The Last Samurai is a 2003 American epic historical war film in which Tom Cruise portrays a formerly retired officer of the United States 7th Cavalry Regiment, whose personal and emotional conflicts bring him into contact with samurai warriors in the wake of the Meiji Restoration in 19th Century Japan. The film's plot was inspired by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion led by SaigÅ Takamori, and the westernization of Japan by foreign powers.