The Last Samurai

Captain Nathan Algren is a man adrift. The battles he once fought now seem distant and futile. Once he risked his life for honor and country, but, in the years since the Civil War, the world has changed. Pragmatism has replaced courage, self-interest has taken the place of sacrifice and honor is nowhere to be found--especially out West where his role in the Indian Campaigns ended in disillusionment and sorrow.

Somewhere on the unforgiving plains near the banks of the Washita River, Algren lost his soul. A universe away, another soldier sees his way of life about to disintegrate. He is Katsumoto, the last leader of an ancient line of warriors, the venerated Samurai, who dedicated their lives to serving emperor and country. Just as the modern way encroached upon the American West, cornering and condemning the Native American, it also engulfed traditional Japan. The telegraph lines and railroads that brought progress now threaten those values and codes by which the Samurai have lived and died for centuries. But Katsumoto will not go without a fight. The paths of these two warriors converge when the young Emperor of Japan, wooed by American interests who covet the growing Japanese market, hires Algren to train Japan's first modern, conscript army. But as the Emperor's advisors attempt to eradicate the Samurai in preparation for a more Westernized and trade-friendly government, Algren finds himself unexpectedly impressed and influenced by his encounters with the Samurai.




The Emperor of Japan as well, finds himself trapped in a critical choice between tradition and progress. Young and inexperienced, the Emperor helplessly yields to his advisers in negotiating with the Americans – eradicate the ultimate threat, the last strain of Samurais. The Emperor has been convinced that this would transform Japan into a secured Westernized trade ally. The Samurais now seek to defend their way of life, against the Emperor and the Japanese government that they once served to protect. Yet the honor, the sacrifice, and the courage are still theirs…

The Samurais succeeds in capturing Captain Algren, under the charge of Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). Still confounded by the Westerner’s lack of dignity in repulsing defeat through death, Katsumoto finally spares the Captain’s life, perhaps in the hopes of educating the Captain in the Samurai way of life. Who doesn’t understand the dignity in Harakiri? Ironically, it is only in his period of captivity on enemies’ grounds that Captain Algren is reminded of the true honor of being a soldier. Impressed by the Samurai code of Bushido, the Way of a Warrior (finding honor in laying down one’s life in war, and embracing dignity in death rather than defeat), Captain Algren makes a crucial decision -to take sides with the Samurais.

Tragically, it is only after the sacrifice and death of the last line of Samurais, that Japan realized the honor in facing the modern world unafraid, though alone. It is only after the end of the last samurais, that Japan learned to embrace once again the value of endurance, more importantly that of autonomy and freedom from foreign demands. Hence, death gives birth to Independent Modern Japan.

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