The Last Samurai Analysis

The film, the Last Samurai (2003), directed by Edward Zwick, is modern retelling of a historic struggle between the Meiji government who wants to embrace Westernization and the Samurai, who are traditionalist and the soul of Japan, who are rebelling against the modernization campaign that sets in the late 19th century in Japan. The film however, centers on the character development of a former United States army captain Nathan Algren (actor: Tom Cruise). Algren is depicted by Zwick as a distressed individual who relives his participation in the bloody and glorifying Civil War against Indian Americans through his nightmares. As remedy to sooth his distress, Algren turns to the consumption of alcohol. Eventually, Algren is approached by his former commanding officer Colonel Bagley after one of his shows, and is offered a job to assist the Meiji government in training the Japanese Army in western style warfare against the Samurai who are led by Katsumoto (actor: Ken Watanabe).

Soon after Algren arrives in Japan, the newly formed westernized Japanese Army composed of “poorly trained peasants who lacked military combat” described by Algren, are swarmed by Samurais in a forest (Zwick 2003, The Last Samurai). Although many Japanese soldiers either fled or had been killed during the combat, Algren manages to kill several Samurais by himself. This intrigues Katsumoto and he orders a stop to warriors from finishing off Algren and instead takes him as a captive. Algren is brought to an isolated village deep in the mountains in where the Samurais reside. In the beginning of Algren recovery process, the nightmares worsen as he continues to see vivid images of himself gunning down Indian children and requests for Saki, a Japanese alcoholic be...

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...t Samurai. With further investigation, one can come to a realization that Bushido has a greater influence than the act of fighting as seen with the character development of Algren illustrated above. Under Bushido, Algren was able to learn the principles of righteousness, politeness, loyalty and honor, and then he applies those principles to his own life and achieves inner peace with himself in which had lost a very long time ago. In a larger context, society as a whole can gain much knowledge from the Samurai and their way of life and apply it to their daily lives because the set of moral principles that are advocated can be applied our social interactions with parents, friends, family or strangers. Hence, Asian religious thoughts in popular culture have the ability to change our perspectives on the outlook of life without necessarily converting us to the religion.