The Last Samurai - 2003

Alejo

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I recently saw that Youtube had this movie to watch for free and I decided to play it as I was doing some cooking and cleaning around my place. I remember having watched it years ago and enjoying it so I figured why not.

However, watching it once again I noticed a few more things about the movie that made it better in my opinion, I am not sure how many of you have watched it, so I will be discussing some of my observations on a spoiler section.

The story follows Nathan Algran, a US Army captain who is experiencing PTSD from the atrocities perpetrated by him and his superiors agains a noncombatant native population. The only way he knows to deal with it is by drinking his life away.

A job position is offered to him and his superior to train the Japanese army, who is in the process of being modernized, reluctantly he agrees to it and the story takes off.

Due to the fears of the Japanese ambassador to the US, a military operation against the samurai, lead by Katsumoto, is launched prematurely, and Algran is captured, he is brought to a village where he is kept and in it he undergoes a transformation that leads him to fight on the side of the samurai against his former superior and the Japanese enterprise that brought him over to the country. The story ends with the Japanese emperor learning of the defeat of Katsumoto, Algran being the sole survivor of their confrontation, and kicking the americans out.

So there were a few themes that caught my attention:

Nathan was a warrior, and remains a warrior, but it is not until he submits to the discipline and tenets of the samurai that he doesn't discover a purpose for the violence that he's capable of. Being unconsciously violent initially is what caused him the pain that haunted him, but once he integrates it, his violence becomes conscious and it no longer hurts him. I found this to be particularly interesting, he became probably more dangerous and lethal, but less violent by finding an honorable purpose to fight for.

Another very interesting idea was that, prior to arriving in the village, Algran was drowning his sorrow in alcohol, and even upon arrival there he attempts to continue to do so, and at first this is given to him, but then alcohol is refused by the woman who would become his romantic interest, the pain that this refusal caused is beautifully represented as a dark night of the soul, but it's the catalyst for his transformation.

That was a lovely idea I felt, it could be interpreted as, the right partner for you in life is not the one that says yes to your whims, but the one that has the strength to bring you what you need, really need. It's also interesting to see it from another point of view, which is, it's not until one faces up to onself and one's actions that one can't begin to choose a different life. Merely putting distance between you and it isn't enough, truth has to seep into your life for this to happen.

I would overall recommend the movie, it's a good story and beautifully shot with a lovely soundtrack.
 
It is an interesting take @Alejo. I've watched the movie not too long ago myself and a specific part of the plot didn't sit quite right with me initially. I believe it is connected with what you brought up. Spoilers are required of course :


The concept of honor in itself is very interesting as it provides a context, a frame of reference, for what would be considered, in general, barbarian acts of violence. But I believe "honor" could be more than that, it could be a spirit, an archetype the main character gradually embodies (as such it would the main dynamic behind the romance IMO). The destructive alcohol addiction serves indeed as a catalyst behind this process. Usually such addiction comes with the need of the person to "kill" a part of themselves, so that only when something come along to fill the void (a.k.a. the spirit of honor) will the transmutation really take place.

While watching the movie I couldn't understand for the life of me why the widow came to love the killer of her husband, father of her child. I thought to myself at the time that following the path of forgiveness was enough and more realistic. However, now that I think about it, it is the spirit of the honorable warrior that the widow recognizes in both her late husband and Algran. In her mind they come to share the same essence, the true identity of the person behind the mask of appearances. The samurai armor becomes then the perfect symbolic representation of that archetype (the corresponding scene is one of the highlight of the movie IMO). All of this is quite in line with the strong sense of spirituality that eastern people had in those times, which is also the main theme of the movie (western mechanical imperialism vs. eastern traditional samurais).

All things considered, a very well made movie!
 
I liked the movie as I found it used the archetypes of honor, honesty and humility to tell a story.

I did not like the movie because it is not accurate with the armor ( mixing periods and armor types) plus I found the concept hard to believe that a cavalry soldier, no matter how talented he may have been, was able to stand toe to toe with swordsmen that spend all of their lives in the perfection of one simple cut with a 3ft razor blade, over and over again. Great action but fiction.

It took over 100 years, post unification, to turn the Samurai from war machines to poets and artisans including convincing them it was not ok for them to have kids and families to cut down on the lineage and the family lines. Anyway, liked the story as long as I realized it was a story of fiction not based on fact.
 
"I would overall recommend the movie, it's a good story and beautifully shot with a lovely soundtrack."

I agree.
 
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"The tiger's eyes are like my own. But he comes from across a deep and troubled sea."

"The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your entire life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life."
 
"The tiger's eyes are like my own. But he comes from across a deep and troubled sea."

"The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your entire life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life."
It is a very quotable movie, some of my favorites

Katsumoto:
You believe a man can change his destiny?
Algren:
I think a man does what he can, until his destiny is revealed.

===
Algren:
What does it say?
Katsumoto:
"I belong to the warrior in whom the old ways have joined the new."
 
I watched this the other night, I had forgotten how good it was, thanks!! as a side note I went on to watch Gladiator the following night, strong masculine men fighting for honour and redemption, what a concept hahaha imagine if either of these films came out now, Algren would become a Geisha and Maximus would be Maxine 🤣
 
I watched this the other night, I had forgotten how good it was, thanks!! as a side note I went on to watch Gladiator the following night, strong masculine men fighting for honour and redemption, what a concept hahaha imagine if either of these films came out now, Algren would become a Geisha and Maximus would be Maxine 🤣
or the girl would save Maximus at the very end.. because men need to be saved by a strong woman
 
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