Mifune: The Last Samurai | Rotten Tomatoes

Mifune: The Last Samurai

Released Nov 25, 2016

1 hr. 20 min.

Documentary

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List

84%

37 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

This documentary explores the accidental movie career of Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. Mifune made sixteen remarkable films with director Akira Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including "Rashomon," "Seven Samurai" and "Yojimbo." Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only "The Magnificent Seven" but also George Lucas' "Star Wars."

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Critics Consensus

Capturing the breadth of Toshiro Mifune's storied career, if not fully reckoning with the depth of the man, The Last Samurai is a compelling celebration of one of cinema's greatest stars.

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isaac m

Mifune: The Last Samurai is a good documentary that talks about the life and work of Toshiro Mifune. I love the direction, the interviewers and Keanu Reeves' narration. Overall, Mifune: The Last Samurai is a good documentary that really shows the artistic performances of one of Japan's greatest actors of all time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Fascinating. A humanistic look at a powerful personality.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wish it had gone more in-depth rather than just recant his career. That said, having Keanu do the narration was a kick ass idea.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I'd been wanting to see this, especially after listening to the director appear on a podcast, and was excited to see it pop up on Netflix. It was even better than I hoped for, not only chronicling Mifune's life and career, but serving as a nice introduction to Japanese cinema history. This history, of course, could not be properly told without Mifune and Kurosawa. With archival footage, film clips, gorgeous stills, and interviews with colleagues and family, it was a real treat to watch. I loved this documentary.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

kanji t

Mifune was an actor bigger than life and although he played a myriad of characters, the ronin in the movie Sanjuro is definitely my favorite...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Director Steven Okazaki brings to life perhaps one of the greatest actors of any generation and nationality. Mifune-san, whose career spanned decades, was most effective while working with the great director Akira Kurosawa-where the two teamed up to work on 17 films together-most notably "Rashomon", "Seven Samurai", "High and Low" and "Red Beard" as well as Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai Trilogy" - a story based on the life of famed samurai swordsman Minamoto Musashi-who penned "The Book of Five Rings"-a book that is still used by modern businessmen today. The film was based on Yoshikawa Fiji's book "Musashi". This documentary is a must-see for anyone who has seen any if not all of the aforementioned films. Okazaki does a great job collecting some of the actors he has worked with in the past as well as directors Steven Spielberg (who teamed with him in "1941") and Martin Scorsese-The latter of whose relationship with actor Robert DeNiro parallels that of Mifune and Kurosawa. The movie not only chronicles his working life, but also his younger days while serving in the Japanese military during WWII and his later years, where alcohol became a factor in his life, before he died on Christmas Eve in 1997 due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease. Mr. Okazaki does a great job of piecing together the life of an icon of Japan. Narrated by Keanu Reeves - initially a curious choice, which later proves to be an effective one. The actor's voice, known for surfer type inflection of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "Point Break" or his other popular role in "The Matrix" series, takes on a measured tone that doesn't distract from the story. The clips used, were spot on. Via interviews, the filmmaker is best at drawing out his former colleagues of Mifune-who posthumously received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last week. It would have been nice to find out what happened when an apparent rift between Mifune and Kurosawa occurred for a period of decades, but since both subjects have long passed away, that The only issue I noticed occurred during two interviews towards the start of the film when Okazaki could be heard talking to the person on-camera before they spoke. But that's nitpicking as Okazaki's "Mifune..." is a film well worth watching-in theaters on December 2.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

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Steven Okazaki

Director

Keanu Reeves

Narrator

Steven Spielberg

Self

Martin Scorsese

Self

Steven Okazaki

Writer

Stuart Galbraith IV

Writer

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Mifune: The Last Samurai: Trailer 1

2:08

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Matthew Lickona

San Diego Reader

The film works best as an appetite stimulant for richer cinematic fare.

Rated: 1/5

Feb 3, 2017

Full Review

Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

Nobody in cinema can rival the unique, electric combination of scowling power and exuberant physicality of Mifune.

Jan 12, 2017

Full Review

Andrea Gronvall

Chicago Reader

This concise documentary focuses largely on his artistic partnership with Akira Kurosawa but includes enough about Japan's film industry and the star's charmed life to engross fans and casual viewers alike.

Jan 5, 2017

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Cineastes just discovering the Mifune-Kurosawa collaborations are encouraged to seek out Mifune: The Last Samurai to better understand the actor's immeasurable impact on both Japanese and American cinema.

Rated: 3/4

Apr 9, 2022

Full Review

David Lamble

Bay Area Reporter

Mifune: The Last Samurai benefits from insights from the subject's family and friends, and from a large stash of clips, from films whose DNA has become a vital part of our postmodern sensibility.

Jun 9, 2020

Full Review

Steven Prokopy

Third Coast Review

The Last Samurai manages to appeal to both die-hard fans and newcomers looking for an entry point into Mifune's vast filmography.

Apr 30, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

This documentary explores the accidental movie career of Toshiro Mifune, one of the true giants of world cinema. Mifune made sixteen remarkable films with director Akira Kurosawa during the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, including "Rashomon," "Seven Samurai" and "Yojimbo." Together they thrilled audiences and influenced filmmaking around the world, providing direct inspiration for not only "The Magnificent Seven" but also George Lucas' "Star Wars."

Director: Steven Okazaki
Executive Producer: Nobuyuki Tohya, Isao Kawauchi, Takeshi Hoshino
Screenwriter: Steven Okazaki, Stuart Galbraith IV
Distributor: Strand Releasing
Production Co: Creative Associates Limited, Farallon Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 25, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.9K

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