Saddening and patronising theme

Although an evocative, well shot and engaging film, I cannot over-look the over arching theme that audiences need a westerner who betray's his own allegiance and inculcates himself into the 'samurai' tradition, its values, beliefs and lifestyle in order to be able to sympathise with an ageing and decaying way of life.

Why must a westerner be needed to translate values we already know? this is undeniably patronising, yet this film does a great job of smoothing this over.

Who, but the Japanese would be better suited to tell the stories of their traditions and warrior culture?

It would be the same if a Japanese warrior were to infiltrate the US army to narrate to the Japanese the values and traditions of it's army.

All in all, gladly this is about a male only understanding of a way of life. Women do not understand what honour or respect in this context means. To die heroically in battle is the real value being washed away by extreme humanism, feminism and the war against men.

This movie I hope serves not to be a culturally patronising vehicle, but rather a celebration of masculinity, in all its glory and bafflement.

'You need chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star' - Nietzsche