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The Last Samurai
Key Creative Decisions That Went Wrong
By
Laurie H. Hutzler  The
Last Samurai is exactly the kind of film
Tom Cruise should be making as he completes the transition
from eager, enthusiastic
and youthful Ambition-powered characters and stories
like Jerry Maguire to more passionate, intense and transcendent
stories about
Epic Heroes powered by Idealism.
Get to the Heart of the Epic Story
The Epic Hero is different than the Mythic Hero,
described Joseph Campbell. These two dramatic characters diverge
in several key respects.
The most profound difference is that the Epic Hero must die at the
end of the story while Campbell’s Mythic Hero always returns
to the community after completing his final ordeal.
The Last Samurai got so much right. It is a stunning
visual masterpiece filled with thrilling battle scenes and wonderful
performances. A
few key changes, coupled with an emotionally satisfying ending, would
have lifted the film into the realm of the truly Classic Epic Films.
Here’s how:
Key Changes in the Story
Replace guilt with cynicism and bitterness
Replace the evil army officer with a fat-cat carpetbagger
Replace the old reporter with a young reporter
Put Katsumoto in Algren’s debt
Add a real opportunity to turn away from destiny
Add a glorious death on the battlefield
Replace Guilt with Cynicism and Bitterness
In the beginning of the film Nathan Algren feels
guilty about his participation in an Indian massacre. Epic Heroes
don’t feel
guilty. Their greatest skill is to annihilate the enemy or vanquish
the rival. This emotional response should be cut completely.
Instead, show Nathan Algren deprived of a hero’s death on
the Civil War battlefield. Demonstrate that he has outlived his value
and usefulness as a warrior. Show that the carpet-baggers and politicians
have moved in to claim the spoils of victory. Epic films take place
at the end of an era when a more cynical “civilized” world
is replacing a more noble but “savage” world. Epic Heroes
are the last of their kind.
Replace Evil Army Office with a Fat Cat Carpetbagger
In the film the army officer (who ordered the
massacre) offers Algren the opportunity to escape to Japan. Don’t
underline the false emotion of guilt. It strikes the wrong note
in this kind of story.
Instead, make Algren’s choice more cynical and self-serving.
Show the fat-cat carpetbagger exhorting Algren to cash in like the
rest of the knaves and thieves who profited from the war. Demonstrate
how this offer turns Algren’s bitterness into a determination
to turn his extraordinary skill and ability into gold. Let Algren
echo Rick Blaine’s me-first philosophy in Casablanca. ’I
stick my neck out for nobody.”
Replace Old Reporter with a Young Reporter
In the film Algren is met at the dock by an overweight “old
English hand” in Japan. This character doesn’t provide
the key element of youthful idealism necessary to carry Algren’s
legend forward.
Instead, have an eager young reporter meet Algren
at the dock. Epic Heroes inspire and are inspired by the young—it is youth, after
all, who carries the hero’s song and story into the future.
Show the embittered and cynical Algren brush
the young man aside. The reporter should be a painful reminder
of the embittered warrior’s
lost idealism. Demonstrate that Algren simply wants to keep his head
down, be ruthlessly efficient in his job and reap his financial reward.
Put Katsumoto in Algren’s Debt
In the film Algren relearns how to fight with
honor in Katsumoto’s
camp. The two enemies become brothers through a shared warrior’s
code that transcends race, religion or culture. They are not equals,
however, until Katsumoto is in Algren’s debt. In the film Algren
is gravely dishonored by his capture, according to Katsumoto’s
code. This makes Algren Katsumoto’s inferior.
Instead, let Algren transcend his dishonor and
rise to equal stature. An opportunity to do this can be found in
the ninja attack on the
camp. Show the ninjas capturing Katsumoto. Have Algren ride to the
rescue. Put Katusmoto’s life in Algren’s hands. Demonstrate
Algren’s dishonor wiped clean as he restores Katsumoto to the
camp. By rescuing Katsumoto Algren can save Katsumoto’s honor
and reinstate his own.
Add a Real Opportunity to Turn Away from Destiny
In the film Algren has no compelling possible
alternative to battle. We don’t see him stop and seriously
consider his choice to go to war with Katsumoto. When a choice
is too easy it has little
import.
Instead, make Algren’s choice more powerful
by giving him a real reason to stay behind. Let the element of
personal debt again
come into the picture. Show the young widow in love with Algren.
Have her go to Katsumoto and ask that Algren be allowed to stay behind
to protect and defend the women and children.
Give Algren a real opportunity to live out his remaining years hidden
away with the lovely widow and her children. He should be deeply
tempted by this simple life filled with love, hard work and tenderness.
Show him wrestle long and hard with this option. Make his decision
to go a painful one.
Add a Glorious Death on the Battlefield
When Algren tells Katsumoto the story about the
Spartans at Thermopoly, he promises the audience that he (and the
rest of the warriors) will
die a similar noble death. The audience is primed for an impossible
battle against over-whelming odds that will inevitably be lost—but
lost with pride and honor. When the movie breaks this promise it
dishonors its hero and betrays the audience.
Instead, when Algren honors the fallen warrior
Katsumoto by running him through with his sword, Katsumoto should
reward Algren with an
equal honor—he should run Algren through as well. Show the
two Epic Heroes side-by-side having ridden together with full knowledge
and acceptance of their appointment with destiny and with death.
Before he dies Algren can shoot the carpetbagger
who brought him to Japan. The audience knows that a hundred others
will rise in the
fat-cat’s place. And, even though Algren can’t change
the ultimate outcome of the battle or stem the unavoidable tide of
the more cynical “modern age,” he can do the thing the
Epic Hero always does. Algren can fling himself into the whirlwind,
acquit himself with courage in the struggle (however futile) and
die a splendid warrior’s death.
Bring Back the Young Reporter
Show the young reporter watching the batter and
recording all he has seen. Let Algren (and Katsumoto) live on in
the myth, legend,
story and song through the young man’s words. Algren then becomes
an immortal and the audience is saddened but deeply satisfied and
moved by the tragedy of it all.
Consulting Services
If you need help finding your story’s emotional focus let
Laurie Hutzler’s unique interactive problem-solving sessions
center the power of your story and clarify your character’s
inner truth. Whether working on a television program or feature film
production, Laurie helps writers, producers, story editors, and creative
teams get to the heart of a story. She offers a set of practical
methods to create the emotionally satisfying programs audiences love.
Contact: Laurie@EmotionalToolbox.com
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