Rating: 
Summary: Don't Miss It!
Review: I was able to catch a sneak preview of this movie. This movie is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. It has action, humor, and lots of emotional moments. I don't have time for details. This is a movie that should not be missed! Forget Master and Commander and Timeline, GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
Rating:
Summary: Saw the Sneak Peak of it Last Night...Loved It!!!
Review: This movie was so great in all aspects. Tom Cruise excelled as the leading role. He brought humor, emotion, and charisma to his part that I really didn't think he could pull off. All of the Japanese Samurai characters were great and you will come to love them as the movie goes along. You can see why Cruise's character would rather live with them than his own people. The action scenes were awesome, but much more gory than even I expected. Those samurai swords can do some gruesome things. The movie is never boring, and it managed to keep my attention for the full 2 hours and 30 minutes. This movie is easily going to be nominated for best picture, music, and set design at the 2004 Oscars. Go see this extraordinary Movie..I guarantee you will be glad you did.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful and solid, but not great
Review: In The Last Samurai, director Ed Zwick creates a beautiful epic that alternates wildly between almost over the top and just perfect. Perhaps it was the effort to keep the dark balanced with the light that lead Zwick astray in the opening and closing scenes. Either way, the sad first and last impression we have is of characatures rather than characters. What a shame that these weak bookends embrace such a solid middle act. Tom Cruise, as a recovering cynical ex-soldier Nathan Algren, does finally triumph, returning a solidly intimate performance. His interactions with the people of the remote villiage where he is kept, half prisoner half patient, are both touching and extremely pleasant to look at. Though almost painfully intimate, Algren's confrontations with and concessions to Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), Taka (Koyuki), and the sons of the village are almost more epic in nature than the great battles that follow. Each face fills the screen just long enough to give us riveting portraits that are at once immediate and deep. It is thanks to such artistry that when the final battle comes, with its emphasis on process rather than product, we believe and care about what happens. Certainly this film is worth watching more than once. However, I'm not sure it will be one I'll remember a decade from now, and in that sense, it isn't quite epic.
Rating: 
Summary: Tedious
Review: I really tried to enjoy this film. I really did. I like Japanese culture and I like Tom Cruise. Unfortunetly both of them were not good enough to make this film. The film involves Nathan Algren a US army officer in the 1870's who is tortured by what he did to the Native Indians and is now trying to drown his sorrows in a bottle. Given the opportunity (ie. the chance to make money) to teach the Japanese army. He takes it and moves overseas. Due to a mishap he ends up living with an outlaw group of Japanese Samurai who insist on clinging to the ancient ways. And fights on their side. To put it simply the film is BORING!!! And it copies almost verbatim from Dances With Wolves. Also I may be affected by my reading of Chinese/Japanese philosophy...but I did not understand why the Sammrai sacrificed themselves in battle when it was more than clear that they were going to loose from the get go. This was not a battle they had to fight. Their behaviour was very much a sense of "cutting off your nose to spite your face." Didn't make much sense comming from such intelligent characters. One thing I liked about this film was that it wasn't condescending to the Japanese people. The Tom Cruise character actually plays second fiddle to the Ken Wanatabe character. It's no secret that Tom Cruise would like to get an Oscar. And he thought that a film like this would make him a shoe in....after all look what Braveheart and Gladiator did for Mel Gibson and Russell Crowe respectively. But cool sword fights and epic battles a movie do not make. A decent plot would help and it was lacking in this movie. Better luck next time.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I went to a "sneak preview" tonight and came away a bit underwhelmed. It's not the worst movie I've ever sat through; I found myself checking my watch only a few times wondering how much more I had to sit through. A few interesting characters (I liked Ken Watanabe), but nothing really original. Cliche upon cliche. A yawner mostly, but it will entertain people who have not seen any other movies. For me personally, the most remarkable thing about the movie is how fake the sets and special effects looked. Sailing into Yokohama harbor looks ridiculous. A street scene at night in Tokyo (where Tom Cruise is surrounded by swordsmen) looked entirely like it had been filmed afterhours at Universal Studios in Orlando. Many of the entirely predictable battle scenes look like they are just hundreds of actors outdoors pretending to kill each other. It will be interesting to study these scenes in freeze frame on DVD to see what everybody was doing.
Rating:
Summary: Honor
Review: A very promessing film, The Last Samurai talks about something that is sacred to many of us: Honor. The willingness to live in accordance with a code honor in all aspects of life. This is shurelly depicted in the conflict beetwen two very different universes and ages. Tom Cruise's character is ecxactly like this. His niilism and desilusion with the west is replaced by respect and ultimatly union,when he fights the samurai for the first time. Being captured by the enemy he actually finds his peers. All of these men and women become his brothers and sisters living under one of thinking that is juste like his. Looking at the trailer i can garantee a superb blockbuster i tell this.
Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining and has oscar written all over it
Review: I had the privilage of the movie and all i can say that it was amazing. everything from the acting to the set designs was great. The dialogue was very engaging and the fight scenes was out of this world, especially when TOM cruise's character fights Ujia in training. Tom does an excellent job and proves his acting can garner an oscar nomination for a lead role.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Wisdom
Review: This movie is an exquisite masterpiece of cinematography and direction. The Academy missed its important message and passed on an excellent acting performance by Tom Cruise. Filmed in New Zealand it takes on the persona of 19th century Japan. The villages and costumes are so authentic that you are transported back into a beautiful time, with lush vegetation and a purity of living. The film is soothing and spiritual despite the battle scenes. Tom Cruise plays a civil war captain who has lost his integrity after fighting and killing Indians alongside of General Custer. He becomes a drunk wallowing in drink rather than deal with the guilt and trauma of war. A Shogun, working for the Emperor of Japan, employs his expertise in war to train the Imperial Army. During this time in history the Emperor was trying to modernize Japan and defeat the control that the Samurai had over his land. Because of the heartfelt beliefs of the Samurai's they rejected a modern Japan feeling as though a "western" culture would bring too much distance from true integrity. After watching this movie you may think differently about the enforcement of democracy on a culture steeped in ancient values. The battle scenes are epic and real, extreme attention is given to each and every detail. The warrior costumes appear historically accurate and a tribute to the Samurai culture. Cruise is captured in battle by the Samurai and eventually adapts to the culture that heals his integrity again. The sword fighting scenes are flawless and powerful. His adaption into this ancient society is impressively spiritual and he gains his belief in himself through code of the Samurai: Honesty & Justice, Duty & Loyality, Polite Courtesy, Compassion, Complete Sincerity, Heroic Courage and Honor. We could all use such healing. Although Samurai's have a place in history as brutal warriors and warlords this movie will give new meaning to their way of life. Is a true warrior someone who bombs individuals without looking his enemy in the eye or is honor to be found only through the way of the Samurai? It is an interesting concept to debate. Sometimes simplicity is the only honorable choice and quite possibly wars should only be fought by the code of these honorable men.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Samurai.....Not Dances With Wolves
Review: Okay, first off I want to say that this was a great movie, great acting and directing, great battle scenes and beautiful Japanese scenery. Many people say this is Dances With Wolves, yes the plot is slightly the same, but I watched Dances With Wolves, I have almost never watched such a boring movie, If The Last Samurai is this, it is certainly a much less boring version. And many people complain about how Tom Cruise doesnt die at the end, well 'It was not his time' as Katsumoto explained numerous times in the movie. And the reason the children and Taka fall in love with Tom is that they forgave him for killing their father/husband, they beleived they where both warriors that did their duty on the field, and they certainly believed that their way of life was worth fighting for. I would think that the way of the samurai or Bushido was worth fighting for, especially back then. As Tom said 'What could be more necissary?'
Rating: 
Summary: Good flick -- could have/should have been better; so-so DVD
Review: "The Last Samurai" is a beautifully shot film that everyone seems to have thrown themselves into with gusto, but the movie somehow lacks the "oomph" that would have propelled it into the cinematic stratosphere. The result -- a darn good movie that, with two exceptional aspects, will not be considered a classic (and it could have been!). Directed by Edward Zwick (of the magnificent "Glory"), "Samurai" tells the story of Civil War hero Capt. Nathan Algren (Cruise, in an earnest performance). The story's parallels to Kevin Costner's "Dances With Wolves" are well-documented, but overstated -- Americans have forever been encountering "new" cultures (that have been around for centuries), and it's reasonable to deduce that many Americans (even given our stereotypical egotism, boorishness and hypocrisy that Hollywood loves to play up) would become enamored of these different cultures. It's 1876. Algren, a self-hating drunk, blows his last chance as spokesman for the Winchester rifle company, but is offered the job of going to the Orient to "kill Jappos." The first Japanese who speaks is a despicable character, fat and bewhiskered, who has obviously sold out to Western ideals. He stands in stark contrast to the first Japanese we see, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe, who steals the movie), the Samurai lord -- we see him in his tranquil village having a vision of a tiger in a scene of stark, lethal beauty. Katsumoto, an honored advisor to the Emperor, is holding out against the Westernization of Japan. The Fat Japanese Man, also an imperial advisor, has isolated Katsumoto and has apparently steamrolled the Emperor, a young man clearly not up to his imperial obligations, to open Japan to the West. The goal is obviously to line the pockets of the Fat Japanese Man, and America is eager to get involved in the Westernization of Japan in order to exploit lucrative weapons contracts. Can you see where this is going? "Samurai" has a very predictable plot, but that should not have prevented it from making a powerful emotional statement. After all, we know how Hamlet is going to wind up, and it's still an emotional roller-coaster. "Samurai" certainly gets a lot of the visual elements correct -- the early battle scene involving the cavalry charge of the samurai through the mists, as if emerging from their own mythology, is a triumph. But overall the film lacks an emotional core that is necessary. Part of this responsibility must lie at Cruise's feet. It's not for a lack of effort -- Cruise obviously threw himself into this movie with everything he has. He is just a poor choice for narrator of this particular story. For one, Cruise does not abandon his anguish at any point in the story. (In this sense, he's similar to the casting of Leo as the lead in "Gangs of New York" -- too surly to be of much interest.) Contrast Cruise's performance with Costner's in "Wolves" -- Costner achieves a stronger emotional connection with the audience than Cruise does (and that's surprising, 'cause I generally consider Cruise to be a superior actor). The other problem with the movie is that it just moves too darn fast through some important aspects of the story. For one, the complex problems with the Westernization of Japan should have been given greater depth, as should have the role of the samurai in Japanese society. We do spend a lot of time with in the samurai village, and we see how important it is to train with weapons. But we needed to see more about how the imperial advisors favoring Westernization have "sold out" their culture. By making Katsumoto the only hold-out without much further explanation, it's harder to see Hatsumoto has the honorable preserver of traditions and easier to see him as the last desperate man, too eager to hold onto traditions. Other details seem to have been missed. At one point, we see the horrible shame for a samurai who has his cherished top-knot hairdo cut off. But why is it never explained why Katsumoto has a shaved head? We presume that Katsumoto has the shaved head only because it looks good to the eyes of the Western audience, which is probably not going to find the traditional samurai hairstyle very attractive. (To be fair, in many other ways the movie gets the look and feel of the period very well.) Ken Watanabe's portrayal of Katsumoto is the movie's high point. A complex man, capable of great emotion within his samurai stoicism, Katsumoto is intrigued by Algren and learns much from him. Eventually becoming brothers in arms, Katsumoto and Algren strive to save the samurai and bushido, the samurai code. Overcoming diplomatic pressure, official ostracism, and a lethal ninja attack, Katsumoto fights a noble battle to its unfortunate and inevitable end. The climactic scene, the last battle of the Katsumoto's samurai against the Western-armed and trained imperial army, is awesome. Set beautifully against a backdrop of falling cherry blossoms, the samurai evoke their own "charge of the light brigade," and their sacrifice and refusal to submit is truly ennobling. It's sad that the rest of the film doesn't quite live up to its incredible potential. This movie dared to tackle a huge, powerful story, and in many ways it works. It just doesn't quite measure up to what it could have been. The DVD extras are OK -- many interviews and promos, with some interesting details about the art design, but there's nothing to "ooh and ahh" over. A decent DVD for a very good, but not great, movie.
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