MovieChat Forums > The Last Samurai (2003) Discussion > Ruined finale

Ruined finale

posted 13 years ago by anneandwalt-1
36 replies | jump to latest

(spoilers)

C'mon - Tom Cruise's character is beaten, stabbed and then shot by a gatling gun - and he survives?

The Gatling was an especially awful weapon that fired very large rounds - and we see everybody around Tom riddled in the final battle. But yet Cruise bounces back to deliver the sword to the Emperor. Would have actually been a gustier finale if he had died - yes, the world is hard and honour is noble but it rarely defeats money and "progress".

A solid adventure film but the lack 4 minutes kill the movie.

[–] PotassiumMan 11 years ago

I also believed Cruise's swift recovery to be implausible. Giving the filmmakers the benefit of the doubt, I suppose its possible that the climactic scene between Tom Cruise and the emperor could have happened days or weeks after the battle scene in which he was wounded, but watching the way the final events unfolded in such close proximity made me laugh as well.

[–] EsmagaSapos 11 years ago

The most intriguing thing I see in this forum is the criticism against a special effect/unreality of a particular film. The most important thing is the meaning, morals and lessons that every film tries to express.

About the end, frankly agreed for various reasons among them said these:

1) Nathan Algren was a typical killer, he had nightmares and shame of their past actions. At the end of the film Katsumoto said: "You already have your honor, let me have mine." So it made no sense the Nathan death.

2) The thing that Nathan wanted most was to find inner peace, find a home and he found it.

[–] rac19141 11 years ago

Cheesy ass ending. They spend all this time trying to make a movie that is believe and feel historical then throws it all away to give use a cutesy happy ending. It would be more powerful and better if he died. He did what he thought was right and would have died with his dignity. Still a good ending but more believable.

[–] Crown_vic_7 11 years ago

Your argument is absurd. Even though the film is perfect in its entirety the ending was the best part of the film. It gave you a decision to choose which ending you would rather have. For me I like to think he may of at last found some small measure of peace we all seek and few of us ever find. It has a ending for cynical people like you where he just died with nothing accomplished except the death of a bunch of warriors.

[–] fede_4488 9 years ago

Films don't give you "a decision to choose which ending you would rather have". They are not videogames, you moron

[–] tturambar 9 years ago

Films don't give you "a decision to choose which ending you would rather have". They are not videogames, you moron

More like you are the moron if you can't grasp the idea of an "open ending" that leaves the actual events to the viewers imagination. Like in this case, you can either believe that Nathan died from his wounds, or that he did actually find peace in his new life. Maybe you did not pay attention to the narrator.

And funny you bring up video games as a comparison, as those are usually forcing you down one line of story and have a fixed ending, only few (story-telling) games accomplish to have various endings, and even less make it up to your decision to choose what happens, and are often praised for that accomplishment.

[–] joelekl 11 years ago

I agree. The ending really annoyed me. Up until then it was a really good movie.

[–] d-adrian-williams 11 years ago

seems like nobody took note of the ending scene, it was to show that algren understood the samurai cause and approached the emperor as kazumoto once did, when the emperor saw that even the american understood the honour of these mena and they were really trying to protect the old ways then he decided to shun the deal to more or less westernise japan, that scene was in honour of kazumoto and a realisation of the emperor that they were on his side! algren even says if you believe me to be your enemy command me and i will take my life, this is the crescendo of the movie if you like, now how the hell would that powerful moment get done if algren just died on the battlefield?.......really?

[–] tturambar 9 years ago

algren even says if you believe me to be your enemy command me and i will take my life, this is the crescendo of the movie if you like, now how the hell would that powerful moment get done if algren just died on the battlefield?.......really?

And right after that already great moment, it becomes even greater with that advisor (forgot name) rejecting the offer to commit Hara-kiri, after actually saying that the emperor decisions will leave him without honour. Thus showing how little he actually values his honour, he brings it up as an argument in regard of the old traditions, but on the other hand does not take the actions the tradition would actually ask for.

The ending is what definetly crowns this epic, wonderful movie for me.

[–] qireflex 11 years ago

This movie is, in my humble opinion, a philosophical tale, a review and study on what is important to be a man, and more important, to be a true human being.
The end is the most imoportant part because they realize that there is not defeat when you truly fight for what you think is right. As Katsumoto is dying, he observes the tree with the dying flowers in the wind, he is also, at that moment, dying and fading away but his sacrifice is not such: he has studied and think clearly what action to take, and has realize this is important for his village and for his country.
There is another part, also towards the end, when they are fighting and both Katsumoto and Algren stop for few second observing the madness of the fight, the madness of human beings vs human beings, regarless of the reason behind, or who is right or not, blood and death around them...
This is an account from a Zen point of view, from a Samurais point of view, this view is opposite to the western view where you must live to claim that you won...
So, in fact, we can see the movie as a study of east vs west...
The finale is epic, poetic and is more important than actual facts. After all, is just a movie, a story, with an important vital message.

There is a samurai saying that goes: "through death's door we reach real life"

How far would you go in your life to be who you really want to be and to change everything you think must be changed?

Mack Nolo

[–] akirapostapocalypse 11 years ago

Surviving Gatling gun fire is indeed ridiculous, but so was most of that final sequence. I like how in the chaos of battle Tom Cruise is somehow still able to pinpoint the villainous colonel and throw a sword through his chest.

[–] rac19141 11 years ago

It was too unbelievable.

[–] d-adrian-williams 11 years ago

unbelievable? during 2 world wars people survived after running towards enemy gunfire over the trenches! thousands returned injured! people survive wars all the time, how is this unbelievable? did you not see him not walking properly? people are acting like cruise had 10 snipers all aiming at him! gatling guns fire quick but are not terribly accurate plus they were sweeping and firing side to side, its not impossible that they missed him, in fact look at the scene in the forest the army had guns, the samurai didnt but they still lost.

[–] donald-vanvliet 10 years ago

Oh I thought the finale got ruined the moment the emperor attempted to speak English, I mean...that was terrible!