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The Last Samurai

2003 · directed by Edward Zwick · 154 min
23,966 feet · Prominence
895th of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw76

Lifetime worldwide gross $457m, re-releases included; about $819m in 2026 money.

Rank284 of 11,051In 20036 of 227

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise67

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics60 baseAwards37 signal → +7 lift

Oscars4 nominated Supporting Actor, Costume Design, Production Design, Sound
Golden Globes2 nominated Lead acting, Supporting acting
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy52

Judged directly: Cruise epic, modest endurance.

Verdict52 of 100IMDb7.8 from 499kWikipedia0k views a monthAge23 years

Scored beside it · 940 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 76 praise 67 legacy 52averages 65, placing it at23,966 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Tom Cruise20,423 ftKen Watanabe20,111 ftHiroyuki Sanada18,488 ftTimothy Spall18,395 ftTony Goldwyn18,076 ftBilly Connolly17,945 ftWilliam Atherton17,642 ftScott Wilson17,639 ft