It can be seen that Tom Cruise and director Edward Zweik are so fascinated by Japanese culture that they have gradually fallen into the magical realm. Investing 140 million US dollars to toss out such a cultural monster is really distressing. And most Europeans and Americans who don’t understand Japanese culture, through this film that extremely beautifies Japanese Bushido, they see an over-whitewashed modern Japan; as Japan itself, due to the war damage and spiritual trauma caused by World War II to the East Asian countries, Japan’s international image has been deteriorating. Although it is divorced from reality, it is a good thing to say that there are more American films that beautify and even deify the image of Japanese samurai and even the country.
As an American, James Kravel’s novel "The Shogunate" also has the problem of beautifying Japanese culture, but due to the correct background of the time, the meticulous characterization of the novel, and the author's full knowledge of the history of European navigation and the historical facts of the Warring States period in Japan Digging, so that readers will not only indulge in the twists and turns, but also deeply feel the cultural conflict and fusion between the East and the West from the connotation contained in the plot.
"The Last Samurai" sets its plot in a wrong time background: the Meiji period in the 1870s. Firearms have entered Japan as early as the 16th century. The tactical use of firearms is not as described in the film. Japanese samurai are so stupid that they can only play with swords and arrows. That being the case, it is a bit inexplicable for the conservatives who maintain the samurai tradition in the film to fail with the reformers for what reason. The emperor teacher and opposition leader played by Ken Watanabe keeps saying that he needs to understand and study the enemy, and he speaks fluent English, but he doesn't understand and master the enemy's weapon of war, which is really incredible.
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