leader of the ancient Japanese culture."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.salon.com/2013/02/21/oscar_loves_a_white_savior/|title=Oscar loves a white savior|date=February 22, 2013|website=Salon}}</ref>

In a 2022 interview with ''The Guardian'', Ken Watanabe stated that he didn't think of ''The Last Samurai'' as a white savior narrative and that it was a turning point for Asian representation in Hollywood. Watanabe also stated, “Before ''The Last Samurai'', there was this stereotype of Asian people with glasses, bucked teeth and a camera, [...] It was stupid, but after ''The Last Samurai'' came out, Hollywood tried to be more authentic when it came to Asian stories.”<ref name="Ann Lee">{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Ann |title='Each little thing in my life is precious': Ken Watanabe on cancer, childhood and Hollywood cliches |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/19/ken-watanabe-cancer-childhood-hollywood-cliches-last-samurai-tokyo-vice |access-date=2 October 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=19 May 2022}}</ref>

== Notes == {{notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading == * {{cite web|author=Primadhy Wicaksono|url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/157573491.pdf|title=The Influence of Bushido on Nathan Algren's Personality Development as Seen in John Logan's Movie Script <u>The Last Samurai</u>|publisher=Sanata Dharma University|place=Yogyakarta|year=2007|language=en}} - Bachelor of Education ({{langx|id|Sarjana Pendidikan}}) thesis - Written in English with an abstract in Indonesian

== External links == {{commons category}} {{Wikiquote}} * {{Official website|http://www.lastsamurai.com}} * {{IMDb title|0325710|The Last Samurai}} * {{TCMDb title|id=453987}} * {{AFI film|id=54275|title=The Last Samurai}} * {{Mojo title|lastsamurai|The Last Samurai}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090904225229/http://blogs.amctv.com/future-of-classic/2009/09/saddest-movie-deaths.php Does ''The Last Samurai'' have the saddest movie death?] at AMCTV.com

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