The Last Samurai is a American [ 4 ] epic period action drama film directed and produced by Edward Zwick , who also co-wrote the screenplay with John Logan and Marshall Herskovitz from a story devised by Logan.
Cruise portrays Nathan Algren, an American captain of the 7th Cavalry Regiment , whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in 19th century Japan. It received praise for the acting, visuals, cinematography and Hans Zimmer 's score but criticism for some of its portrayals.
In , former U. Army Captain Nathan Algren, a skilled soldier who has become a bitter alcoholic traumatized by the atrocities he committed and witnessed during the American Indian Wars , is approached by his former commanding officer Colonel Bagley.
Bagley asks him to train the newly created Imperial Japanese Army for a Japanese businessman, Matsue Omura, who intends to use the army to suppress a samurai-headed rebellion against Japan's new emperor.
Despite his hatred of Bagley, the impoverished Algren takes the job for the money. He is accompanied to Japan by his old friend, Sergeant Zebulon Gant. Upon arriving, Algren meets Simon Graham, a British translator knowledgeable about the samurai.
