"I think a man does what he can until his destiny is revealed to him."

Rating: 8/10 (19 April 2018)

The theme of honor and integrity run throughout this picture, with Tom Cruise portraying a former Civil War and Indian Wars soldier who's disillusionment with killing has stripped him of his humanity, leaving him a broken and dispirited individual. Aimless, Captain Nathan Algren (Cruise) accepts an offer to train the Japanese in the art of warfare to put down a Samurai uprising against the new Emperor's quest to modernize his country. What Algren comes to understand following his capture by the Samurai will change his life, one which will offer a renewed dedication to discipline and learning. For Tom Cruise, it's an intense role in a picture that calls to mind the 1990 Western epic "Dances With Wolves" in it's examination of a foreign culture and how becoming familiar with the unknown can be a life defining experience. Perhaps even more charismatic than Cruise is his opposite in the story, Ken Watanabe as the Samurai Master Katsumoto Moritsugu. From Katsumoto, Algren attains a spiritual view of life that he never had before, grounded in values deemed noble, like honor, loyalty, and personal integrity. When it comes time to test Algren's new resolve, he joins the Samurai quest to turn back the forces that would diminish or destroy an entire culture for the sake of elusive modernization and monetary gain. Perhaps most notable is the manner in which Algren earns the eventual trust and admiration of his Samurai hosts by learning the language and adopting their martial art tactics. The Samurai way is emphasized a number of times in the story with the ritual seppuku performed by General Hasegawa (Togo Igawa) following an early American defeat by the Samurai, and later on as Katsumoto accepts death as his spiritual reward on the battlefield. What influences the story most is the ever present honor among a people to maintain their traditions and way of life.