What is the point of the film "the last samurai"?

The point of the Last Samurai was preserve the cultural heritage of Japan against modern imperialism from the United States.  However the reality is that the U.S. did not do anything apart from opening Japan. It was the Europeans who gained from opening Japan.  Also the Meiji Army was composed of Japanese samurai who opted for modernization.  Unlike other Asian countries Japan saw the need to modernize to maintain its independence as its neighbors became colonies of the West.