Samurai

... I really thought that by the end of 1968 the old practice of casting non Asian actors to play Asians was over, but this episode proves that this was not the case as Ricardo Montalban, famed Mexican actor, is portraying aJapanese American gangster kingpin Tokura who the Hawaiian authorities are trying to get on racketeering charges. Then there is the minor point of, when shooting breaks out outside of a courtroom in an attempt to assassinate Tokura, that the journalists covering the event don't hit the floor but just stand around goofily with bullets whizzing past and asking calmly "What is the matter?".

It turns out that Japanese Samurai are attempting to kill Tokura. When McGarrett asks Tokura if he could have done anything to offend the Japanese, Tokura says he has never even been in Japan. There are some interesting twists and turns in this one which include WWII, so it's too bad that the casting issue ruined the whole thing for me. I'd give it an 8 without that issue, so this lowers my score to 6/10.

Ricardo Montalban, a Mexican American actor, did a terrific job in playing a Japanese World War Two man who was on trial for crimes when the Star witness dies on the stand. Yes, he is miscast in the role but he played it beautifully. Macgarrett and Danny had to get him to confess to the murder because there is no evidence or witnesses. So they need to get him to confess. He would have a choice to face life in prison in Hawaii or be subjected to Japanese punishment. The last final moments of the episode were the best.

This story would have been more believable if they had cast an Asian, or Asian-American as "Tokura". Ricardo Montalban was a great actor, but he can't convince anyone that he is of Japanese descent.

Another glitch is the incorrect portrayal of "Bushido". This is not a gang or a cult. Bushido is "the way of the warrior"; it was the code that a Samurai would have lived by. The research staff should have done their homework.

Numerous other flaws have been picked apart by other commenters on this page. All in all there are just too many errors in "Samurai". This is an early bad episode in an otherwise great television series.

For as good as a character actor Montalban is he just can't convince me he can play a Japanese. It wasn't the first time nor the last time H50 used actors to play a nationality that they were not. Outside of that there is very little to complain about in this episode. Tokura (Montalban) is supposedly a Japanese/American who lives in Hawaii. It seems as though the Bushido from Japan are out to get him. The question is why? Is there more to Tokura then meets the eye? If you haven't already seen the episode I will leave you to watch the episode to answer those two questions. Though in saying that the questions are answered very quickly. So there is little suspense. Actually there is no suspense. But suspense and H50 never went together.

The episode has an interesting ending. I do wonder how the process would hold up in court?