This week, Cruise shoots for Oscar recognition in Edward Zwick’s 2003 historical drama The Last Samurai. Is this an overlooked classic? How does it stand with the other historical epics of the 2000s? Has anyone ever been better than Ken Watanabe?
Content warning: violence, suicide, racism
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:44:17 — 97.2MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Pandora | Email | RSS
Unanswered Questions:
- Is this a white savior story?
- Who is — or are — the last Samurai?
- Should the movie be longer?
Further reading:
- Gladiator (2000)
- The Sakoku Period
- Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019)
- The Line Of Action
- The Last Star In Hollywood Definitive List Of Tom Cruise Films
- The Last Star In Hollywood: Production Schedule
Thanks for listening! For bonus shows, extra content and more, support The Last Star In Hollywood and the Next Word network by visiting Patreon.com/NextWord!
Join us next time for Michael Mann’s hitman drama, Collateral!
The Last Star In Hollywood is a Next Word production.
Copyright © 2024 The Last Star In Hollywood. All Rights Reserved.