The Last Samurai
"The Last Samurai" came at the peak of Tom Cruise's career, when he was starring in some of my favorite movies, films like "Minority Report" and "Vanilla Sky". It was also at this stage of his career that people started talking about Tom Cruise the actor and not Tom Cruise the movie star. This was strengthened by his performance in the film after "The Last Samurai", "Collateral", which earned him much critical recognition. Yet, watching "The Last Samurai" all over again, you can really see why he was, and continues to be one of, the biggest actors in the world.
Cruise plays Nathan Algren, an alcoholic army veteran who earns cash retelling stories of his war days. He drinks to fight his demons, which take the form of the numerous Native American men, women and children that he and his compatriots murdered. He drinks so much that he can barely function during the retellings, leading to him being let go. Yet, he is offered the opportunity to reclaim his battle glory when he is recruited to train Japan's newly recruited army. With no other choice, he accepts, joined by his trusted sergeant and his hated lieutenant colonel.
While training the soldiers, which are only local farmers and peasants, he learns of the rebels, led by the samurai Katsumoto. Charged with protecting a railway, he takes the unready troops to fight the rebels, who quickly quail the untrained troops through their mystique and reputation. Left behind, Algren fights a number of skilled samurai, killing several. Yet, before they have the chance to kill him, Katsumoto stops the samurai, instead taking him prisoner. They then begin to develop a relationship that reveals to Algren the true nature of the samurai, teaching him a much needed lesson in honor.
"The Last Samurai" doesn't trailblaze into any new thematic territories, but it does mine old ones efficiently and extremely well. We've seen this story before, the outsider who comes in and makes everyone around him better while learning a great lesson himself. Yet, "The Last Samurai" is masterful in its storytelling. The main characters are all charismatic and likeable. Sad scenes I've seen several times still brought tears to my eyes. And, at its heart, Tom Cruise is the most charismatic of all, making Algren truly admirable. Yet, this film's greatest contribution is the revelation of Ken Watanabe to American audiences, who is simply amazing in this film. As the samurai rebel Katsumoto, he is both honorable and strong while deeply observant and emotional. He is the perfect partner to Cruise, each making an impressive companion.
Yet, watching the film again, the thing that stood out to me the most was the incredible action sequences. Not only are the sword fights wonderfully choreographed, but they are stunningly blunt in their violence, creating a unique action experience.
"The Last Samurai" is a really great action epic that hits all the right notes. It's full of action, drama and has tender moments. Enjoy this film.