My Favourite Movies: The Last Samurai

I’ve had a ‘thing’ about the Samurai for as long as I can remember. To me they have always seemed to be the epitome of the warrior culture and I cannot help but admire them – or at least their image. So you can imagine how much I was excited by a big budget movie about them coming to a screen near me. The story Hollywood chose to portray was the clash between the new and the old ways of doing things. On the side of the new where the industrialists who wanted to bring Japan kicking and screaming into the 19^th century – the film takes place in the 1870’s – whilst on the side of the old ways are the Samurai who look back to their historical roots and who choose the way of the sword rather than the way of the gun. The leader of the Samurai rebels (based it seems on the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877) is the charismatic Katsumoto played by the equally charismatic Ken Watanabe. Hired to train a modern army to defeat him is Indian War hero Captain Nathan Algren (played creditably by Tom Cruise) who is slowly drinking himself to death in an attempt to forget his part in a massacre of innocent Indian tribes. Having the attitude that he will go anywhere and kill anyone for money he gladly signs up for the assignment not really caring one way or the other. On reaching Japan Algren begins to realise that he is in a very foreign land and attempts to get to know his enemy. When, against his advice, his unready troops are forced into premature battle Algren is wounded and captured by Katsumoto’s men. Also wanting to understand his enemy Katsumoto brings Algren to his mountain village where they begin to learn about each other’s ways and slowly begin to admire each other. It is not long before Algren’s allegiance shifts in favour of his former enemy and he begins to use his knowledge of modern fighting techniques to give the last Samurai at least a fighting chance.

Although a Samurai rebellion against increasing Japanese modernisation did happen around the time the film is based it was, not surprisingly, a wholly Japanese affair. The modernising forces did use western military technology but did not employ ‘military advisors’ in anything like the modern sense. Of course to sell the idea to hard-headed money men in Hollywood there needed to be an American presence that the audience could identify with – hence Cruise. But we really shouldn’t expect documentary accuracy from our movies so this didn’t bother me in the least. What bothered me more was the fact the Cruise (OK a decorated and experienced fighting man of the age) apparently picked up not only Samurai culture but their fighting techniques to such an extent – in 3 months – that he managed to defeat four sword wielding Ronin whilst he himself was (temporarily at least) unarmed. OK, it was a pretty good fight scene but was more than a little unrealistic to say the least. What bothered me most though was the end. Not the big battle scene which was very well done but the scene where Cruise basically reminds the Japanese Emperor (the Emperor!!!) what it means to be Japanese! I really don’t think that the word arrogance even begins to cover it!

But now I have that off my chest I can say why I like it so much and why it still made my favourite movie list. Firstly, and rather inevitably I’m afraid, is the cinematography which is excellent. Then there’s Cruise himself. Now I’ve said several times that he’s not exactly my favourite actor and that I think his talents are overrated. However I think he gives a creditably rendition here of a man ashamed of what he has done in the past and one who has singularly failed to forgive himself. Indeed this just may be the best film I’ve seen Cruise in. Of course, again rather inevitably I’m afraid, the main reason I like this movie is the Japanese elements and Japanese actors who are to a man (and one woman, the love interest Taka played by the strikingly beautiful Koyuki) quite superb especially the hard to convince Ujio played by Hiroyuki Sanada. Finally there are a number of well-choreographed (if sometimes rather silly) fight and battle scenes which are often breath-taking in the speed of the action or stunning in the numbers of real actors involved. The final confrontation is both especially if you love cavalry charges as much as I do! Although far from a perfect film – what film is? – this still manages to get my adrenaline flowing after repeated viewings which must mean something – even just that the director managed to push several of my ‘buttons’ on this one.