The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai (2003) is a Warner Bros. war drama you can watch online on iFILM. Director Edward Zwick cast Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren, a burned-out American army captain hired by the Emperor of Japan to train rifle infantry and crush the last samurai rebellion. Budget: $140 million. Global box office: over $456 million.

It's the 1870s. Japan is tearing itself apart between two visions — Western modernisation backed by artillery, and the old warrior code backed by steel. Algren arrives expecting a quick commission. He gets captured instead, spending a winter in a mountain village under the watch of samurai commander Katsumoto, played by Ken Watanabe. By spring, the two men understand each other better than either expected.

Ken Watanabe earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. The ensemble also includes Hiroyuki Sanada and Timothy Spall. Stream The Last Samurai online on iFILM.