The Last Samurai

Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an alcoholic veteran of the American Civil War who is haunted by the memory of atrocities against Native American Indians. When he's hired by the Japanese Emperor to train his country’s first modern army, he realises his first task is to defeat the final few clans of samurai who are holding up the progression towards a modern, westernised Japan. Algren and his fledgling forces find themselves in a battle to protect the Emperor’s new railway from attacking samurai rebels. When Algren is captured by the samurai, he gains a deeper understanding of their rich and compelling code of honour. Tom Cruise puts in a resilient performance as the war veteran forced to question his actions in the face of unfamiliar traditions but it is Ken Watanabe who stands out as the noble and enigmatic samurai leader Katsumoto.