The way of the samurai is not necessary any more ...

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 2006)

Director Edward Zwick's unfairly maligned Japanese epic, The Last Samurai, is one of heart, sweeping beauty, rousing emotion, and a passionate romanticism of the Samurai. There's nothing wrong with romanticising the Samurai, of course, they are a fascinating people after all, and at the end of the day The Last Samurai is a motion picture, and motion pictures are fairy tales  make believe. Critics should forgive Zwick, then, for what may or may not be a lack of historical accuracy both in chronology and behaviour, for not to do so would be to forget The Last Samurai's touching, resonant story about the rise of modern Japan.
Set in the late 1870's, the film begins with war veteran Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) of the American army, pitying and drowning himself with liquor for hatred of his past actions. An old friend (Billy Connolly) persuades him to consider an offer from Mr. Omura (Masato Harada), in association with the man responsible for Algren's forgettable past, Lieutenant Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn), to train the Japanese military in the use of American firearms. Despite his dislike for his former Colonel, Algren agrees to do so for the money.
When Colonel Bagley orders an unprepared regiment of Japanese soldiers to meet a group of "savages"  Samurai led by the rebel Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe)  in battle, hundreds of soldiers are killed and Algren is captured and taken to the Samurai village, deep in the mountains. Katsumoto, a student of English and war, finds much to learn from Algren and holds him in captivity until the spring, when a safe passage will be cleared for his return. During this time, Algren begins seeing the Samurai in a much different light and by the time of his release, he has been shaped for the better by their gentle, spiritual, and honourable ways.
The cinematography in The Last Samurai is breathtaking, shot primarily in the landscapes of New Plymouth in New Zealand, capturing the essence of the Samurai way of life. The performances don't disappoint, either. While Tom Cruise was fine as Algren, and probably at the top of his dramatic game, it's the Japanese actors that stand out: Ken Watanabe, as the leader of the Samurai, delivers with such integrity, and the smaller roles of Emperor Meiji (Shichinosuke Nakamura) and Algren's caretaker Taka (Koyuki) are acted with subtle, quiet, and understated power. Throughout the film's 148 minutes, Zwick adopts a slow, meaningful pace and combines his minimalist dialogue with Hans Zimmer's truly majestic score to forge the sense of epic.