The Last Samurai
Joe Nguyen, staff writer
Dec. 30, 2003

Prior to this movie coming into theaters, the Internet was rampant with people saying how this was going to be another example of how American cinema portrays Asians as inferior to white America. I can’t say that I blame them. From the early previews, it appears that Tom Cruise, a white man, was leading a group of samurais into battle. It may lead some to believe that the Japanese are incapable of fighting their own battles, so lets bring in the Americans to save the day.

Going back to one of my favorite sayings, “Don’t badmouth movies before you watch it.”

This is a story about honor, pride, tradition and finding oneself. Set in 1876, the movie starts off centered around Captain Nathan Algren (Cruise) who is asked to go to Japan and teach the Japanese soldiers to fight using Western technology (i.e. guns). After some persuasion, he agrees to, and sets off to Japan. After a brief period of training, his army is forced to go into a battle with the Samurai army led by Katsumoto (Watanabe). Suffering a defeat, Algren is held as a prisoner. There, a whole new culture and way of life is shown to him.

Tom Cruise and Koyuki in The Last Samurai

I sat down in the theater, not really knowing what to expect. Early in the film, it felt like the American heroes were shown as being superior to all others. From their point of view, the Americans probably felt that way. That all went away when Katsumoto and his army entered the movie. They were simply fierce. They were a group made up of hardcore, skilled swordsmen and archers who, for a lack of a better word, were simply ‘cool.’ There’s one scene with Nobutada (Shin Koyamada) where he appears to be like an ‘Asian’ Legolas.

The heart of the movie was the relationship between the rivals Algren and Katsumoto. Although their cultures were different, their values were similar. This is what leads to their mutual respect of one another.

As the star, Tom Cruise did a good job in this movie, but it was Ken Watanabe that stole the show. His presence on screen makes you believe that he is the leader of his village. His golden globe nomination was very deserving and should garner him an Oscar nomination in the spring.

Overall, I really enjoyed this movie. Personally, I felt it should have had a Golden Globe nomination for best movie. This is very well done historical epic that should please most people, but like "Master and Commander," it's probably not going to rake in big money in the box office. If you enjoyed "Braveheart," chances are you will like "The Last Samurai."

Joe gives "The Last Samurai":

Joe Nguyen is a staff writer for asiaXpress.com. You can reach Joe at joe@asiaxpress.com.

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