Critical analysis of the film The Last Samurai Essay

Critical analysis of the film The Last Samurai - Essay Example While Zwick might have worked on the movie with due respect to the Eastern culture, however, some of the critics view it in a different perspective. For example Denby (2003) found it as â€Å"cultural vanity implicit in the idea of a white guy’s becoming a superb Eastern warrior.† Similarly Tierney (2006) also found â€Å"themes of whiteness† and embedded western superiority in the movie. However, according to Ebert (2003), the movie depicts the story of an ancient culture and philosophy that is superior to modernization exported by America in the name of development. The movie beautifully recreates the magic of glorious Japanese past with astounding designs, sets, action sequences and costumes. However, it has its own set of problems. Many of the conflicts and actions appear to have been recycled from other films, and the overall trajectory of the story is predictable. According to Ebert (2003) the movie follows the old tried and tested formula that the Western hero can easily learn the local culture and even beat the best of their warriors in a matter of few months. Here the movie draws parallels with "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Dances with Wolves," movies in which Westerner heroes appreciate Arabs and Indians. It is very much predictable from the beginning of the movie that the western hero will not only find that the Japanese are not cruel but also be infatuated by their culture. Algrens transformation from an alcoholic to a disciplined person is also on expected lines. After he is taken as a prisoner and develops a bonding with his captor can be guessed by any movie goer. Thus the movie doesn’t throw any new elements. According to Said (1994), during the period of European imperialism, while depicting Eastern societies, Western scholars were prejudiced and presented Orientals as inferiors. The reason for such portrayal could be European countries’ status as colonizers. He has termed this concept as