TITLE: Review: The Last Samurai (2004) AUTHOR: Joe Johnson DATE: 5:46:00 AM ----- BODY:
Dir: Edward Zwick

Some stories are so compelling that if any competency is used in telling them, there is the potential for a fantastically penetrating film. Rocky was not original in its plot. It was mainly well told and well cast. The Last Samurai relies on some of the most basic plot devices, but with enough competency and intrigues as to remind us of why certain themes are timeless.

In a sense, Samurai is a re-capturing of Dances With Wolves. The arrogant military man is thrown into a culture clash with “the savages.” From their simplicity and tradition, the hero is offered a chance at redemption and rebirth. But even with such potentially powerful themes, a film is not destined to work. It still requires a story, sympathetic and rounded characters, and a sense of structure. The Last Samurai works because it succeeds on all fronts.

Captain Algren (Tom Cruise) is a nihilistic U.S. Civil War hero recruited by the Japanese to help westernize the country. He is to help the young emperor and his advisors make the Asian island seem more like England than the orient, to the extent of destroying the traditional warriors, the samurai. Algren immediately recognizes that same hubris which glamorizes war and assumes any primitive enemy will simply fall down. Despite his best advice, the Japanese rush into combat with the intensely devoted and disciplined samurai. Algren’s army is destroyed and he is captured.

From this setting, he is forced to live among “the savages.” It is, of course, a time of realization and re-awakening. He must confront the plague of nightmares he accrued from destroying Indian villages. He must face his own arrogance and alcoholism and consider leaving a detached warrior’s life in favor of family. These story lines are so common that it is easy to forget that there is still power when they are told well. Herein is the significance of The Last Samurai: a well-constructed assembling of classic themes told with heart and precise acting.

Ken Watanabee, the senior Samurai who is both statesman and warrior, tempers Cruise’s vulgarity. Although Watanabee was rightfully recognized for his role, Cruise continues to demonstrate his legitimacy as one of the finer actors of recent generations. He is as essential to Watanabee’s success as he was to Dustin Hoffman’s Raymond (Rain Man). It is impossible to not notice Cruise, but not only for his sheer physical presence. He is perfect: boisterous when necessary, subtle when needed. Perhaps his acting is disregarded because of his impossibly large natural charisma. However, Cruise allows other actors to lead and steal scenes. That one can watch The Last Samurai or Rain Man and talk about the work of another actor is a testament to Cruise’s willingness to be secondary.

It is nearly impossible to overstate the construction of Zwick’s direction. The Last Samurai succeeds in nearly every attempt it makes. Perhaps the most shining example of its success is that it provokes questions without demanding answers. Although one is inevitably asked to confront the issue of modernization at the expense of tradition and family, nothing in this film feels like propaganda or polemics. The Last Samurai doesn’t explore any terrain that hasn’t been seen, but where it goes, it does so with a genuine affection and ability that makes every meaning seem fresh.

**** of *****

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