The sword is mightier than the gun (but not the howitzer)

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2004)

It is always refreshing to see a film that eschews the standard American chest-beating patriotism. The Last Samurai certainly has all the hallmarks of a Hollywood epic: slick production, blood splattering battle scenes and a hefty dose of schmaltz, but its over-riding message is that the West in its bullish over-exuberance, has habitually steam-rollered ancient indigenous cultures in its relentless pursuit of progress.
Obviously, this is not a new cinematic idea: a small bunch of stubborn warriors up against vast armies in the defence of some abstract ideal. Mel Gibson gave those nasty Englishmen a good battering in Braveheart (FREEDOM!!!), Asterix and Obelix gave the Romans a pasting on a regular basis - people just love an underdog. Luckily, the soldiers they are up against are generally really crap at fighting, so the little guy often prevails.
In The Last Samurai, Tom Cruise is Captain Nathan Algren, a veteran soldier, disenfranchised with American battle strategy after years of bloody conflict with the American Indians. After hitting the bottle in a big way, he is persuaded to help train raw Japanese recruits in modern battle techniques as part of a trade agreement between the two countries. The Japanese authorities hold sway over the young teenage Emperor and are worried about a rebellion led by the legendary Samurai Katsumoto (Ken Watanbe).
It is soon clear that the men in Algren's charge are hopelessly inexperienced conscripts who cannot even fire a rifle straight. But the Japanese and American authorities led by the unscrupulous Colonel Bagley (Algren's former superior) are determined to crush the rebellion early. Even with guns, the army are no match for the deadly Samurai, and in the ensuing massacre, Algren is captured and taken to Katsumoto's village.
During his captivity, Algren discovers that his hosts are far from savages. They are disciplined, honourable warriors who live to defend the Samurai way of life. He stays with Katsumoto's sister, Taka, and her two small children. Even though he had killed Taka's husband in the battle, he is made welcome. Over the following months he immerses himself in the culture, learning the fighting technique and brushing up on his Japanese.
Eventually, he is returned to Tokyo, but when Katsumoto is banished from the Emperor's council and effectively exiled, Algren's patience with the authorities finally runs out and he rejoins the Samurai.
Algren's running conflict with Bagley is a key part of his decision. To him Bagley represents everything bad about American history and Western short-sightedness. It was Bagley had ordered the cold-blooded killings of Indian women and children that haunted Algren's dreams. Through Bagley, the Americans are portrayed as self-important bullies greedy for power - it is a skewed vision of the American dream - Algren views General Custer as a 'murderer who fell in love with his own legend and his troops died for it.' In a nice twist, it is this animosity that leads him to side with Katsumoto as the Samurai face their own Last Stand against the newly tooled-up Japanese.
Cruise is on good form. His transformation from embittered alcoholic to sword-wielding Samurai general is well handled and not too hammy. He has always done a nice line in tortured heroes searching for inner-strength, and in that respect this is the perfect vehicle for him. He is, however, acted off the screen by Ken Watanbe who is immense and totally believable as the rebel leader torn between loyalty to his Emperor and protecting his people's traditions.
As epics go, The Last Samurai is admirably unassuming - it is a simple story that is well told. The ending is overblown and far too long and Algren's love interest with Taka seems to have been shoe-horned in to appease the studios, but it is certainly worth a watch.
7/10