Dances With Samurai

Rating: 6/10 (28 March 2005)

"The Last Samurai" is certainly a well made film with several excellent scenes at Katsumoto's mountain headquarters.
The 'value reversal' of Algren would have been better if he had decapitated Katsumoto during his suicide (see Luke cutting off Darth Vader's hand).
Although the loss of traditional values for the 'gain' of modern conveniences (for which the end of the samurai and their replacement by the more 'convenient' guns, rifles and cannons during the Meiji Era is a fitting metaphor) is an important message for us to keep in mind -- as in the West we have been inundated by McDonald's and massive chain store 'conveniences' but at what ethical and social cost?-- the movie is too much a retread of "Dances with Wolves."
By the way, the 'spectacular Japanese scenery' is actually New Zealand, where much of the film was shot (see end credits).