The Last Samurai
Main Characters
Tom Cruise stars as Captain Nathan Algren, a disenchanted gaigin soldier who comes to Japan to train Japanese soldiers in modern warfare.
Ken Watanable co-stars as Katsumoto, the last samurai warrior who upholds the ancient traditions of feudal Japan.
Matsato Harada plays Omura, the corrupt (prime) minister who leads the intensive westernization of Japan and the subjugation of the samurai class.
Setting
The story takes place during the late 1800’s, shortly after 1876 (demise of General Custer at Little Bighorn) and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration Era in Japan.
The setting starts in the western U.S. and shifts to Japan. The movie mixes events among different Japanese eras and isn’t historically accurate. For those of you who are history buffs, during this period Emperor Meiji, a small group of nobles and former samurai regained their imperial powers from Tokugawa Bakufu (Edo Period controlled by Tokugawa Ieyasu). Also, the Japanese military modelled itself after the Prussian military; not the U.S. military.
Introduction
The movie begins with an artistic narrative of Japan and transitions to a scene of Katsumoto in meditation. We see Katsumoto’s premonition of a trapped white tiger fiercely fighting a circle of samurai warriors. We are then introduced to Captain Algren in a drunken stupor at a carnival-like convention promoting rifles for a gun manufacturer.
The Story
I won’t reveal much so as not to spoil the story for readers who haven’t seen the movie. Events occur and Algren goes to Japan. Basically, you could re-name this movie ’’Dances with Samurai’’.
Allusions
I like the scene when Tom Cruise’s character tries out his Japanese clothes for the first time. Alone in Kata’s home, Algren starts to do ’’Karate Chops’’ which alludes to a similar scene in Risky Business where Tom Cruise’s character dances to ’’Give Me that Old Time Rock’n Roll’’.
Complaints
After a couple of years learning Japanese swordplay within Katsumoto’s village, Algren somehow becomes a master swordsman able to defeat a team of trained Japanese assassins on his own. Way too unrealistic from my perspective; but what they hay... it’s Hollywood!
Overall Conclusion
The Last Samurai was an entertaining movie; very typical of the Hollywood movie machine. Not stellar; but not bad either.