The Last Samurai Page #7

All we can see it the eerie silhouette in the fog.

Like something from a nightmare.

And then another figure... and another... as 500 mounted

samurai warriors slowly move into position.

The Japanese troops are terrified

GANT:

(quickly)

Hold the line... hold the line...

The order is translated.

A terrible, beautiful moment of absolute stasis.

Nothing moves.

The Japanese soldiers wait.

The ghostly silhouettes wait.

Silence.

Then -- as if a silent signal were given -- the samurai

suddenly CHARGE, emerging from the fog in a great wave--!

The force of a tsunami.

The silence is shattered as the charging samurai roar out

ancient war-cries that chill the blood -- sweeping forward

on their hones like lightning -- swords and spears flashing

ALGREN:

FIRE!

The Japanese troops fire then quickly begin trying to reload

their single shot rifles -- others fumble at the ask and

then break and run --

Panic and chaos --

ALGREN:

Hold the line!

Too late -- the samurai are on them --

They attack with an intensity few have ever seen -- many of

the Japanese soldiers try to escape, turning and running in

blind panic -- they are butchered -- run through by the

ashigaru, cut in half by the naginata.

Those soldiers who laboriously try to reload their rifles

are quickly mowed down by ferocious clouds of samurai arrows,

fired by mounted Samurai.

ALGREN:

Sound fall back! Sound fall back!

A bugler sounds the order. The Army begins to retreat.

But suddenly they are attacked from behind as well! Arrows

shoot from the fog and more mounted samurai appear.

They are surrounded.

Algren, Gant, and the Japanese Officers call out orders but

all discipline soon breaks down -- it is every man for

himself --

The battle swirls everywhere around us. Fleeing soldiers are

run through by lances, run down and trampled by horses.

Each samurai wears individual, vibrantly colored armor.

Various battle flags sweep through the fog.

Gant uses his two cavalry revolvers -- firing constantly --

finally out of ammo he drops from his horse in the cavalry

style and pulls a Winchester repeating rifle, crouching and

quickly firing --

Algren uses his revolver first -- firing as he turns on his

horse -- when the revolver is empty he pulls his cavalry

saber. He manages to parry the lethal blows as the Samurai

hurtle past --

But one Samurai, his armor all in black, comes at him on a

collision course and SLAMS INTO HIM, sending both horse and

rider to the ground.

Algren scrambles to his feet, his saber nowhere to be found

as another rider heads toward him carrying a lance.

Algren manages to grab it and throw the rider to the ground,

wrestling the lance from his grip and running him through.

In the midst of the battle we notice a peculiar thing. One

samurai is just sitting on his horse. Watching Algren. This

samurai wears a BLACK MASK.

The MASKED SAMUARI watches Algren fight.

Algren now wields the lance to battle the horsemen as they

sweep past. He spears one and then unseats another. When a

third samurai cuts his lance in half, Algren uses the

remaining half as a club to take him down.

The Masked Samurai continues to watch Algren. Algren's

tenacity is amazing.

He continues to fight with heroic passion, refusing to give

an inch, long after those around him have fled.

Then a blaze of bright yellow -- a samurai in yellow armor

galloping past, firing arrows steadily from horseback. His

control and speed are astounding.

We will come to know him as YORITOMO, a handsome young

samurai.

Yoritomo fires arrow upon arrow -- the speed is breathtaking --

two arrows slam into Gant, knocking him to the ground.

The battle, meanwhile, has become a rout. Those Imperial

soldiers who fight are easily cut down. Those who flee are

run down like prey.

Left alone, Algren finds himself confronted by ashigaru --

samurai foot soldiers carrying pikes. He turns to discover

his retreat cut off by other samurai wielding katana -- the

lethal long sword.

But rather than give any quarter, Algren launches an attack.

He kills one samurai before he is RUN THROUGH, at the

shoulder, by a lance.

In agony, Algren SNAPS OFF the hilt of the lance, leaving

its tip buried deep in his chest, and fights on.

He manages to parry a blow -- which SLICES into his side.

The next blow takes off a piece of his scalp. Blood flows

down his faces and into his eyes.

Algren is now surrounded by ten samurai. A man's heroic

stand against certain death is of great interest to them. As

they begin to close in, Algren whirls the lance around, a

tattered battle-flag with TIGER INSIGNIA still dangling from

the end.

The MASKED SAMURAI removes his mask. It is the JAPANESE MAN,

whose dream of the tiger we glimpsed at the beginning of the

story. His eyes wide in surprise, he watches his dream come

to life -- the blue tiger holding the dogs at bay.

In SLOW MOTION Algren whirls the lance, as one samurai,

wearing BLOOD-RED ARMOR, advances. With a murderous smile,

he draws his katana.

Algren seems spent -- He drops to one knee, swaying, on the

brink of losing consciousness.

But as the RED SAMURAI, lets out a battle cry and propels

himself forward for the death blow -- Algren suddenly LEAPS

UP and propels the jagged wooden end of the broken lance

into the unprotected throat of his attacker.

As the samurai falls, the rest of his comrades close in to

cut Algren off.

A harsh COMMAND stops them in their tracks.

The Masked Samurai leaps from his horse. Everyone steps aside

deferentially so that be might pass by without being jostled.

He looks down at Algren, then removes his battle helmet.

And we meet MORI KATSUMOTO, the leader of the samurai. He it

an imposing man of about Algren's years.

Sensing that he is about to be killed, Algren pulls himself

to his knees, and SWINGS his saber at Katsumoto.

With blinding speed, Katsumoto pulls his katana from its

scabbard.

Algren's saber is SNAPPED CLEANLY IN TWO.

Katsumoto looks down at Algren.

Then Gant appears behind Katsumoto -- limping toward him,

cocking his rifle, urgently trying to save Algren --

Ujio, (the Samurai we saw earlier on the streets of Tokyo)

leaps to protect his Lord. His sword flashes --

Gant is eviscerated. Algren watches in horror.

A dreadful beat as Gant stands, pathetically trying to hold

his guts in. Then he sinks to his knees.

Katsumoto turns, leaps back onto his horse and trots off.

Algren finally wrenches himself from under his horse. He

crawls to Gant, blood pouring from his own injured back and

shoulder.

Gant is dead.

Algren looks up to see the battle is lost. The Japanese

soldiers have fled. Or are surrendering, injured or dead.

And he sees one other thing. General Yoshitaka is still on

his horse, head down. He has not pulled his sword. He has

not been hurt.

Katsumoto rides to Yoshitaka. A few serious words are

exchanged. Katsumoto bows his bead in respect, seems to agree

to something.

Both men climb from their horses. General Yoshitaka pulls

out a small blade and hands it to Katsumoto, who holds it

out firmly.

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