The Last Samurai (DVD)

Finally, The Last Samurai has come to DVD. This film was easily one of the best pictures of 2003 and I do not think it received the acclaim it deserved. Although it was nominated for four Academy Awards it took home none, even though I believe Ken Watanabe deserved Best Supporting Actor above and beyond all those nominated, but obviously my opinion does not count for much in that matter.

But we are not here for me to complain about awards, I am here to tell you how excellent this movie and special edition DVD set is.

With this 2-disc special edition of The Last Samurai you will be getting one hell of a movie along with a whole slew of special features. Throughout the commentary and interviews you will hear many speak of the loyalty and compassion that is portrayed in this film and it is the first time with any movie that the cliché catch phrases that went along with the trailers actually were noticeable in the production. Throughout the film and continuing with the special features you will be introduced to the way of the Samurai and learn more about the heritage and the care they took in bringing the film to life.

Beginning with special feature number one, there is a feature-length commentary by director Edward Zwick that is quite good as he guides you, as most directors do through their film, describing how certain scenes were made and acted out. The only thing about it is that this is a two-and-a-half hour film so reserve some time to sit back and be able to take in all that he has to tell you. Another option, if you are short on time, is to forward to scenes that you find most interesting and you will undoubtedly be intrigued by what Zwick has to say about each one.

While disc one is reserved for the feature presentation, disc two holds all the goodies you come to expect from a special edition DVD beginning with four in-depth looks through the eyes of primarily Tom Cruise and director Ed Zwick, as well as some History Channel scholars.

Let me give you a quick rundown of what you have to look forward to:

Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey - This is a personal look at Tom Cruise's journey through this film, not only through Cruise's eyes but through the eyes of those that worked with him and helped in training him for such a complex and demanding role, including names such as his production partner Paula Wagner, director Edward Zwick and screenwriter Marshall Herskovitz to name a few. This feature is short and insightful, and it is always good to hear from the star of a film such as this, especially Tom Cruise, since often times the majority of the interviews and commentary are reserved for the director.

Edward Zwick: Director's Video Journal - Speaking of directors here you have an interesting look at the production of The Last Samurai through the eyes of Edward Zwick as he has a running commentary as we get a look behind the scenes. He describes the sets, costumes, fighting and more and really gives you a different look behind-the-scenes than you often see.

Making an Epic: A Conversation with Edward Zwick and Tom Cruise - This feature is a bit redundant after watching the first two, but it is cool to see Cruise and Zwick together talking about the origins of the film and the creative process.

History vs. Hollywood: The Last Samurai - This is one of features that I really like that DVDs are doing now days. The History Channel did a mini-documentary concerning the fact and fiction of The Last Samurai and it is presented here on the DVD. Often times cool features such as this are shown on TV and never seen again, and it would be a shame if everyone that enjoyed this film weren't be able to learn a little more about the origins of this story and find out exactly how much of the story is factual and how much is an exaggeration of the truth.

A World of Detail: Production Design with Lilly Kilvert - This feature along with the following feature titled "Silk and Armor: Costume Design with Ngila Dickson" are two of the most fascinating of all the features seeing how the costumes and set design are storytellers in their own right in this picture. I said it in my review of this film and the Academy agreed by nominating the film for Achievement in costume design and in art direction. The scenery is fabulous as are the costumes and you will be astonished at what went into creating the streets of Japan on the Warner Bros. back lot.

Imperial Army Basic Training - When you see just how hard even the extras trained to bring this film to life you will even have a greater appreciation for the spectacular battle scenes. I think Edward Zwick summed it all up quite nicely when he mentioned how in several films of this magnitude your eye is often drawn to the four or five people that aren't really fighting at all and just laughing and playing around, and he mentioned how he wanted none of that in this film.

From Soldier to Samurai: The Weapons - This is a pretty cool feature going over all the weapons used in the production and just how they were made and what went into making them, from rubber swords, wood swords, steel swords, big brass canons, gattling guns and more.

Bushido: The Way of the Warrior - This is just a simple text section giving you the seven laws of the Samurai: Gi (Honesty and Justice), Rei (Polite Courtesy), Yu (Heroic Courage), Meiyo (Honor), Jin (Compassion), Makoto (Complete Sincerity) and Chu (Duty and Loyalty).

Deleted Scenes - You only have two deleted scenes here and both are a good view, especially the one titled "The Beheading", which even offers a behind-the-scenes look at how it was made. Both are presented with or without commentary by director Edward Zwick and he lets you know just why they were removed from the film.

Japan Premieres - The "Japan Premieres" feature is not exactly the best feature as it gives you a simple, E! Television style, look at the red carpet premieres of the film in Tokyo and Kyoto.

Whew, well there you have it, a lot to digest and a lot to enjoy. If you can't tell I loved everything about this film and the DVD, as will anyone else who found as much enjoyment in the picture as I did.

As hard as it is to conceive that there are actually people out there that did not enjoy this film, I am sure there are some of you, I beg you to give it another shot as this was one of the best films of 2003 and best DVDs of 2004. BUY IT NOW!!!