The Last Samurai Two hundred years ago a fearless leader named Takamori Saigo drew his sword and launched a final challenge to the Imperial Japanese Army, outnumbered and overwhelmed by the samurai they were inevitably annihilated and Takomori Saigo became a hero who symbolized devotion. and principle. The samurai were an elite warrior group of Japan who became extinct soon after the Mejia era. A film depicting the final stand of the samurai was released. When The Last Samurai hit theaters in 2001, it was received quite well by film critics, earning a seven out of ten from the Internet Movie Data Base. On the other hand historians had mixed feelings about the film. The reason for this was that it wasn't very consistent with what actually happened in the story. The Last Samurai was a film that depicted the last stand of the samurai during the spread of Western civilization to Japan. While the film portrays some things that may be historically accurate, it was mostly a romanticized film that distorted reality as many Hollywood films do. This film was far from historically accurate due to its characters, settings, and plot. Although the film is titled The Last Samurai, it does not primarily revolve around the character Katsumoto who depicts Takamori Saigo, the leader of the samurai during the Satsuma Rebellion, it ironically revolves around Tom Cruise's character Algren, a captain in the US Army, which is completely imaginary. Because the plot of The Last Samurai has many inconsistencies with what happened during the Satsuma Rebellion, it is not historically accurate. In the late 1860s and early 1870s Japan underwent a change when Emperor Mutushito came to power with the title of “Enlightened Peace” Meiji. This change became known as the Meji era which called for the western...... middle of paper...... As the time approaches, Taka Katsamo's sister dresses Algren in her deceased husband's armor, the two greet each other and kiss. On the day of battle the samurai rebellion brings the imperial army close to an area where they can fight hand to hand giving them the upper hand. The battle ends up turning in favor of the imperial armies and so the remaining samurai are forced to retreat. Knowing their inevitable fate, the Samurai charge on horseback where they are slaughtered with a Gatling gun. To give Katusumo an honorable death, Algren aids Katsumo by helping him commit Seppuku, thus ending the rebellion. Algren later delivers Katsumo's sword to the emperor, a former student of the samurai leader. In the end the emperor realizes that although Japan needs to modernize, it must never forget its heritage and ancestors, thus leaving the film with a message for everyone..