The Last Samurai Page #5

GRAHAM:

No flag.

ALGREN:

They need a flag.

EXT. TOKYO - STREET - EVENING

Tokyo is a city in chaos. Everything seems out of balance.

Dystopic. A collision of Eastern and Western. Algren and

Gant watch as Graham prepares to take a photograph of an old

merchant in front of his store.

GRAHAM:

...I've been doing this for years.

Trying to capture it before it's all

gone. Afraid I'm losing the battle.

Algren silently watches the passers-by. Something draws his

attention:

Across the street a man is striding down the crowded sidewalk.

His martial bearings, two swords, traditional dress and unique

top knot of hair instantly identify him to us as a samurai.

We will meet him again later, he is UJIO. A terse, grim man

in his 40's. His proud gait and rigid, imperious manner

intrigue Algren.

Most of the people on the sidewalk instantly step out of the

way, bowing in deference. But two young Japanese in Western

dress do not.

Ujio stands before them, waiting for them to move. They don't.

Tense words are exchanged. Ujio glares at them. Algren

watches.

ALGREN:

Mr. Graham...

GRAHAM:

Ah... now this should be

interesting... He's waiting for them

to show deference.

Across the street, Ujio barks out some harsh commands to the

two Japanese men. They laugh in response. Then one of the

men raises a hand and barks some clearly disrespectful words

back --

Like lightning -- Ujio pulls out his long samurai sword --

it flashes --

Cleanly beheading the disrespectful Japanese man --

The beheaded corpse begins to fall --

In one smooth motion, Ujio wipes his blade clean of the corpse

as it falls and sweeps it back into its scabbard. The other

man immediately drops to his belly, prostrating himself.

Without another glance, Ujio walks away. His face is

completely impassive.

GANT:

What the hell was that?

GRAHAM:

That... is a samurai.

INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT

Sergeant Gant gazes unhappily at his dinner: glistening raw

fish; tepid beancurds; boiled rice. Algren, Gant, Graham,

and General Yoshitaka sit cross-legged on the floor. Gant

finds this extremely uncomfortable.

GRAHAM:

...Before the edicts every citizen

had to prostrate himself in the

presence of a samurai.

ALGREN:

What edicts are those?

GRAHAM:

The Council of State has been passing

a series of laws designed to eliminate

the samurai.

GANT:

Why?

GRAHAM:

Because you are here now, Sergeant...

For the last 800 years guarding Japan

and fighting her wars was the

exclusive occupation of the samurai.

The next course arrives. Thick, black eel. Gant groans.

GRAHAM:

Men like Mori Katsumoto were the

most elite caste in Japanese society

until the Council of State -- led by

your friend Omura -- decided the

whole class had to go...

(munching eel)

...Most of the samurai accepted the

new laws. But some didn't. Or

couldn't. Like Katsumoto.

General Yoshitaka speaks up. Graham translates:

GRAHAM:

General Yoshitaka bids you to remember

that the word samurai means "one who

serves." Their whole existence is

based on serving their country as

warriors.

Graham finishes translating, then continues on his own:

GRAHAM:

Your Imperial Army is taking away

their only reason for being... So

what are they to do now?

Algren considers this as he pours another cup of sake.

ALGREN:

This is sake?

GRAHAM:

Sake. Rice wine.

YOSHITAKA:

Hie! Sake.

ALGREN:

Sake...

(to Yoshitaka)

Good.

Yoshitaka nods. Enthusiastically tries an English word.

YOSHITAKA:

Good!

GRAHAM:

Vexing people, the samurai. Blood-

thirsty, honorable, cruel, fabulously

artistic. Wanted to write a book

about them for years, but no Westerner

can get close enough.

ALGREN:

Ask him if he ever saw a samurai in

battle.

Graham looks at Algren.

GRAHAM:

He is samurai.

Algren looks at Yoshitaka with new eyes.

EXT. TOKYO - STREET - NIGHT

Later that night.

Algren and Gant, a little drunk by now, wander Tokyo's

bustling red light district. Like Amsterdam, the geishas sit

in windows facing the street.

INT. GEISHA HOUSE - NIGHT

This is certainly not the whorehouse they expected. Elegant

Japanese furnishings. Lovely flute music. The MADAM lowers

her head and speaks quietly in greeting.

GANT:

My friend and I were looking for

some companionship...

The Madam speaks no English. Gant speaks louder, as if to a

deaf person.

GANT:

Ladies of the evening? Hootchie-

cootchie? Boom-Boom?

ALGREN:

(embarrassed)

Zeb.

(tries a bow to the

madam)

...so sorry.

Gant flashes a fistful of Japanese currency.

GANT:

Universal language, boyo.

The Madam nods and bows. Almost magically, two beautifully-

dressed GEISHAS appear, their faces are painted pure white.

One of the Geishas smile. Her teeth are blackened, to better

set off the whiteness of her face paint

GANT:

That one's yours.

INT. GEISHA HOUSE - ROOM - NIGHT

Algren and Gant are led into an elegant room with paper

screens, and a table set for the Japanese tea ceremony.

Gant tries to take the arm of one of the geishas -- but she

moves away, gesturing for him to sit. The other begins the

tea ceremony.

ALGREN:

No tea... Sake.

A musician plays a traditional lute. The geisha begins a

graceful fan dance.

GANT:

Fan dance. Saw this once in Chicago.

Algren smiles at the Geisha preparing the table. She smiles

back. Algren pours himself a cup of sake.

Later.

The sake bottle is empty. The interminable lute music

continues.

Gant is increasingly agitated as the geisha continues her

dance. Algren can't help but laugh at his frustration. Finally

Gant has had enough. He rises, a bit unsteady from the sake.

GANT:

Okay, darlin' time to get down to

business.

He shoos the musician out of the room, then approaches the

geisha, who shrinks from his intention.

ALGREN:

Zeb. I don't think she --

GANT:

She's just shy. Who knows what we

white devils have got in our trousers,

eh, darlin'?

He takes her arm. She resists -- her voice rising.

GANT:

Come on, now.

He tries to pull her along. Her kimono tears. She calls out

in terror. Two men appear, bouncers presumably, but alight

of build.

ALGREN:

Oh, sh*t.

The Madam yells angrily at Gant in Japanese. Pushing him out

roughly.

GANT:

Now, hold on there, sister. I paid

good money.

One of the bouncers puts his hand, politely, on Gant's arm.

GANT:

Back off, short-stuff.

This time, the bouncer is more insistent. Gant takes a swing

at him. Wrong move. Before Gant knows what hit him, the little

man uses Gant's momentum in an akido move to flip him to the

mat, hard.

Algren can only stare, in awe, at the lethal move. As the

second bouncer moves to confront him, bowing apologetically,

Algren speaks in English, smiling, knowing they can't

understand a word he's saying.

ALGREN:

Obviously you can kick the sh*t out

of people much larger than you, so

we'll be leaving now...

EXT. PARADE GROUND - DAY

The training continues. We see Gant, now sporting a black

eye. Algren walks with General Yoshitaka and Graham. Graham

translates:

YOSHITAKA/GRAHAM

The General wishes to know if you

bad a pleasant evening?

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