the last samurai

Rating: Null/10 (19 July 2011)

I must admit that in watching The Last Samurai, I was totally amazed with the movies' stunning visualizations portrayed by the director. In the tradition of "bushido", the way of the warrior, one can easily see and understand the films transition as it progressed from the cynical/irrational/desperate behavior of Tom Cruise, with his portrayal of his part as Nathan Algren, a veteran of the American Civil war who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing imperial army in modern warfare using firearms. The imperial cabinet's first priority is to repress a rebellion of traditionalist Samurai who remain devoted to the sacred dynasty and reject the West and their policies and even refuse weapon, such as rifles. Yet when his ill prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. Badly wounded Algren's courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto spare his life; once nursed to health he learns to know and respect the old Japanese way, and participates as adviser in Katsumoto's failed attempt to save the Bushido tradition, but Omura gets repressive laws enacted, he must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when the conflict returns to the battlefield. In Japan, Civil War veteran Captain Nathan Algren trains the Emperor's troops to use modern weapons as they prepare to defeat the last of the country's samurai. But Algren's passion is weighed when he is captured by the samurai and learns about their traditions and code of honor. He begins to understand the enemy and realizes the error of many ways. As the Emperor attempts to eradicate the ancient Imperial Samurai warriors in preparation for more Westernized and trade friendly government policies, Algren finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by his encounters with the Samurai, which places him at the center of a struggle between two eras and two worlds, with only his own sense of honor to guide him. Still, "The Last Samurai" manages to succeed in a number of ways, mainly in presenting nineteenth-century Japan in a remarkably realistic way, and in its brutal battle scenes.