Review: The Last Samurai, A Historical Epic For The Ages
- May 15, 2018
- 2 min read
From the director of Jack Reacher's awful sequel and the most boring chess movie ever made, comes one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces ever to grace the big screen.
Retired cavalryman Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) finds himself in the rapidly industrializing Japan, a country locked in civil war. On one side, those striving for a modern Japan, spearheaded by Omura (Masato Harada) and on the other, those who wish to hold onto the way of old, led by the samurai Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). Algren’s task is simple, to train the newly reformed Japanese military and lead them to stamp out the rebellion. However, after his capture at the hands of Katsumoto, Algren gains a new perspective, a different view of the violent world he has only ever seen from the side of the victors.
There’s a lot to unpack in The Last Samurai. Between telling one of the best stories of the 21st century, being a visual masterpiece, containing Hans Zimmer’s best musical score, Tom Cruise’s greatest performance and just generally being excellent, there’s also an excess of subtext surrounding the nature of fate, the purpose of war and the meaning of sacrifice. Few films offer so much as this. Throw is some excellent action and one of cinema’s greatest characters in Katsumoto and you have yourself a hell of a film.
There is nothing I do not like about The Last Samurai. It is, in every way, a masterpiece. It is a film so filled with emotion and various ideals that, for me at least, it helped define what cinema could be. It’s a rare kind of excellent that doesn’t come around very often, a historical film that treats its characters with the respect they deserve, while telling a story that is relevant regardless of the century. Cruise is incredible, delicately portraying a man who wants nothing more to die, but cannot bring himself to do so. Watanabe however, steals every scene, as a man so totally and utterly dedicated to cause that he will do whatever it takes to succeed, provided it falls within his own code of honour. Together they form different halves of the same circle, once proud warriors, each seeking redemption in their own way.
If you couldn’t tell by this point, I love The Last Samurai. While it isn’t my favourite film, it does come close. A beautiful piece of cinema to say the least.
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