The Last Samurai

A few words about one my really favorite film.
This is just an isolated posting,because if I start writing about each movie I wud need to .....sit for hours and days remembering scenes and thigns ....i will go mad.


OK.I want all people reading this to have seen the movie or see it soon.Its really nice.Its the story of West meeting East.The story revolves around Japan in the beginning of 20th century or end of 19th century I presume.The main hero of the story is a captain in the American army,Captain Nathan Algren(played by Tom Cruise).The guy has left his job behind and is conducting stage shows on his exploits during the skirmishes against the native Americans.
He seems a sensible man when people are enjoying the prepared narration of how he killed them,because he speaks his mind there.He describes the carnage and the savagery of the skirmish.

Algren is presented with an offer by Omura (Masato Harada), a rich and powerful Japanese businessman, to travel to Japan and “Westernize” their army in the ways of the new American warrior. Once there, Algren learns that his responsibility is to train the troops in order to defeat the Samurai, Japan’s ancient warriors who are opposed to the Emperor’s Westernization of Japan. During their first battle with the Samurai,Algren is taken prisoner, his life spared only because Samurai Leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) saw what he believed to be the courageous Captain in a vision. Taking refuge in the Samurai’s remote mountain village during the winter months, Katsumoto does not imprison Algren, but instead has his sister Taka (Koyuki) nurse the Captain back to health. During this time, Algren is allowed to roam (for the most part) free in the village, and in doing so, begins to see the honor and nobility in the way of the Samurai, which helps him come to terms with his own mental demons. Once he is returned to the Americans, Algren is torn between following what he knows in his heart to be honorable, and his military duty.




This leads to many fights and interesting twists.I liked the samurai fight and the way the western mind started viewing the power of the eastern ways.The strategies used in the numerous battles are worth mentioning,especially the one involving burning the haystacks.The superiorly armed foreign force(3-4 battalions) fight against a few battle hardened samurai warriors and lose out in terms of courage.The battle is breath taking and also heart breaking.The horrifying carnage involved the battles is also filmed perfectly.Altogether a perfect mix of action,melodrama and story with a moral.

One part I really liked was the last part when the Emperor comes to know of his mistake in allowing foreign countries to remove the trace of Japan's rich heritage.
The part "but we cannot forget who we are!!" in Japanese accent sounds heart rendering and I hear it in a corner of mind sometimes.hehe...call it aftereffects...

My favorite characters were Katsumoto,Algren and son of Katsumoto.

tats all for now.....