An American veteran who came to Japan not far away, regarded the glory of the samurai as his career, and almost died in the line of duty. What kind of spirit is this?
Edward Zwick’s epic films are always so reverberating. From heroism to love for children, from selling feelings to shaping characters, from war scenes to music photography (Hans Zimmer + John Toll), they are all top level in Hollywood. The best part of the film is that Brother Tom (nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor) is a pure YY character that does not violate the harmony (except the protagonist’s halo is too strong). His PTSD left from the North American Indian War made the final Generosity to die is basically credible. The biggest problem with the film is that Ken Watanabe (nominated for the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role) plays Katsumoto Moriji's unclear ideals (the emperor asks you to say you don't), except for the tragic curtain call, it is difficult to resonate with the audience.
Of course, Katsumi's character prototype Xixiang Takamori did have a similar experience. From the fame of the Falling Curtain Movement, to the power of Wang Zhengfu, to the rebellion of the Southwest War, it was only a hurried ten years. At the beginning, as one of the three great masters of the Restoration, he seized power for the emperor and worked hard for the rise of Japan. In the end, he found that the samurai class he belonged to had also become a yellow flower with the changes of the times. For the untimely dignity and the trust that everyone supports, he stumbled on the old path of the Tokugawa shogunate that was subverted by himself many years ago under the banner of "King Jun". Now it seems that Xixiang is only desperate to preserve the vested interests of the samurai and the domain. In fact, there is no long-term feasible solution for the country and the people, and it is inevitable that he will be eliminated by the times. But because he himself abides by Bushido's noble morality and prestige, it is not an exaggeration to be called the "last samurai". It is said that the scene of Xixiang's death in battle is quite similar to this film. At that time, he led the soldiers of the Satsuma clan to commit suicide attacks on the Emperor's army (but it should not be as far apart as the Gatling machine gun against the long sword in the film). After being hit by several bullets, he bowed to the east and beheaded by others. He was less than 50 years old when he died.
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