Summary
“The Last Samurai”, a 2003 Warner Brother’s film starring Tom Cruise, tells a story of a 19th Century American Army Captain who goes to Japan to train their new imperial army after feeling guilty about the atrocities he committed against our Native Americans. The film boast of masterfully done fight scenes and cinematography; but, sadly, it is also an example of some of Hollywood’s “bad habits”. It also boasts of stellar performances by its supporting cast and a mediocre performance by its lead actor. It is a film rich in cultural diversity; yet it is also a film which takes a fast and loose approach to historical facts. However, if entertainment is what you are looking for, “The Last Samurai” has all the ingredients of a very entertaining film; loaded with action and drama for all to appreciate.
A Review of the Film “The Last Samurai”
THE LAST SAMURAI
Warner Brothers’ film epic, “The Last Samurai”, is a historical fiction directed by Edward Zwick, set at the tail-end of Japan’s Meiji Restoration period (a time when Japan was shedding its feudal culture and slowly entering the modern age). It narrates to us the story of US Army Captain Nathan Algren, portrayed by Tom Cruise, an embittered Indian-war veteran who has witnessed his government’s atrocities against the American Indians. Guilt-ridden because of the many Native Americans he helped slaughter; Algren, in an attempt to escape his guilt, agrees to travel to Japan to help train its new imperial army.
While in Japan, he is captured by a band of Samurai rebels led by Katsumoto, portrayed by Japanese actor Ken Watanabe. Strangely, Katsumoto, who still remains faithful to the emperor despite the fears that the changes in his country would mean the end of the Samurai, decides to teach Algren the ways of the Samurai instead of killing him. A bond is formed between the two men and Algren agrees to become a Samurai and fight by their side against the new US-trained Japanese imperial army. In the end, all the Samurai, except for Algren (of course) die and there is a, sort of, happy ending when Algren changes the emperor’s heart and goes back to the village and to the arms of the woman he has grown to love.
Tom Cruise’s acting in this film was rather inconsistent; at times he was credible, at times he was boring, and at times he went over the top. Cruise’s character’s silent romance with the wife of the Samurai he killed, for instance, was particularly boring since Cruise couldn’t, believably, make the transition from guilt to love. And, he looked a little over the top near the end of his fight scene on the city streets. It felt to me more like he was acting in a “Highlander” movie than in “The Last Samurai”.
However, the good news is that Cruise had some very strong support from actors like Ken Watanabe, Timothy Spall (who plays Simon Graham) and Billy Connolly (who plays Zebulon Gant). Watanabe’s no-nonsense acting, in particular, made the film believable as he embodied the Samurai’s romantic ideals and strict discipline without going overboard. Could it be that Zwick simply let Cruise have his way while he only directed the rest of the actors in the movie?
Putting Tom Cruise’s acting aside; I’d like to commend the choreographers for some of the best movie fight scenes I have seen in a long time. Not only were the fight scenes spectacular, they were also very credible. If anything, Tom Cruise did his part by studying the intricate movements of a Samurai in battle. The fight movements and how these fights were presented on the film were masterfully done. The “blocking” and camera angles were utilized to perfection during these scenes and it was very apparent throughout the movie.
The big battle sequences were also fantastic. These big battle sequences were probably the only times I liked Cruise’s acting. I could almost believe that I was really a part of the war on the screen. Again, the “blocking” and the camera angles in these scenes, which are more difficult to do, were near perfect. And, at least for these scenes, we have witnessed some great directing, indeed. The only question I have is why Captain Algren didn’t die from the sheer number of bullet wounds he sustained?
Another commendable aspect of the film was its cinematography. The effects of the light and the scenery seemed to lend themselves to the way the emotions in a particular scene. Japan’s picturesque scenery also served to enhance the “epic” feel of the movie. The special effects, particularly the computer generated imagery or CGI, were so well placed in the film that you could hardly tell that they were computer generated. The movie was edited well enough that each scene seemed to flow seamlessly into the next. All of these made the movie easy to look at and helped keep us awake even through some of the boring moments of the film.
Though the movie was great for the eyes, it left a lot to be desired for the ears. The sound quality was not that good since there were some conversations you could hardly hear and some background sounds that are so loud; I felt my ears would pop. I wonder why this type of sound editing seems to be happening in a lot of Hollywood films, lately. Is this the new trend in Hollywood; softer conversations and louder background sounds?
I’d also like to point out that Zwick and writers Marshall Herskovitz and John Logan took several liberties in distorting history. This is another one of these Hollywood trends I can’t seem to appreciate. Why is it that many filmmakers today do very little research when tackling history? Sure, “The Last Samurai” is a fictional film; but the backdrop is based on actual history; more precisely, it is supposed to have happened in 19th century Japan. If my knowledge of history serves me right, the Samurai actually had a lot to do with the mindset of Japan’s imperial army in the 20th Century. Contrary to the film, the way of the Samurai was never scorned upon, but rather embraced, by the creators of the early imperial army in the 19th Century. Whether or not an artistic interpretation of a historical event should remain faithful to the historical event itself is still debatable. Hollywood will always go for what sells; but in my opinion, a good writer can still make an engaging story even if he or she stays faithful to the events of history.
During his captivity, Captain Algren (Tom Cruise) starts to compare the plight of the Samurai with the plight of our Native Americans; a concept which is, at best, stupid. The two are worlds apart! The Samurai were part of the emperor’s cabinet and were among his trusted advisors. Unlike the Native Americans, the Samurai were not thrown out of their land and abused by soldiers from a foreign nation. Whatever conflict they had was among their fellow Japanese.
In all, “The Last Samurai” may not have been portrayed in a realistic manner; and Director Edward Zwick may have let Tom Cruise get away with bad acting; but for the most part, it was an enjoyable movie. Certainly, the fight scenes and big battles are worth watching again and again; and the story, while not exactly faithful to history, is actually quite engaging. So, if your reason for watching is simply to enjoy yourself, then, by all means, watch the movie and enjoy.
