Rating: 
Summary: Very entertaining movie
Review: A great movie that will keep you entertained to the end. I really enjoyed this movie and think it is definitely one worth owning if you enjoy movies like Dances with Wolves.
Rating: 
Summary: One of my favorite films
Review: I have never been a fan of Tom Cruise, but after watching this movie my opinion of him has slowly begin to change. Granted, Cruise is a good actor, but there are several others I would place ahead of him in terms of acting ability and on camera congeniality. Nevertheless, I believe The Last Samurai is one of Tom Cruise's best films, if not his best film ever, because he does an outstanding job of portraying the role of Capt. Nathan Algren; Algren is a Civil War and Indian War veteran who is tortured over the atrocities he has viewed and committed on the front lines. These experiences have transformed Algren into a man filled with bitterness and cynicism and driven him to embrace alcohol as his escape mechanism from reality. Cruise does an excellent job of capturing this particular spirit in the film. Even though Cruise's performance is excellent, the film is only bolstered by the performances by the performances of Watanabe and the rest of the cast. Watanabe was simply terrific as the Samurai warlord, Katsumoto. On screen he exuded a kind of gentle but stern warrior aura, and showed he was a man of astute intellectual abilities. In his performace Watanabe displayed all the qualities and characteristics that were essential to the Samurai. Besides the performances the battle sequences and costumes were spectacular. In addition, the scenery and setting were also very good and captured the atmosphere of a 19th century Japan that was experiencing rapid Westernization. At several instances in the film it is easy to see vestiges of traditional Eastern Japansese culture stand side by side with modern Western culture. Last but not least, the musical score by Hans Zimmer is phenomenal. As always, Zimmer delivers a rousing an emotional score that complements the film and actually heightens the sensitivity at certain crucial moments of the film. My only criticism of this movie is that Tom Cruise was focued upon too much. It would have been nice if the other characters, Ujio, Taka, and Katsumoto, received more screen time since they were all so likeable and each delivers a great performance. Slight criticism aside, this is one of my favorite movies of all time and one I would recommend to virtually anyone who asked.
Rating:
Summary: Tom Cruise at his best
Review: Let me start by saying that I am NOT a Tom Cruise fan. That said, this movie is a great movie. While Cruise is the main character and the story is sort of told through him, there is more emphasis on the character Katsumoto, and Japan as the setting, and the story line. When we see a Tom Cruise film, he is usually the center of the film and always a larger than life character. It's hard to feel for him or relate to him. Here he is portrayed more human, there is more feeling and he is not quite as self-centered in his performance, not as cocky. The cinematography is beautiful and the story is captivating. You feel for the samurai and are frustrated with the emperor, and you are actually happy with the way it all ends, in a bittersweet way. I loved it! Great movie!
Rating:
Summary: Almost Became a Great Film
Review: I definitely love the imagery and how the zen-like characteristics of the Samurai were depicted in the film. This could have been Tom Cruise's oscar winning chance, but unfortunately the film fell victim to Hollywood cliche. I felt the storyline was a bit rushed when it came to Tom Cruise's adaptation to Samurai life. We're aware of the passage of time from his narratives in his diary, but very little interaction is shown with the villagers. The Samurai too quickly become accustomed to him and too quickly learn to like him. If more time was devoted to drawing out this relationship, then this film could have really hit home. Secondly, Cruise's final stand in the Samurai rebellion was SO predictable. It was no surprise that he would adopt their ways and decide go into battle with them against the very people who hired him, but why didn't he also fall on his sword in defeat like Katsumoto? So he doesn't TOTALLY embrace the Samurai code. Instead, he gets to live to tell the Samurai tale and also gets the girl. Cruise is always the hero in his movies. For once, can't he just take the fall? Be # 2 for a change? Ken Watanabe did brilliantly as Katsumoto and every emotion is portrayed with depth. Very deserving of an oscar nomination even with all the stiff competition.
A few reviews have lambasted the Samurai's brutality and Japanese atrocities in World War II. There is a bit of truth to this, but people, this isn't Amnesty International. First of all, this movie was meant to show the influence of the Bushido code on the Samurai lifestyle and how that, in turn, affected Tom Cruise's character. Secondly, as this is JUST a movie, it is a fictional story based on a historical setting. Not a documentary. Sure the Japanese haven't apologized over the atrocities of World War II, but the US also dropped two atomic bombs, completely decimating two of their cities. Shortly afterwards, Japan surrenders. Apology accepted. The Japanese have learned to move on. Why can't you? This movie had the potential to be a great epic but made a short cut for the finish line instead of running straight through. Still worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: The Way Of The Warrior
Review: The Last Samurai uses the beginnings of the modernization of Japan, as the island nation moved past a feudal society, as symbolized by the elimination of the samurai way of life for its backdrop. Director Edward Zwick has a way telling an epic tale, while at the same time making it very personal and intimate, this film is no exception. And while it is very powerful, I was surprised at how much the film's star seemed like he was on "cruise control" (sorry I couldn't help myself). Alcoholic Civil War veteran turned Winchester guns spokesman, Captain Woodrow Algren (Tom Cruise), arrives in Japan to help train the troops of the emperor, Meiji, as part of a break away from the long-held tradition of relying on employed samurai warriors to protect territories. As the emperor's new army prepares to wipe out the remaining samurai warriors, Algren is injured in combat and held in captivity by the samurai. While there, he learns about their sacred honor code from their leader, Katsumoto, (Ken Watanabe in an Oscar naminated role). The two proud men soon learn to respect the ways of each other, which forces Algren to decide which side of the conflict, he actually wants to be on. Zwick is a very good filmmaker who knows how to tell an engaging story. One that holds your interest the whole time...What was most unexpected for me though was how flat actor Tom Cruise was here. Even in his most tortured moments as Algren, he wasn't nearly as compelling as the role required, he was just reading his lines. Watanabe, on the other hand, draws you into the Samurai world with quiet conviction. The battle scenes are well choreagraphed and executed. Once again, cinematograpgher John Toll makes the beauty of the location, a character of the story (much like he did for Zwick's Legends Of The Fall in '94). Truly breathtaking. The 2 disc DVD set offers comprehensive (and yes) entertaining well thought out extras. Disc one features a great commentary from Zwick. He is very well spoken and engaging-definately worth a listen. The second disc has a generous amount of deleted scenes with commentary from Zwick. The History Channel documentary called History vs. Hollywood: The Last Samurai outlines how the movie stacks up with what history saw. Tom Cruise and Zwick give us their unique take on the same film in separate featurettes, while the film was being shot. After that, both men are interviewed together for some post work perspective. There's a production design expose with Lilly Kilvert, as well as one one on costume design with Ngila Dickson, basic training for the "Imperial Army", a look at the samurai's weapons of choice. Footage from the Tokyo & Kyoto Japan premieres of the film, the theatrical trailers, and website access, top off the set. The Last Samurai is a must see, despite a stilted job from its mega star Tom Cruise.
Rating:
Summary: A Man Called . . . errrr . . . Nathan!
Review: What we should appreciate before we get too deep into the odd story of Captain Algren is that he/it is strikingly similar to John Blackthorne, the English pilot of a Dutch ship that ends up in Japan in Clavell's near genius-like rendition of "Shogun." Without discrediting Tom Cruise who acted brillinatly I thought, the story does live up to general aspects of the "Shogun" tale but falls short in a few other areas. The love affair with Cruise and Taka is sweet but with Blackthorne and Mariko it was detailed, passionate, forbidden and conspiratorial. Likewise, the transition that Cruise makes into Japanese society is in fact, believable however it seems to happen swiftly. Too swiftly to remain completely credible. The script and Cruise's voiceover explains his love of the discipline and simplicity, which interestingly enough is what seduces Blackthorne. Well. Really seduces Blackthorne. But then again, it is Nathan that/who becomes a true warrior, and I must again give kudos to Cruise who appears believable in the great physicality of the Bushido spirit and the battle scenes. All in all a nice ride, sufficient enough to take it out of the 'manly men doing manly things' genre and allow you to think. Ken Wanatabe as Katsumoto is excellent and should have won him a best supporting. Taka is wonderful; the children are animated and innocent. The use of Cruise speaking Japanese was an excellent touch and again, seemed to add credibility. I should also mention that there are similar 'blood lines' in the Indian Rights oriented "A Man Called Horse," less interesting, less fulfilling, but possibly equally provacative. Good job to all. 5 stars. Larry Scantlebury
Rating: 
Summary: flawed but impressive exploitation of ignorance and history
Review: To someone who's actually studied a little Asian history, this was an enjoyable but weird film to watch. Let me present this scenario: An American of Eastern European descent makes a movie in which a Polish Jew becomes a disciple of Prof. Ernst Haeckel, noted zoologist and early proponent of ideas associated with Nazism: racial war, that Germans were the most superior race of all, and complete suppression of any opposing viewpoints. Wouldn't that strike you as strange? And yet that's exactly what you get with "The Last Samurai" - an American movie based on the Meiji-era Satsuma rebellion led by Saigo Takamori, an Imperial loyalist who advocated a return to traditional Japanese values and (incidentally) the military conquest of Asia to establish an all-encompassing Japanese empire loyal to the divine emporer. Do Saigo's values sound familiar? They should. The Japanese role in WWII was founded on similar notions. So in order to create a viable and sympathetic "Last Samurai," director Zawick and screenwriter Logan created a fictional Katsumoto to replace the historical Saigo. This way, they were able to focus on a pastoral outlook of samurai life and discipline - which isn't necessarily a bad thing. In doing so, they created a very pretty film filled with very pretty images and highly sterilized ideas. What's bad about it is that the film warps history (badly) and is filled with countless cliche's - sakura blossoms, seppuku, calligraphy, etc. The plot is essentially "an American faced with the horrible reality of his Western way of life abandons his roots and finds truth in another culture." Captain Algren, scarred by his role in the Indian Wars, accepts a commision from a big-business-controlled Meiji emporer to train the Japanese army (recently armed by the US) and to take out a band of rebel samurai. These samurai are led by Katsumoto, a samurai of impeccable honor who opposes the Westernization of Japan because of its corruptive influence. Algren is taken prisoner by Katsumoto and comes around to his captor's viewpoint during his captivity. He joins Katsumoto's rebellion and learns bushido, the "way of the warrior." In a final all-out onslaught, Algren and Katsumoto lead the rebel bunch into a battle against the new Westernized Japanese army. The rebels are slaughtered, and Katsumoto, mortally wounded, commits seppuku while commenting on the perfection of cherry blossoms. The young Meiji emporer, on hearing the manner in which this loyal samurai perished, rejects Westernism and gives all of the evil businessman's money to the people. Algren returns to Katsumoto's village, apparently to live out the rest of his days as in pastoral rural peace. Could we get any more cliche'? It's a great piece of eye- and mind-candy - the shining highpoint in the century-long Western infatuation with Far Eastern culture. It's a lovesong to the romantic ideas of Orientalism - a throwback to the days when American housewives wore kimonos and played mah-jong. It's the same myopic viewpoint that helped make Bruce Lee the myth he is today, rather than the footnote that he deserved to be. It's a fable that expounds the ideals of bushido, rather than directly face the full gamut of samurai life. The rolling shots of New Zealand (why not shoot the movie in Japan?) are gorgeous, the swordplay gracefully violent, and the natural earth and woodtones are so peaceful and Zen-like. This movie is perfectly marketed to an American audience still flirting with Zen, to whom green tea flavoring is trendy, and who buy Japenese paper lamps sold at IKEA. I can certainly understand reviewer "minnanouta's" violent reaction to the film, although I don't share it. Koreans in particular are bound to hate this movie, given the invasion they suffered during WWII - an invasion once designed and supported by the real "Last Samurai." Americans and Europeans, still in the throes of "yellow fever," will love this flick. Other Asians will scratch their heads, go "hmmm," and say, "Oh, Americans made this movie. That makes sense, sort of." This could have been a great movie, had it presented balanced viewpoints from both Katsumoto and the industrial tycoon who opposed him. Had this film actually portrayed history, it could have been wonderful - the ambiguities and impurities to both sides of a tenacious struggle in which there is no one correct way. The Meiji Restoration was a tumultuous period in Japanese history, and the struggles of the period were highly layered and complex. Instead, Zawick and Logan gave us a fable and a fairy tale, and so their historical narrative is severely weakened. It's a gross over-simplification of something very real and very relevant to modern times - but it's eye-catching and well-photographed, so it gets two stars. Add one star for the wonderful screen presence of Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto, the one character in the movie anyone cared about. If you're interested in more accurate portrayals of Japanese and samurai life, I suggest any of the Kurasawa samurai epics. Jim Jarmusch's "Ghost Dog" is an interesting modern meditation of bushido, and many arthouse Yakuza flicks deal with issues of honor and loyalty in grittier, more human terms (check out "Beat" Takeshi's "Brother"). For great samurai reads get the Dark Horse reprints of "Lone Wolf and Cub," Eiji Yoshikawa's "Musashi," and Yukio Mishima's "Patriotism." And for fun, check out "Lost in Translation" for what the Western world has done to Japan and "Tampopo" to see a young Ken Watanabe in a quirky arthouse flick about ramen and the role of food in our lives.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie
Review: In terms of history, thie movie is a fiction, but it succeed in explaining the main idea of samurai spirit. I like it.
Rating:
Summary: Cruise Nearly Rescues Career In Japanese Adventure
Review: His rebel spirit keeps Tom Cruise afloat during a period of mid-career fatigue. In this opulent post-Civil War epic "The Last Samurai," he once again plays a fighter who rejects the heroic role that has been thrust upon him by society. Something like the Ron Kovic, the Marine-turned-activist Cruise played in "Born on the Fourth of July," his latest character is a military careerist disillusioned by the brutality and depravity he had lived through in the U.S. Cavalry. But I doubt that this movie will reverse Cruise's waning appeal. The role is not only dripping with self-congratulation, but comes at a time when Americans are struggling to believe in the integrity of their country's strategic choices overseas. Cruise plays Nathan Algren, a boozing cavalry captain, disillusioned by the Civil War. Algren is hired to go to Japan to modernize the Emperor's army. Some movie critics dubbed the movie "Dances With Samurai". The comparison fits because the script lays on pretentious narration and high falutin dialogue. "I won't tell you how he died," says Algren to the young Emperor. "I will tell you how he lived." That kind of stuff can kill a movie. Director Ed Zwick, who's lately been expressing his high regard for the samurai classics of Akira Kurosawa, missed one very important point: Kurosawa's movies moved. Although he knows how to make big, lavish movies ("Glory," "Legends of the Fall"), Zwick's made another big, lavish movie. "The Last Samurai" creeps ahead slowly, dragging along its magnificent photography (via cinematographer John Toll and production designer Lilly Kilvert) and elaborate scenes. To his credit, Cruise plays Algren with fierce energy and swings a Samurai sword like a pro. When the script (by Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz and John Logan) doesn't ruin the images, the great cinematographer John Toll turns action into poetry making the "The Last Samurai" come across as a haunting silent movie. Algren gets captured by the Samurai, the enemy he's been paid to eliminate. But recuperating in their village, led by chief Katsumoto (the extraordinary actor Ken Watanabe), Algren not only learns their ancient traditions of honor, but he adopts them. He also shares hot looks with Katsumoto's widowed sister Taka (the lovely Koyuki) in a romantic subplot that doesn't seem to go anywhere. In "Last Samurai," as in "Dances With Wolves," there's a hidden strain of racism. After all the time spent on praising the dignity and morality of the Samurai culture, when the group needs a leader the natives choose the newby white man, not one of their own. What's that? In spite of the story's familiarity, "The Last Samurai" delivers on most of its ambitions. Cruise's pure anguish and Watanabe's nobility carries the drama, while the battle sequences are the most spectacular since "Master and Commander." I liked the movie for its entertainment value, but don't expect to get blown away --- except by the skillfully, artistically photographed scenes and well choreographed action sequences.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Stars for Action Sequences, Otherwise Cliche Ridden
Review: List the cliches: anquished, but noble, army officer who has been driven to drink because of the Indian Wars; redemption by a nobler and simpler people (according to the movie), an Asian women who is in grief over her lost husband who falls in love with the barbarian American, a hero realizing that his rejection of his culture was fated and that he can become redeemed by embracing a new culture, all Americans (except the noble hero) are corrupt and immoral, the noble lord who befriends the hero and learns from him, the innocent native child who helps in the redemption process, etc, etc. ad nauseam. On the positive side: beautifully filmed and compelling action sequences. Rent it, don't buy it.
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