Cruise discovers Kurosawa; audience pays the price.

Rating: 3/10 (6 December 2003)

Tom Cruise stars in *Dances With Samurai* . . . er, *The Last Samurai*, a movie that asks us to bemoan Western cultural imperialism while at the same time being a piece of Western cultural imperialism. But that shouldn't particularly bother American audiences, who are never so happy when spoonfed the same mush over and over. And boy, is this movie the same mush! It takes its plot directly from Costner's *Dances With Wolves*, right down to the Civil War era (OK, this takes place a little after the War) and even the journal kept by the hero. And once again, this movie, like Costner's, proposes the patrician notion that only a scion from Western Civilization can possibly teach the older and presumably more naive culture about just how corrupt Westerners can be. Again, the hero renounces his own culture and thoroughly steeps himself in the alien one, and again the benefits of the cultural exchange are given primarily one way: FROM white, TO Other. AND AGAIN (sorry to keep repeating myself, but *Samurai* and *Dances* are really the same movie), the story tries to have its cake while eating it, i.e. by trashing the Westerners as corrupt while carefully eliding any unpleasant aspects of the older culture it purports to elevate. Meaning, we see none of the degrading subjection of women, the narrow and limiting tradition of the tribal blood feud, the empty militarism at the expense of cultural broadening, the rigid caste system, the scientific and medical ignorance, etc. etc. On the contrary. The village where Cruise is held prisoner during the winter and spring is seen as an idyllic paradise where its inhabitants spend every waking hour doing some self-improving activity or other. It's a village run by some pretty nice warlords. Needless to say, Akira Kurosawa wouldn't have made this movie. (Remember farmer Mifune's excoriating of the samurai in *Seven Samurai*?)
But it's inevitable, and doubtless intended, that this movie will be compared to some of Kurosawa's samurai epics, particularly the later ones like *Kagemusha* and *Ran*. To give *The Last Samurai* its due, the swordfights and the climactic battle are very well executed: staged intelligently, and throbbing with catch-your-breath excitement. Director Edward Zwick shows that the superb battle scenes in his earlier *Glory* were no fluke: if anything, he has improved as an action director. The great battle in this movie excels Gibson's accomplishment in *Braveheart* by a good measure, and even touches Kurosawa's savage beauties. But that's where the artistry -- and the comparisons to Kurosawa -- end (or should end, if there's any critical acumen out there). I'm sorry to say that Mr. Cruise, perhaps even out of a love for Kurosawa's old films, just couldn't resist the ample opportunity to horn in on one of cinema's great traditions. Perhaps the ego dictated that he could "add" to this tradition, or at any rate make it "accessible" to modern (and American) audiences. One hopes the Japanese won't be fooled: surely they'll see that what this movie is REALLY about is Tom Cruise, not the warrior caste of old Japan. It's about HIS sufferings, HIS saintly guilt, HIS learning of an alien, old tradition (and HIS subsequent improving of it), HIS romance with the beautiful widows who can't help falling in love with HIM because HE is, after all, Tom Cruise Of The Magnificent Long Hair Blowing In The Wind, and finally HIS moral supremacy over everyone else in the movie. Armies genuflect to, Emperors and warlords take advice from, HIM. Or, to sum it all up in a line: "SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!"