Pride, Honor and Survival in The Last Samurai and Hidalgo

Pride, Honor and Survival in The Last Samurai and Hidalgo

In the 2004 movie, Hidalgo, the story of how a cowboy and cavalry dispatch rider, billed as the “world’s greatest endurance rider,” is challenged to compete for pride, honor, and his own survival in a 3,000 mile long race known as the Ocean of Fire. Likewise, the story of The Last Samurai depicts how a civil war era captain is charged with the responsibility of training a “modern” Japanese military force, and is captured by Samurai warriors in a battle to quell the Samurai rebellion. While he is being held by his captors, he learns the ways of the Samurai and must use his new skills to fight for his, as well as Japan’s pride, honor, and cultural survival. This essay will attempt to draw similarities between Hidalgo and The Last Samurai by examining the individual feats accomplished by the movie’s main characters as well as explain how these seemingly dissimilar movie plots are actually quite similar.

The movie Hidalgo tells the story of Frank T. Hopkins, cowboy and cavalry dispatch rider. During his career, Hopkins and his horse Hidalgo have competed in many American endurance races, and Hopkins has become honorably billed as the world’s greatest endurance rider. Riding as a dispatch rider for the cavalry, one of the main character conflicts of the movie unfolds. Frank T. Hopkins, born to a Lakota Indian woman is half Lakota Indian, but has a hard time dealing with this aspect of his heritage. The conflict comes when he rides a dispatch for the U.S. Calvary unknowingly delivering the order to disarm the Lakota Indians, and inadvertently causes the Battle of Wounded Knee, where the Lakota are massacred by the cavalry.

Knowing that he delivered the order sealing the fate of his people, Hopkins falls into horrible depression, taking to heavy drinking. Because of his reputation as the ‘world’s greatest endurance rider,’ Hopkins joins Buffalo Bills Wild West Show, and is haunted by the nightmare of the massacre.

In an example pride, honor and survival, Hopkins is challenged to overcome his depression and self-pity and enter a race, a 3,000 mile survival race across the Arabian Desert, known as the Ocean of Fire.

The Ocean of Fire, held annually for more than a 1,000 years, is an endurance race like no other. Beyond being a race for pride and honor, rider’s survival skills are tested in the 3,000 mile Ocean of Fire.