Aspects of this Hollywood blockbuster were filmed in New Zealand, including Taranaki Maunga being filmed to represent iconic Mount Fuji.
Directed by Edward Zwick. With Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, William Atherton.
Set in Japan during the 1870s, The Last Samurai tells the story of Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), an American military officer hired by the Emperor of Japan to train the country's first army in the art of modern warfare. As the government attempts to eradicate the ancient Samurai warrior class in preparation for more Westernized and trade-friendly policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly affected by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the centre of a struggle between two eras and two worlds with only his own sense of honour to guide him.
Warner Bros.
