Tom Cruise stars as Captain Algren, an American war hero with a record of great success in dealing with Indian uprisings. But Algren is haunted by some of the things he and his men have done in quelling the natives. In response, he's crawled inside a bottle. That's where we find him when his superior officer presents him with an interesting proposal. The Japanese are looking to modernize their army and want to hire American officers to help them do it. Having nothing better to do, Algren accepts.
Once in Japan he begins drilling the Japanese troops and attempting to make them familiar with rifles. Before he has a chance to make any progress with his almost comedically inept recruits he is ordered to take them into combat. Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), the leader of a rebellious group of samurai, is harassing the Emperor’s efforts to modernize. The rebels object to the modernization, preferring instead their traditional weapons. The confrontation is disastrous, with Algren's green troops routed by the far more skilled samurai. Algren himself is captured. Katsumoto wants the opportunity to study his new enemy at close range.
Algren is cut loose in Katsumoto’s village. Winter is about to arrive which will make Algren’s escape impossible. So he fills his time by observing the samurai and their families. He and Katsumoto have numerous discussions, largely on a philosophical level. By the time spring rolls around, Algren is a new man, converted by the example set by the samurai. He decides to throw his lot in with the samurai against the Emperor.
The movie tries very hard to be thoughtful and stirring. It’s heart and head are in the right place for the most part but a series of elements derails it and keeps it from greatness. First is the casting of Cruise. He does fine work here, acting up a storm and pulling off the complex fighting needed by the role. The problem is that sometimes an actor’s celebrity can be difficult to divorce from the character. This is such a case. No matter how strong Cruise’s performance, he himself felt inconsistent with the setting. That made it feel like Tom Cruise showing the Japanese the real meaning of honor and tradition and not Algren. That inability to buy into this character is a deep flaw in the picture that keeps it constantly off balance.
Another problem is Katsumoto. Now, Ken Watanabe does a phenomenal job in the role. He brims with confidence and charisma and makes for a leader you could see people really following to their death. What bothered me is his inconsistent thoughts. He clearly follows the legendary samurai belief that death is part of the role, seeming to look forward to it. But it seems to clash with the way he so valiantly leads his men on a path to maintaining their nation’s honor and tradition. It’s hard to imagine such devotion to a cause coupled with the attitude of readily tossing life away. It is most noticeable in a discussion of General Custer, in which Katsumoto praises the man, seemingly unaware of his unsavory death. Algren’s efforts to clarify Custer’s character seem of no interest to Katsumoto. A man who dedicates his life to war should understand the difference between dying fighting proudly for an important cause and dying badly for no real cause.
The film’s ending is a major flaw of the film. Rather than following to a natural conclusion it opts for the Hollywood ending, gutting what went before it. Particularly irksome is a last stand battle where Algren tells Katsumoto the story of the Spartans at Thermopylae, an ancient battle in which three hundred Spartan warriors held off an invading army of Persians numbering one million strong for three days. Thermopylae mentioned, the filmmakers are now obliged to deliver something of impressive emotional weight. But the final battle is anything but impressive. It lacks a sense of the stakes and fails miserably to capture real depth. It does not meet the standards set by mentioning Thermopylae. Worse, Katsumoto still doesn’t seem to get the difference between Custer and the Spartans.
This movie is flat out gorgeous to look at. Particularly great is the scene where the samurai charge to forces commanded by Algren. They seemed like demons emerging from the mists.
The costumes, although wrong for the period, are magnificent.
This is a film I can respect greatly for the good acting and great look but it is not a film I can love.
Director: Edward Zwick
Written by: John Logan
Nathan Algren: Tom Cruise
Katsumoto: Ken Watanabe
Sgt. Zebulah Grant: Billy Connolly
Col. Benjamin Bagly: Tony Goldwyn
Taka: Koyuki
Nobutada: Shin Koyamada
Magojiro: Aoi Minata
Simon Graham: Timothy Spall
Ujio: Hiroyuki Sanada
Emperor: Scichinosuke Nakamura
