Summary:
In the 1870s, Captain Nathan Algren, a cynical veteran of the American Civil war who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing imperial army in modern warfare using firearms. The imperial Omura cabinet's first priority is to repress a rebellion of traditionalist Samurai -hereditary warriors- who remain devoted to the sacred dynasty but reject the Westernizing policy and even refuse firearms. Yet when his ill-prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. Badly wounded Algren's courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto spare his life; once nursed to health he learns to know and respect the old Japanese way, and participates as advisor in Katsumoto's failed attempt to save the Bushido tradition, but Omura gets repressive laws enacted- he must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when the conflict returns to the battlefield...
| Runtime: | 154 min |
|---|---|
| Rating: | Rated R for strong violence and battle sequences. |
| Production: | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Genres: | Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War |
| Country: | USA |
| Languages: | English, French, Japanese |
| Home Release Date: | May 4, 2004 |
| Director | Credit |
|---|---|
| Edward Zwick | Director |
| Writer | Credit |
|---|---|
| Edward Zwick | Screenplay |
| John Logan | Story |
| Marshall Herskovitz | Screenplay |
| Principal Cast | Credit |
|---|---|
| Billy Connolly | Zebulon Gant |
| Ken Watanabe | Katsumoto |
| Tom Cruise | Nathan Algren |
| Cast | Credit |
|---|---|
| Chad Lindberg | Winchester Rep Assistant |
| John Koyama | Omura's Bodyguard |
| Masashi Odate | Omura's Companion |
| Masato Harada | Omura |
| Ray Godshall Sr. | Convention Hall Attendee |
| Satoshi Nikaido | N.C.O. |
| Shichinosuke Nakamura | Emperor Meiji |
| Shintaro Wada | Young Recruit |
| Timothy Spall | Simon Graham |
| Togo Igawa | General Hasegawa |
| Tony Goldwyn | Colonel Bagley |
| William Atherton | Winchester Rep |
| Producer | Credit |
|---|---|
| Charles Mulvehill | Executive Producer |
| Edward Zwick | Producer |
| Graham Larson | Associate Producer |
| Marshall Herskovitz | Producer |
| Michael Doven | Associate Producer |
| Paula Wagner | Producer |
| Richard Solomon | Executive Producer |
| Scott Kroopf | Producer |
| Ted Field | Executive Producer |
| Tom Cruise | Producer |
| Tom Engelman | Producer |
| Vincent Ward | Executive Producer |
| Yôko Narahashi | Associate Producer |
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