Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren and Koyuki as Take looking at each other intimately in The Last Samurai Image via Moviestills DB By Conor Sheeran Published Oct 1, 2026, 12:07 AM EDT Conor Sheeran is a Movies and TV features writer for Collider. He has a deep passion for cinema and watches everything from the biggest blockbusters to the smallest indies. While he specializes in movies and television, he has also written about politics, culture, and sports throughout his career. Based in New York City, Conor is also a massive fan of the New York Jets, Mets, and Knicks. He is still waiting for any of those teams to bring home a championship in his lifetime. A member of the National Writers Union and the International Federation of Journalists, Conor is a strong proponent of press freedom and collective action.
Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap While Tom Cruise is best known these days as a daredevil, an actor who is more than willing to put his body on the line for the perfect shot, one of his most ambitious films leaned less on action and more on the emotion and soul behind the swordplay and stunts. More than two decades after it was first released in 2003, Edward Zwick 's The Last Samurai is finding a new audience, as the 154-minute historical epic is seeing a resurgence on HBO Max .
When you compare it to the high-flying action, explosions and edge-of-your-seat thrills we've come to know Cruise for, it's hard to imagine audiences connecting in such a way with a slower, denser movie like this — and the film was indeed a U.S. box office flop upon release (though it was notably successful in Japan , the country where the film is set).
But viewers are rediscovering it, because The Last Samurai belongs to a type of blockbuster that the film industry is reluctant to make anymore: a massive, earnest historical drama willing to take time to build its characters and not lean on action. Cruise is the face of the movie, which caused a backlash against the film, with it being lambasted as a "white savior" narrative, but, in many ways, it is an unfair criticism. The movie star may be the face, but the supporting cast, including Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada , are its beating heart. The film's staying power comes from the combination of the cast with the world that Zwick successfully builds around them.
Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren and Ken Watanabe as Mortisugu Katsumoto ride together in The Last Samurai Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Last-Samurai-Standing-feature Image via Netflix Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren, holding a sword with tears in his eyes, in The Last Samurai Image via Warner Bros. Ken Watanabe as Mortisugu Katsumoto leading a Samurai army in 'The Last Samurai.' Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Close Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren and Ken Watanabe as Mortisugu Katsumoto ride together in The Last Samurai Image via Warner Bros. Pictures Last-Samurai-Standing-feature Image via Netflix Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren, holding a sword with tears in his eyes, in The Last Samurai Image via Warner Bros. Ken Watanabe as Mortisugu Katsumoto leading a Samurai army in 'The Last Samurai.' Image via Warner Bros. Pictures The Last Samurai centers on Nathan Algren (Cruise), a 19th century former United States Army captain who is haunted by his experiences fighting Native Amer…