Customer Reviews

The Last Samurai

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As I write this review,my thoughts float in the calm stream of Idylls end.The soundtrack as a whole is inspiring.From the thought provoking tunes of 'spectres in the fog ' to the heart-stomping shouts of "red warrior",this is one of Hans Zimmers' best works and it is indeed a must have.

This soundtrack is amazing, it has a beautiful japanese music. Spectres in the Fog, A Way of Life, and Safe Passage are the most exquisite compositions of the CD. One of the best soundtrack ever made.

I didn' heard about Hans Zimmer before the Gladiator was first rolled out which both the movie and the soundtrack were excellent. Now that the Last Samurai was released I can't stop listening to it !! You have to buy this album, it worths more that you pay for, however I do recommend to watch the movie first to get into the old Japanese environment, culture, phylosofy and the way of the warrior "bushido". Hans Zimmer music expresses the environment where old samurai and Japanese culture fussion frezzing the advance of the modern western influence ...
My simple advice is to watch the Movie and don't wait any second !! Go and get this CD soundtrack !!!

This score must be Zimmer's best ever. I liked the Gladiator score very much but by my opinion it can't even compare to this one. The score itself just makes the whole movie more emotional. It is a real classi score that made me enjoy the movie even more.

What can I say...but %^$& Brilliant.

Im a "fan" of Zimmer and all his works, and I think this is genial. The amazing sound of "Taken" and his percussion are excellent.
For me, the best song is "Taken" and "Spectres in The Fog", because they are the main themes of Algren (Cruise) and Katsumoto (Watanabe).

By the trime that The Last Samurai was released here in the Netherlands, I already was totally blown away by the score. This most be Zimmers best effort till now. While I saw the film the first time I could dream the music and that was a very special way of watching it. This is a great score, that perfectly expresses what there is to be seen on screen. But not only that, just for listening, without having seen the film, this is a great piece. I listened the cd countless times by now and I cannot stop thinking this is the best thing he ever did. The Japannese atmosphere comes through really perfectly an so suddle. This is indeed the prefect score for the perfect film. What Zimmer in fact is doing great here is keeping the music away from Bombastic when the action breaks loose, the same trick he did with Thin Red Line as we'll, or with certain parts of Pearl Harbor. I think that is indeed very very smart and really good to express drama and makes the picture. often so much more powerfull. A shame he was not even nominated for best score with the Oscars. But same story with all his scores that way. Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, Thin Red Line, Pearl Harbor all masterpieces. Even while the movie was not that good due the score Tears Of The Sun was a great one too.

Sometimes it hard to listen to a soundtrack entirely. We skip tracks, or only listen to 3 ,4 and #9. The Last Samurai soundtrack is simply outstanding. We can spend hours and hours listening all the tracks once again. You cannot really avoid to buy this cd, firstly because Hans Zimmer is giving a spectacular performance as always, and because you cannot totally enjoy the beauty of this music in the action.

If you're a fan of japan, you probably liked this movie.If you're a real fan of japan, you probably noticed that music in the movie doesnt match the music around years 1870 in japan.To that, Zimmer said: "Japanese music of the 1870s is completely inaccessible to most Western audiences," explains Zimmer. "It would not work dramatically. In fact, it's the antithesis of drama." He decided to mix strings and bass with traditionnal japanese instruments and the result is great.

You don't always listen to the music when looking at samurais fighting(until you saw the movie hundred of times).This is very sad because that music is superb.
For fans and people who just liked the movie. You cannot dislike this album.

Everything blends and flows into each measure so well that you can imagine what the score pertains to as it precedes.

The underscore to the film, The Last Samurai, has its share of high points, but if you have followed the work of Hans Zimmer at all, then you already know what your getting.

Mr. Zimmer is no stranger to films with an Asian influence. His work for films like Black Rain, and to a lesser extent Pearl Harbor, showcase his take on the culture musically. The action of the score, as heard in the soundtrack with "Red Warrior" and "The Way Of The Sword" is fairly compelling enough. However, the softer side of the score, as heard part of the way through "Idyll's End", seems somehow overly dramatic--if that's possible. All of this sounds like rejected stuff from Pearl Harbor--There's a certain sameness to it. And that makes any emotional impact minimal As I said the action cues are first rate, but there's just not enough of it to go around.

The CD has 11 tracks and a runnung time of 59:49. The CD is marginally recommended with 3 stars