The movie Last Samurai, starring Tom Cruise, is easily one of the greatest movies I have seen in a very long time. It is also one of the most spiritual movies I have seen in a very long time.
To give a brief summary of the plot for those who haven't seen the movie, "In the 1870s, Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), a cynical veteran of the American Civil War, who will work for anyone, is hired by Americans who want lucrative contracts with the Emperor of Japan to train the peasant conscripts for the first standing Imperial Army in modern warfare using firearms. The Imperial Omura (Masato Harada) cabinet's first priority is to repress a rebellion of traditionalist Samurai, hereditary warriors, who remain devoted to the sacred dynasty, but reject the Westernizing policy, and even refuse firearms. Yet, when his ill-prepared superior force sets out too soon, their panic allows the sword-wielding samurai to crush them. Badly wounded, Algren's courageous stand makes the samurai leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) spare his life. Once nursed to health, he learns to know and respect the old Japanese way, and participates as advisor in Katsumoto's failed attempt to save the Bushido tradition, but Omura gets repressive laws enacted. He must now choose to honor his loyalty to one of the embittered sides when the conflict returns to the battlefield." (Summary from IMDB)
Fair warning, there are spoilers ahead for those who haven't seen the movie.
The first thing that really stuck with me about The Last Samurai would be the actual Samurai themselves. Throughout the movie, the samurai characters are portrayed as virtuous and upright, loyal to the old ways of their people. They live a lifestyle centered around honor and discipline. This puts them at odds with the current policy of the emperor who, following the advice of his advisors, is trying to Westernize the Japanese Nation. The samurai are so attached to their way of life that they are at the end of the movie willing to die for what they believe in. This really spoke to me as a Christian. We are called to be loyal to the commandments of Christ and his commandments oftentimes are not with the popular culture, just as The Way of the Samurai was not with the times and was completely opposite to the Western culture that the emperor's advisors wanted to bring to the Japanese Nation. As I said in the end, the samurai are willing to die for what they believe in rather than submit to the changing times. As Christians, we need to be willing to be loyal to the principles that the Bible lays out for us even if that means the world is against us, and we end up dying for what we believe in.
The second thing that really stuck out to me in the movie was the emphasis placed on relationships. One might almost say that Algren's love for the Samurai's way of life is because of his love and respect for Katsumoto the lord of the Samurai. The main beating heart of the story is the interaction between Algren and Katsumoto as they learn to find some common ground with each other. It really speaks to the Bible's command to love one's enemies because while Algren and Katsumoto start as enemies in the beginning of the movie, overtime they learn to respect each other as warriors and friends despite their different backgrounds. Their friendship is a true example of a biblical relationship because Katsumoto is willing to push Algren to overcome the demons in his past from his guilt fighting for America. Algren in turn displays loyalty to Katsumoto and at several points in the movie protects him and the people he cares about.
Finally, the movie made some very interesting points about cultural identity. The emperor sums this up at the end of the movie that while Japan needs to move forward, it cannot forget its past. This is relevant in today's culture because while the world is changing, we cannot forget the virtues and honor of our ancestors. We cannot move forward without a firm foundation in the past to build on. The modern world is very much in danger of forgetting this.
The entire movie seemed to be a struggle between the modern Western way of life which is portrayed as impersonal and calculating and the old ways of the Samurai which are more spiritual and disciplined. At one point in the movie, Algren's superior officer asks him why he hates his own people so much. Algren doesn't answer this question in the movie, but after some reflection on it, I think he saw that there was life of a spiritual nature in the way the Samurai were living, whereas with his own people there was only death in the spiritual sense.
I realize I have glossed over some of the technical aspects of the movie that are normally discussed in such reviews in favor of a more thematic analysis. To address two of the prominent technical aspects of this movie, I would say that this is easily Tom Cruise's finest performance, outshining even Top Gun. The cinematography is also excellent. A particular standout scene would be in the initial battle sequence when Algren is captured.
So in conclusion, I think this movie speaks very powerfully to the quest for spiritual life, and it calls us to be warriors loyal to the ways of God. There is nobility in martyrdom, as Katsumoto's example teaches us. The Samurai's example is a type of how we as Christians should live and fight against this dying age. Even when the world tries to fight against us because our Christian ways are old-fashioned and threatening, we should have the loyalty to stand for what we believe in.
As to the rating, I would easily give this a five out of five.
Favorite Quotes: "Spring, 1877. This marks the longest I've stayed in one place since I left the farm at 17. There is so much here I will never understand. I've never been a church going man, and what I've seen on the field of battle has led me to question God's purpose. But there is indeed something spiritual in this place. And though it may forever be obscure to me, I cannot but be aware of its power. I do know that it is here that I've known my first untroubled sleep in many years. "
"Winter, 1877. What does it mean to be Samurai? To devote yourself utterly to a set of moral principles. To seek a stillness of your mind. And to master the way of the sword."