The Last Samurai (DVD 2004)

Now we’re talking cinema, and we’re talking beauty - not only the beauty you can see, but the one you can seek. Tom Cruise, veteran of 19th Century American Civil War, stumbles across people who ‘Devote themselves to the perfection of whatever they pursue.’ This is the Samurai path, this is beauty. And Edward Zwick has obviously devoted himself to the perfection of his film.

The making is of the finest kind. There is beauty every picture, in the music, and in the hearts of those heroes - and their relationships are true and intense. The choreography of some sword fights is a blend of elegance and fierce cruelty - there’s no free gore though, the accent not put on the blood but on the causes that shed it. Tom Cruise is in one of his best performances. There’s nothing cheap in this film.

In our Western view war can hardly be seen as an art but for the samurai it is a duty to fight and defeat evil, and so they prepare for the war with art and discipline - but mostly it is about winning the war with (or against) oneself. What you will see in this film is a spiritual journey, actively led by people who will invite you to ‘Devote yourself to a set of moral principles’ and ‘Seek the stillness of your mind.’ In its kind it is a pamphlet against our modern values: in spite of their warlike attitude these samurai live in harmony, according to the karma and natural course of things. Instead of greed and corruption, their hearts is filled with honor and dignity. We would have a lot to learn from those guys.

So, Japanese flute, sword, meditation and art of war. A spiritual journey on an initiatory path. It is the kind of film where, after the last image has gone, you remain immobile for a while, thinking of what you’ve seen, meditating on what you’ve learned.