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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs  I don't think it a disgrace for Cruise to be overshadowed by Ken Watanabe. Just as an example of his standing the fact he got the role of the King of Siam in the recent stage version of the King and I and genuinely looked comfortable in a role owned and i mean seriously OWNED by Yul Brynner, really does say something. |
That was the first time I had seen Ken Watanabe in anything, and it was only later when he was in
Batman Begins,
Memoirs of a Geisha,
Inception, and
Letters from Iwo Jima, that I realised he was an established international star and respected actor. At the time I saw The Last Samurai, it looked like Tom Cruse was being acted off the screen by a complete novice!
I haven't seen the new stage adaptation of
The King and I, but I saw the trailer which gave me the impression that it would be at least as good as the 1956 film.
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs The Seven Samurai is one i'll eventually get, although it's three hour plus run time does put me off somewhat. Says he who watched Gods and generals, all three and a half hours of it, on Saturday afternoon. |
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Originally Posted by Justin101 You’ll enjoy Seven Samurai Dem, I know you like your westerns and this isn’t far off. Don’t let the running time but you off either, much like the other epics of the era it doesn’t feel long and has plenty of action in the final act to keep you going. It has an intermission as well so you could take a short break. |
It might be best to start with
Yojimbo as you'll recognise the story from
A Fistful of Dollars and, at under two hours, has a slightly more 'user friendly' running time! Perhaps surprisingly,
Sanjuro (the sequel to Yojimbo) doesn't appear to have had a western remake but is quite accessible and is the shortest of the three Kurosawa period dramas.
If you like either of those, I highly recommend
Rashōmon, a brilliant and highly influential story and piece of filmmaking.