In scene 32, Katsumoto and Algren ride through the line of troops and as Algren dismounts, his horse kicks out at the soldier to the right of the camera and hits him in the groin. The soldier bends over with the impact, backs up, then bravely straightens up again as the scene continues.

While Hiroyuki Sanada was filming a battle sequence with Tom Cruise (Nathan Algren), a "live" sword was used. The mechanical horse prop in the sequence broke, and Cruise did not fall off as planned. The sword came within an inch of Cruise's neck. At the time, bystanders and crew screamed, almost witnessing the actor's decapitation.