Best Deaths in Movie history *will contain spoilers obviously*

[Geoffrey S]

I agree. The character was very slimy, scummy and underhanded. A nice depiction of the 'modern world', as compared to the Leader of the Samurai, upright, noble, and with honor.

Not old-fashioned, unwilling to move with the times, and a danger to the future sovereignty of Japan?

[Sensei Warrior]

Not old-fashioned, unwilling to move with the times, and a danger to the future sovereignty of Japan?

Exactly, and there in lies the rub, does it not?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The movie needed to do a little emotional manipulation in order to keep everything going the way they wanted to. The movie tries very hard to get you to sympathize with the samurai. Playing up the noble warrior role of the samurai to the hilt, willing to die for the emperor, the heroic last stand, dying for the 'right' cause, etc.

Not all samurai were like that. Most ruled their people using the same rules they lived by, that their people lived or died by their hand. Much the same as the samurai lived or died by the emperors hand. This often led to the samurai killing the peasants they ruled over the slightest infraction. Not necessarily the best trait for a good leader, but common enough back in the day. The japanese samurai, and feudal knights weren't too different from each other really.

The samurai were also stubborn, disturbingly traditional, and probably a little xenophobic. Thus the reality of them being unwilling to modernize. Of course rooting for dated tyrants who rule with an iron fist is hard to do, so the movie idealized the samurai bringing the ideal traits of them to the forefront and minimizing the not so ideal parts of them.

On the other hand Harada's character could have been very easily looking out for the best interests of Japan, but if they portrayed him as such, he wouldnt have seemed like the bad guy. Thus let the vilification commence.

In the end, the movie was romanticizing the Feudal Age of Japan and its traditional ways. Much like other movies do the same for the European Middle Ages, and we all know that Age was no bed of roses. Progression and modernization were vilified much like it always is, most people are very resistant to change. The two characters in the movie were polarized to that end.

As I look back on this post i realized, I'm probably starting to derail this thread. In the end, I happened to like 'Last of the Samurai', and even though it is probably nothing more than a mildly entertaining movie to most, it does seem to have some nice cinematic elements to it. However the point of the thread was to talk about memorable deaths in film, thus the spoiler tags so you guys can more easily ignore my ramblings. I make my apologies and exit stage left.

[Bijo]

You make some good points, Sensei Warrior.


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Another good death is in the movie Troy when Achilles perishes.

(What I dislike about this movie though is the general story: it depicts the foolish primitive nature of humanity (which is usually seen in many movies) but especially the two young fools who cause a war because of that thing called "love". So... men are to die because a young prince acts like a fool.)

[Conradus]

Welcome to the Illias
Though in the movie it was quite clear that the war was largely due to Agamemnon and his imperialistic ideas.
That said, I liked Achilles' death, but I really wanted to see Paris die too

[Geoffrey S]

As I look back on this post i realized, I'm probably starting to derail this thread. In the end, I happened to like 'Last of the Samurai', and even though it is probably nothing more than a mildly entertaining movie to most, it does seem to have some nice cinematic elements to it. However the point of the thread was to talk about memorable deaths in film, thus the spoiler tags so you guys can more easily ignore my ramblings. I make my apologies and exit stage left.

I agree with your post, and you make good points on the reasons behind the way The Last Samurai was made. The movie may have been a polarised and over-positive depiction, but I enjoyed it all the same for the fact that it was a good film.

In case you haven't seen it, you may want to try the oldish series Shogun. It's a bit dated at times now, but it doesn't glorify the samurai way but still evokes sympathy for most of its characters. The book's also good.

[Sensei Warrior]

Did that series have Richard Chamberlain in it? If it did then I saw it. I saw a series of Samurai something back in the day, and I'm talking bout 11-12 years ago on VHS. Richard's character was a Portugese sailor that gets shipwrecked off the coast of Japan. Stroy continues on from there.

I agree, it has a much better depiction of Samurai, and ninjas IIRC.

[Geoffrey S]

That's the one.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

...but I really wanted to see Paris die too

Isn't Ms. Hilton having enough problems of late. Why drag her into this?

[Bijo]

Welcome to the Illias
Though in the movie it was quite clear that the war was largely due to Agamemnon and his imperialistic ideas.
That said, I liked Achilles' death, but I really wanted to see Paris die too

Perhaps, but those two young fools certainly gave him good reason to start in the first place and to intensify his anger and greed. In the movie "peace" has just been established and the foolish prince immediately takes away the young woman? Pah, he did no honour to his lands and folk nor to his father: he betrayed his father and his people and now poor men must fight and perish because of his foolish act.

Now HIS death would have been a splendid one indeed, but noooooo... he survives like a coward and shoots the GOOD (though that is subjective) Achilles down with a bow and arrow AGAIN like a coward! Argh! He has the worst role in the whole film! "Oh, I love you. I would kill for you. Let us flee, together." The fool :P

On second thought I find the death of Achilles a terrible one simply because that schmuck prince kills him. Didn't his brother die too? That was a good death scene (and unfortunately again because of the foolish young prince ).