Before Shogun, Hiroyuki Sanada Almost Killed Tom Cruise in a Stunt Scene That Went Awfully Bad in ‘The Last Samurai’
- While filming 'The Last Samurai', Hiroyuki Sanada nearly decapitated Tom Cruise.
- Despite the dangerous mishap, their dedication paid off, as the film is loved for its realistic combat scenes.
- James Clavell's 'Shogun' deeply influenced 'The Last Samurai'' as both connect the West to the East.
Action movies have often tried to push the boundaries of performing over-the-top and dangerous sequences by making them look possible on screen. But sometimes, the drive to be as authentic as possible can lead to dangerous situations on set.
When it comes to performing the most ridiculous action sequences, one name that comes to everyone’s mind is Tom Cruise. The actor has built a reputation as Hollywood’s daredevil. Although his commitment to perform his own stunts has given many memorable scenes, he almost lost his life while performing a sequence in The Last Samurai.
Tom Cruise’s Near-Death Experience on Set of The Last Samurai
Tom Cruise was dedicatedly working to keep the actions as authentic as possible while filming The Last Samurai. He played the role of Captain Nathan Algren, who was a disillusioned American soldier who lived the way of the Samurai in Japan.
Although Cruise trained months in swordsmanship and other combat techniques, performing an action scene in films requires the execution of choreography, which itself consists of multiple variables. In one such sequence, Cruise’s life was dependent on Hiroyuki Sanada, who played the role of warrior Ujio.
In the scene, Hanada was mounted on a mechanical horse that was supposed to run, and he had to swing a real Samurai sword toward Cruise. The catch was that the horse had to stop right before Cruise. However, the horse malfunctioned, and it failed to stop at the right time.
Sanada came dangerously close to Cruise. But it was probably his martial arts skills that worked for him at the right time, as he was able to pull back the sword, saving Cruise’s neck. Talking about the incident, Sanada said (via Today),
Tom’s neck was right in front of me, and I tried to stop swinging my sword, but it was hard to control with one hand. The film crew watching from the side all screamed because they thought Tom’s head would fly off.
Though this could have been a fatal situation, the actors and stuntpersons continued their work, and their dedication paid off. The film was acknowledged for its realistic combat sequences, and Cruise also lived to jump from Burj Khalifa and hang outside a flying plane later.
The Shogun Influence on The Last Samurai
Although The Last Samurai is a standalone cinematic experience in itself, it is a part of a larger legacy of Western stories set in Japan. James Clavell’s daughter, Michaela Clavell, had talked about how her father’s work influenced films like The Wolverine and The Last Samurai.
In an interview with ETimes, Clavell explained how Shogun brought a deep understanding of Japanese traditions and values to Western audiences. She said,
I think ultimately in the stories (The Wolverine and The Last Samurai) that you mentioned, the ‘stranger in a strange land’, owes so much to the silhouette of Shogun. When you read the book, you realize that it’s actually this multi-layered exploration of the three leads and tells their story.
In The Last Samurai, Tom Cruise’s character goes through a transformation where he learns the way of the Samurai and their values and discipline. Clavell acknowledged that it bears similarities to Shogun, particularly the way it shows the clash between Eastern traditions and Western modernization.
Clavell believes that these narratives don’t show a Western character changing the foreign culture, rather, they show the character getting changed. The Shogun novel was published in 1975, and it is quite remarkable that it is still resonating with audiences through many adaptations.
The Last Samurai is available to stream on Netflix.
Shogun is available to stream on Hulu.
