Samurai Redemption

Rating: Null/10 (13 July 2004)

Loyalty, courage, and honor are words that are brought to mind when watching the film The Last Samurai by Director Edward Zwick. The story of troubled American Army Captain Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise, who travels to Japan in the late 1870's to train the Japanese army to put down a Samurai rebellion. When Cruise is captured by the Samurai he is befriended by their leader, Katsumoto, played by Ken Watanabe. Cruise soon learns the way of the Samurai while regaining the honor he once lost, and setting his soul on a path to redemption. Throughout the film Zwick illustrates this theme of redemption through the transformation of the main character in three main steps: recovery, rebirth, and acceptance. The first step to redemption starts with recovery. The scene opens with a close up shot of a prostrate Cruise held in captivity, as he battles his injuries, alcoholism, and inner demons. A blanket wrapped around Cruise takes on the appearance of a strait jacket while Cruise peers out of the darkness into the next room, where the wife and children of a recently slain Samurai sit eating. Cruise begs for Sake to wash away the visions of previous wars. His performance and the scene could be likened to Ewan McGregor's detoxification in Trainspotting, minus the ceiling crawling baby.
From recovery there is rebirth. At the end of the previously mentioned montage, Cruise arises from the shack refreshed and reborn, as the camera pulls back to a picturesque shot showing the serene Samurai village that surrounds him. He is no longer confined by his inner demons. Cruise begins a dialogue with his captor, Watanabe. The acceptance of fate is the pathway to redemption. As the Japanese army amasses in the valley below, Cruise and Watanabe stand atop the mountain surveying the enemy. Watanabe says to Cruise, 'Do you believe a man can change his destiny?' Cruise responds, 'I think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed.' This exchange confirms Cruise's acceptance of fate and his redemption from the evil causes he once fought for. In battle scenes on a scale comparable to Braveheart, Cruise dons the Samurai armor to defend the Samurai way of life.
The Last Samurai was a stirring film with images and symbolism that conveyed the beauty of Japanese Samurai culture while telling a story of honor, loyalty, and redemption.