A pretty bit of tedium

Rating: 4/10 (4 May 2004)

****Some Spoilers Follow****

Here we have the familiar "Dances with Wolves" cliche of the American so disgusted with the evils of his own country and past that he seeks enlightenment in a grossly misunderstood and embattled culture.
Despite the ruthlessness of their initial introduction, the Samurai are cast almost as misunderstood peasants forced to take up arms against an invasive enemy. Despite the fact that said enemy is the emperor himself, the suggestion of blame seems to lie more with western culture...who have poisoned a gentle people with their railroads and rifles. The samurai's reliance on the sword in the face of superior weaponry seems to personify this, but is not a sword - despite it's glamourous hollywood image - an instrument of butchery as sure as a gun? Are those who carry it not just as capable of abusing it? And wasn't it the Japanese emperor himself who requested the presence of the American officers to modernize his military? Yet we are treated to righteous rebuke of the Americans by the same emperor...as if it were they who had forced themselves on the defenseless Japanese.
Cruise's cynicism towards war seems to vanish after his turn. If taken as a rebellion against the acts he had seen and participated against in America, perhaps you'd have a more interesting character. Instead, his turn is treated as an awakening to a higher existence...never mind said existence is leaving just as bloody a trail as the one he left behind. The usual cereal-box treatment of eastern culture is tossed out complete with the gentle imagery of flower blossoms blowing on the wind, gentle snowfall and happy, running children only to be torn apart when the brutal, bullyish forces of the emperor (but not really) arrive to kill, torment and take up swords against little boys...and even among this, we're directed to a hired American officer for our villain rather than the Emperor.

Naturally, in the end, Cruise is the lone survivor of a massacre. Naturally, we're left with western culture to blame...as the American ambassador is sent packing with much bluster. It's familiar ground, just not as well executed.
The movie is nice enough to look at, but unless you go in for this "western root of all evil" hollywood cliche, I'd skip this one. At one point, our wicked Colonel Bagley asks Nathan Algren what he has against his own people. He doesn't answer. Neither does this movie.