Contrary to what you might think, the eponymous last samurai is not Tom Cruise, but the rebel leader Katsumoto—or perhaps the entire rebel army. “Samurai” is, after all, both the singular and plural form.

The Last Samurai is another one of those stories, where the protagonist representing imperial {America, Britain} is told to lead an attack on primitive but noble people, but instead ends up appreciating their way of life and eventually joining their struggle against the imperialists. I’ve heard this genre called “Movies White People Need to Stop Making”; similar examples include Pocahontas, Dances With Wolves, and Avatar.

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