Tom Cruise’s 10/10 War Action Epic Is About to Say Goodbye to HBO Max
Tom Cruise’s *The Last Samurai* is due to leave HBO Max at the end of October. The article recommends watching the 2003 film before it departs, praising its emotional story of grief, cultural upheaval and redemption, as well as the performances of Cruise and Ken Watanabe.
Cruise plays Nathan Algren, an American soldier hired to train Japan’s imperial army who is captured by samurai leader Katsumoto and gradually comes to respect him. The film combines elements of the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion and earlier events, while taking significant liberties with history; the real rebellion was not simply a conflict between traditional warriors and modern technology.
- *The Last Samurai* leaves HBO Max at the end of October.
- Tom Cruise plays a soldier who joins the samurai who captured him.
- The film draws on real events but reshapes their history.