Rating: 
Summary: Cruise Comes of Age -- World Class!
Review: I have always noted Tom Cruise films with a degree of casualness, if not apathy. THE LAST SAMURAI however, is absolutely stunning, from cinematography to story line to acting. Tom Cruise shines. It is the best professional work he has done and without question propels him into the category of World Class. A combination of 'Dances with Wolves' and 'Shogun', the film has far more depth of storyline that the preview clips would ever lead one to expect, and thus the battle scenes and violence arrive as a natural part of the story, in no way gratuitous. A fantastic film as well as a fabulous piece of work by Cruise. He has 'raised the bar' and viewers will now expect far more from him in his future body of work. Don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo, Bravo!!!
Review: The Last Samurai in my opinion is the best movie made in 2003. It has better action and battle sequences. It really gives you a feeling that you are there experiencing the war. I don't care what people say, Tom Cruise does just fine as a samurai. I don't get it when people say Tom Cruise isn't a convincing Samurai. Who do they want to play the part, Sean Penn or Johnny Depp?
Rating:
Summary: great new movie
Review: This was a really good movie, the uniforms and samurai armor and weapons are historically accurate, and they even show one of the captured officers commiting seppuku (belly cutting) and that was very accurate.it also has a good story, and If you are interested in samurai, like me, or that era than I suggest seeing the movie.I also suggest the books The 47 Ronin Story, and the book Ronin.
Rating:
Summary: "The Last Samurai" marks Cruise's finest performance ever!!
Review: "The Last Samurai" is, without a doubt, one of the finest action epics thatI have seen ever since "Braveheart"! "The Last Samurai" is one of those rare films that combine a sweeping, heroic epic with an intimate, extremely poignant personal story of love, honor, and tenderness. The direction of Edward Zwick ("Glory", "Courage Under Fire") was top-notch and powerful! And the performance of superstar Tom Cruise ("Minority Report") was unforgettable! Surely one of the best Tom Cruise performances since "Top Gun"!The film focuses on Nathan Algren (Cruise), a decorated war hero (from the war against the American Indians) now drunkenly relegated to showing off new gun technology at expositions. Algren is offered handsome compensation to leave the States and help bring Japan into the modern age of guns and to suppress a revolt of nontechnological samurai making trouble in the hinterlands. During a raid that is botched by unready troops, Algren is captured but not before managing to cleverly kill off one of the most accomplished samurai. The samurai lord, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), is impressed with Algren's magificent fighting spirit and resourcefulness and decides to nurse him back to health so that he might learn more about his enemy. The premise revealed. I will skip the rest of the plot, saying only that it is inevitable that Algren comes to respect and then love the ways of his captors and becomes himself an accomplished warrior in their disciplined traditions. He soon allies himself against his former compatriots and must learn what true honor is and how both life and death can help one reach his destiny. Essentially, and I do not say this casually, this film is "Dances with Wolves" set among the Japanese "other" rather than the American "other". The film started like a Tom Cruise movie, stopped being one for a fascinating hour or so, and then returned to its Hollywood roots. When we first see Cruise, he is doing his trademark Cruise acting: slightly over the top in his anger, drunkenness, and overall swagger. However, once Algren is abducted, we get to see some really nice stuff. Thank goodness for the strength and charisma of his co-star, Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto. Watanabe is as focused and economical an actor I have seen in some time and manages to communicate more rage, love, or concern in a steely glance than Cruise can with a monologue's worth of bluster. It's great watching Algren and Katsumoto (and incidentally, Cruise and Watanabe) learn from each other and settle each other down. Cruise is at his best here when he's 'listening', when someone else is driving the scene. I dare say even that he's better when speaking his scant lines of Japanese than those in English because it forces him most convinvingly out of his element. However, just as we come to admire Cruise's identification with samurai stillness and restraint (and what one can achieve with a "good death"), the spirit of the movie swings back across the Pacific to Hollywood again, and we have a fairly typical Cruise ending that betrays what we have come to appreciate most about "The Last Samurai" -- the acceptance of destiny. I won't spoil the end, but I will say that whether or not Algren survives the climactic battle (between sword-wielding samurai and newfangled howitzer repeating rifles) makes or breaks the point of Algren's spiritual conversion. "The Last Samurai" is beautifully filmed, and like two of director Ed Zwick's own definitive films -- "Courage Under Fire" and "Glory" -- this one asks challenging questions about honor and country from the perspective of outsiders. In conclusion, "The Last Samurai" not only has two unforgettable performances by Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe, but also a fine supporting cast including Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Koyuki, and William Atherton. "The Last Samurai" is a definite DVD must-have when it's released!
Rating: 
Summary: Very enjoyable story, but a little touch of deju vu.
Review: Meet Captain Nathan Algren (played by Tom Cruise), bona fide Civil War hero, celebrity endorser of Winchester rifles, and drunkard. During the early years of the American political and cultural incursion into Japan, Algren is hired essentially as a mercenary to train the Imperial Japanese Army in the ways of modern warfare. Before he has had a chance to do his job properly, he is called upon to lead a well-equipped but poorly trained force against a "rebel" army led by the samurai lord Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe). During the initial engagement, Algren's force is routed by the samurai and Algren himself is taken prisoner by Katsumoto for the purpose of "understanding my enemy." Thus begins the gradual transformation of Algren from a highly stereotyped American chauvinist to a member of Katsumoto's community. The early reception is cold and unaccepting, both by Katsumoto's family and his fellow samurai, but over time a grudging tolerance gives way to cautious familiarity and ultimately to full acceptance and respect. As I observed this process, I could not help being reminded of "Dances With Wolves", in which Kevin Costner's character undergoes a similar rebirth. This notion was fueled even more by the romantic energy between Algren and the widow of a samurai whom he had killed during his capture. Algren eventually rises to enjoy great respect and admiration among Katsumoto's people, becoming in effect the samurai lord's right-hand man and deputy commander. He helps lead Katsumoto's forces in several battles against the Japanese army, including the climactic final engagement where his honor is put to the ultimate test (but I won't spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it yet). Overall, I found this to be a very enjoyable and moving tale of the clash of cultures, somewhat loose in its historicity, with a strong emphasis on concepts like valor, honor and independence. The story line was slightly cliche and more than a little romanticized, but hey, that's Hollywood. Watch it and decide for yourself, but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it again.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Movies of 2003
Review: A drunken Civil War hero, Capt. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) was assigned to train Japanese soldiers in 1876. "The Last Samurai" is a film about honor. Algren went from being a drunken fool to a hero on the battlefield. Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) took Algren captive and began to teach him the code. The movie is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: beauty hides a less than suitable point
Review: You can read 175+ reviews about what the movie's plot is and what each character did, and about the bloodracing battle scenes. That's cool. In general, the movie is very manipulative emotionally and tangles you up immediately in the plot and especially the character played Tom Cruise. Another big point is that the cinematography and the just plain beauty of the mountains is captured with extraordinary talent and adds much to the ability of the movie to involve us. So go read the other reviews for this kind of information. I'm interested in the mythos, the usage of stories to build structures of ideas, to support and extent values, in general the use of movies like this to teach moral legends. It is the storytellers art, the Homeric epics that once were passed down around campfires by old men to their grandchildren. Whispers in the dark about the giants of reknown, the heroes of the golden ages, the fighters like the battle of Thermopylae (a tale told in the movie) whose courage saved a nation. But what makes this not history but holy history, not even historical fiction but just mythos is the gap between the truth of what really was history and the storytellers art. In our age, we simply won't even believe it plausible if it doesn't proport to be history, it must be clothed in the rags of historical illusion, no matter about the bones of truth or flesh of reality. All that matters is that the clothing is authentic, the characters are believable to the masses of us who didn't get much out of 8th grade world history, let alone a college history of Japan class. Mythos must appear as logos (thanks to Karen Armstrong for the images), but appearances are all that truely matters. The storytellers art takes over immediately and operates from the beginning to weave a tale, to build a moralizing story that thrills us and challenges us to absorb the morality and those values presented in the movie. The major value is honor, the battle of the underdog against overwhelming odds, the fight of old tradition and new technology. The samurai are presented as warrior Buddhist monks, ascetic and pure of heart, challenging their faults and getting better every day due to this passion for excellence and practice, practice, practice. And Tom Cruise's character is a samurai born out of place, a real warrior's heart, dismayed and beaten down by the brutal Army murders of native American women and children. Full of nightmares and sweats out the DT's, and falls in love with his real people, the mountain volk, where he learns Japanese in a winter, plus has a satori experience with sword fighting, all the time keeping a journal complete with sketches. Well, maybe i am a little cynical, skeptical at being manipulating in such a blatant way, cautious at the prospect at going to a movie for entertainment and getting a moralizing message in such a direction and almost hamfisted way. I ask what is the object of the samurai's honor? Towards the emperor? only outwardly. Towards traditional family values? not with all the bloodshed and teaching boys to kill young. Towards life? not with the suicide impulse just below the surface. It appears to be honor for honor's sake, value without a fundamental object, without a big point, but honor simply as a survival value on the battlefield. To have honor motivates, inspires, swings the sword harder and longer, kills without compassion, it the basic utilitarian value of the warrior class. That is what the movie is about, the flowers and poetry, the buddhist chanting and zen archery are pieces tacked on to balance out the blood and glore of the battlescenes. For these humane values are not the ones which motivate the characters, but rather the glory of battle, not the fighting-for-the-guy-next-to-you that is so common in war movies, but the glory for oneself. The bloody sword at the end of the day dripping with the red life of your enemies. And it really doesn't matter who your enemies are: the American south, the cheyenne, the sioux, or the japos, or your ex-commanding officer, or..... It doesn't matter for all is but a stage to demonstrate and display your prowess as a hero, your stamina as a fighter, your perseverance as an honorable man. this is what i object to, value without purpose, utility without direction, heroes without Gods. It is a gorgous movie, enough battlescenes for the most jaded martial arts afficiado, a little added metaphysics for those of us who like such things in our movies, but most of all a not-at-all subtile honor is valuable for its own sake take home message. I'd just be cautious of swallowing the point without thinking about the greater issues.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, give credit where it is due
Review: This is, without a doubt, the most underrated movie of 2003. This is Edward Zwick's crowning achievement and would be Tom Cruise's best performance if he hadn't been in "Born on the 4th of July". I enjoyed "Master and Commander" but it is so 2nd rate to this. This movie is a beautiful story about a civil war captain, scarred by the way he saw the Native Americans get salughtered by his fellow troops, who is brought by fate to these very spiritual people (the samurai), who learn him their customs and heal his psychological wounds. When his old American comrades come to bring down the samurai, he does all he can to defend them.It is similar to "Dances with Wolves" and "Lawrence of Arabia" in that it is about a depressed man who changes his ways. But I think that this movie is ultimately superior to them. (Another thing, the art and costume design in this movie are breathtaking, another reason to see this movie). This movie deserved the 10 oscar nominations "Master & Commander" recieved (including best picture).
Rating:
Summary: We have to let people change all by themselves
Review: After the opening of Japan in 1853 under the pressure of the US and their Perry expedition, and the restoration of Imperial power in 1867, things went very fast. Japan was modernized at first to the best profit of the USA. But this development brought strong resistance within Japan from the feudal order of the Samourais, and a very agressive expansion on the Asian continent. This film concentrates on the final push against feudalism and its old code of honor represented by the Samourais. This change was particularly brutal with imported weapons from the USA, an exclusive contract, and military counsellors. The move was led by some big capitalist families who were ruthless about the change and who violently eradicated all opposition to the final death of it and them. The film shows this very well. The character Tom Cruise embodies here is probably fictitious but it links the wars against the Indians in the US to this war against mountain tribes and villages in Japan. The same objective : to impose industrial development in an extremely egotistic way : no honor, no real democracy, no concertation. Just change, and profits for a few. The film is short on one issue : this forced change led the new industrial aristocracy to an expansion that was carried out through war and the use of brutal force. Japan needed new markets and new workers. They found them in Formosa, in China, in Manchuria, in Korea, and they even tried to conquer Siberia. We know what that process led to forty years later. We should never force foreign countries to change too fast and along a ruthless profit-minded road because profit knows no obstacles, and frustration leads to a need for historical compensation, and sooner or later the two come together. Any country should have the right to change at its own rhythm and along its own logic. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
Rating: 
Summary: Well made Hollywood product.
Review: I really wanted to like this film, because of the subject matter and because I like many of Tom Cruise's movies, as I respect him very much as an actor -he is not just a pretty face, that is not what makes him such a huge star, but is his presence and intensity on screen that puts him in the place he is.
I have to say that unfortunately this film lacks a true artistic soul; it is a made-by-the-numbers epic, with a script just a bit better than mediocre -although the ending I thought to be really annoying and almost destroys the films achievements. There are several scenes that are truly remarkable to watch, the action sequences and some quiet moments are really well done, but unfortunately the script is not as strong as to make the film as consistent as some of these beautiful scenes.
The technical aspects of the film are remarkable, and the powerful performances by Watanabe and Cruise sometimes elevates the film's quality above its script limitations.
It is not a surprise, after watching the resulting product, to learn that its script was written by the writers of "Gladiator", another very uneven film, which also suffers from a mediocre script.
Anyway, it shows that everybody worked very hard in the making of this movie, the production values are outstanding, you have to give that to Edward Zwick and company, but unfortunately this film is not as inspired as the civil war epic "Glory", a truly remarkable movie, which is based on true events, unlike "The Last Samurai". PD: to those of you who like epics -or good films in this case- treat yourself with "Glory", an amazing film, starring Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, and with the same director of "The Last Samurai". You will thank me later.
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