World's Last Ninja Has Something to Say About Tom Cruise's The Last Samurai
How realistic is one of the best projects in Tom Cruise's filmography?
The 2003 movie The Last Samurai tells the viewers about the difficult historical period that Japan experienced at the end of the 19th century.
At that time, great changes were taking place in the country.
The feudal state was transformed into a monarchy modeled on European states, and Japan became a more open country, absorbing everything new and leaving the era of the samurai in the past.
Recently, in the Insider video, Jinichi Kawakami, who is considered the world's last ninja grandmaster, rated the realism of a Hollywood movie starring Tom Cruise.
Kawakami analyzed the ninja attack scene and gave it a five out of ten. Well, a good rating for a Hollywood blockbuster that initially did not claim to be one hundred percent reliable.
Jinichi explained that the way the ninja use bows and arrows in the movie is realistic, while the use of shurikens is not. He also shared interesting details about ninja swords:
"Ninja move in the dark or in tight spaces. That is why it was more convenient for them to use a short sword. [The blade] is rusty on purpose so that it can injure the enemy and suppurate the wounds or mutilate the enemy as much as possible."
In The Last Samurai, a samurai riot is shown under the leadership of Katsumoto, played by Ken Watanabe. This is a fictional character based on the real-life person Saigo Takamori, the real organizer of the uprising.
The image of a Western specialist played by Tom Cruise is also interesting. He had a real prototype – the Frenchman Jules Brunet.
This man went through many life's obstacles. He fought in Mexico, then took part in the events described in the movie. After the defeat, he went back to his country and continued to fight in other wars and conflicts.
It can be said that the Hollywood writers tweaked the story a bit for the sake of entertainment, but they should not be condemned for that.
The movie turned out to be wonderful, with excellent music, drama, bright characters and spectacular fight scenes. Those who missed this movie can definitely watch it and enjoy these two hours of entertainment.
Source: Insider