Rating: 
Summary: Fabulous in every respect!
Review: The Last Samurai was one of those exceptionally rare films that I am sure I'll always remember. The character of Katsumoto was magnificent, and Tom Cruise did a superb job portraying the captive who learned to find meaning in his life from a people very different. I too became a captive of the discipline, honor, and other virtues depicted in the Samurai culture. It was a completely absorbing movie...I hated for it to end. Speaking of the end, I couldn't imagine how it could end well, and thought it a shame to watch 2 1/2 hours just to see the bad guys win. But it actually had a fantastic ending--very satisfying. I don't want to spoil it for those reading reviews who haven't seen the movie yet! If you like action movies, you absolutely cannot go wrong with this one...I'd give it 10 stars!
Rating: 
Summary: Ego trip
Review: The sheer arrogance of this films is mind blowing. First of all, the thought that the Emperor of Japan needed the wisdom of an American to set things right in his kingdom is absurd. Secondly, aren't we all getting a little tired of Tom Cruise presenting himself as some sort of super man in his movies? He, like Mel Gibson, has often cast himself as characters whose bravery and martial skills are of almost mythic proportions. Additionally, these heroes are frequently disillusioned, bitter men, who, through an orgy of blood and guts discover themselves and learn to love.Folks, this is cookie cutter scripting. Those moments in this film where we are treated to shots of Cruise looking into the distance, steely eyed and noble are embarrassing. Is this really how Cruise thinks of himself? Is he so hot and so wonderful that the wife of the man he killed can't keep her hands off of him? This is one of many movies made over the years where a white man saves a picturesque but flawed culture. This is Eurocentric cultural insensitivity at its worst. The script is a series of cliches superimposed on 19th century Japan. Sadly the story could very well be transfered to any other culture with a little tweak here and there. In spite of the lovely scenery and high quality of the cinematography, the film displays a shallow understanding of Japanese culture and suggests to me that its producers don't have a very high opinion of their audiences sophistication.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: This is a great story, great acting, great cinematography, great directing, and so on. And I've read some of the most bizarre reviews of this movie. A movie is a movie. It's entertainment. This movie is a work of art. And not many movies are, that. Amelie, for example, is a great work of art. Maybe some don't like Cruise. O.K. But this film is good -- even great in some ways. Perhaps some don't like the genre. Maybe some expected a documentary or a history film. Well, I've seen history films that were pure bunk when telling history with accuracy. Frankly, I couldn't care if this film is historically accurate. It is a beautifully made work of art.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD IDEA, BUT IT GOES ON TOO LONG
Review: AN ARMY CAPTAIN [TOM CRUISE] GETS CAPTURED IN THE MIDST OF A BATTLE WITH THE CHINESE. EVENTUALLY, HE BEFRIENDS A SAMURAI WARRIOR [KEN WANTANBE] AND HE ENDS UP FIGHTING FOR THEIR CAUSE. THIS WELL-MEANING EPIC HAS EXCELLENT COMBAT SCENES AND GOOD ACTING TO SPARE, BUT IT JUST GOES ON TOO LONG. AND AFTER ABOUT THE FIRST 90 MINUTES OR SO, IT BEGINS TO GROW TIRESOME. BUT, IT RECOVERS TOWARD THE END. IF YOU LIKE THESE TYPES OF MOVIES, YOU SHOULD LIKE THIS. BUT, THE VIEWER SHOULD BE PREPARED TO SEE SOME EXTREME VIOLENCE WHEN WATCHING THIS.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the hype on this one
Review: I am NOT a Tom Cruise fan. That explains why I waited until the DVD release to rent it on Netflix. That was a mistake because this epic is all that. Maybe it is my clarity on the context surrounding the participants that caused me to be so engrossed. I wonder how many of you are aware that the three leading industrial powers at the turn of the 20th century where Britian, Germany and Japan? Isn't it ironic that the US was not one of the elite. What is amazing is the instantaneous metamorphosis of Japan from a feudal society to a major industrial power. The setting of this movie is about the transition from "the old ways to the new ways." Tom Cruise plays Captain Nathan Algren, formerly of the 7th Calvary, sent to Japan to train the Emperor's army in western warfare tactics. This would be the infamous Custer's calvary. The Custer who opened up "Thieves Road" to the Black Hills. The same calvary that went looking for one helpless Native American village too many. The Captain left the calvary before its demise at Little Big Horn. He is imbued with nightmares from the massacre of the Southern Cheyenne. This is the first historically accurate portrayal of Custer EVER by Hollywood. These two contexts are the heart of this movie and it is amazing to see how a cowboy becomes an indian. Cruise isn't bad in this movie but I'm not raving about it because of him. The Japanese actors are absolutely engrossing in their first film before western audiences. They are credible and believable and there is a complete absence of the overacting ubiquitious in so many films. Ken Watanabe has the key role as the Last Samurai leader, Katsumoto, who is dedicated heart and soul to the code of bushido. He is also the heart and soul of this movie. Shin Koyamada plays Nobutada, the son of Katsumoto and is unforgettable. We are also introduced to a captivatingly beautiful actress Koyuki, who plays the sister of Katsumoto and wife of a samurai slain by Algren. There are so many great lines and enveloping dialogue but the best is when Cruise character tells Colonel Bagley: "You want me to kill THE ENEMIES of Jappos, I'll kill THE ENEMIES of Jappos... Rebs, The Souix, The Cheyenne... For $500 a month I'll kill whoever you want. But keep one thing in mind, I'd gladly kill you for free." This movie is about duty and honor and being faithful to these principles. It is also about the power of redemption that can be acheived by commiting to these values. This makes a great double feature along with Kurosawa's Ran. It will be the first Tom Cruise movie that I ever purchased!
Rating: 
Summary: Mixed Thoughts on this Dances with Wolves in Japan....
Review: My son and I watched this movie together and enjoyed the story line immensely. The similarities between this movie and the Kevin Costner film are just too much -- almost farcical. My nine year old son noticed how people kept getting shot and stabbed dozens of times but they kept on fighting (not too realistic.) Further, when Tom Cruise comes out in the end in his Samurai armor (supposedly looking cool and tough), both my son and I went hysterical laughing because he looked like such a complete IDIOT! Tom Cruise can give good performances, but not here -- it is one of his clench-tooth/aren't I a big star outings. However, the standouts in this film (which drags toward the end) are the scenery and the spectacular performance of Ken Watanabe, who reminds me of a Japanese Yul Brynner. Talk about star power! One other reviewer noted that the Samurai Code led to a tremendous amount of racism and preservation of the elite, so I am not really sure why this cause was being so championed by the filmakers. Traditions are great in theory, but let's not forget that the Samurai were the same people who would cut your head off if they felt you did not bow low enough when they passed by!
Rating:
Summary: Serene Elegance in a Tom Cruise Film
Review: "The Last Samurai" was certainly one of the best movies of 2003. The main story is a reverent account of the character of the Japanese people and the Samurai in particular, but there's much more to it than simply that. The film has many subplots and resolves them all neatly without ever seeming contrived. Everything from Algren's (Tom Cruise) search for peace to his understated yet elegant love story with Taka (Koyuki) is handled as well as it conceivably could be. Writer John Logan avoids the overwrought melodrama that burdens most war movies; everything is as quietly graceful as the Samurai way of living depicted within the film. The acting is, on every front, excellent. Tom Cruise gives an uncharacteristically melancholy performance as Captain Nathan Algren, while Ken Watanabe perfectly encapsulates the quiet honor of Samurai leader Katsumoto. The actors cast in the supporting roles are equally suited to the film, each giving realistic and powerful performances by turns. Director Edward Zwick infuses the entire film with the necessary serene feel. He uses well-placed camera angles to complement and enhance the already magnificent sets, and even cliched choices (such as Algren's choppy, blurred memories) are handled competently. The only area that Zwick falls a little short in is in his directing of the action. Despite the R rating of the film, he displays a timidity in his direction which, at times, makes it blatantly obvious that these are stunts. Even still, this movie is not an action film, and it's appropriate that Zwick kept it from becoming a visceral bloodbath. This isn't too say that there aren't graphic depictions of violence, but Zwick generally avoids the blatant displays which fill movies like "Kill Bill", preferring to quickly cut away from gory moments. If "The Last Samurai" has a real problem, it's that the story is about somewhat immaterial concepts: tradition, honor, and the character of a culture. It can be difficult to emotionally connect with things of such abstract nature, but even still, it's as elegant a defense of such things as the moviegoer is likely to find. And the stories of the characters and their relationships within this defense are powerful enough to provide more than enough emotional resonance to compensate. In a year that saw the release of many excellent films, "The Last Samurai" is among the best. Patient, mature viewers will find much to admire herein, though those seeking a light-hearted action romp may wish to look elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: zero stars for the lies that it perpetuates
Review: Hollywood makes a habit of distorting truth and history and it usually ends up being more or less harmless. Not here. The Last Samurai is the equivalent of a movie about the SS and how they were loyal to Hitler. Even more absurd is the analogy that it tries to draw in comparing the "poor" Samurai with American Indians. LAUGHABLE! The truth is that the Samurai represented the conservative and racist thinking that led Japan to massacre millions in Asia. The same Bushido code that led Samurai inspired Japanese soldiers to rape and kill indiscriminately and to dissect people who were still alive for sick and perverse "scientific" experiments. Japan committed the FORGOTTEN holocaust and has never apologized for its horrific atrocities. But lets forget all that and just glorify the Japanese and Samurai...after all, it's just a movie. Nonsense! It is true that westerners did help modernize and equip the Japanese but it was the Samurai mind-set that made the Japanese soldiers such ruthless and terrible killers. The Samurai "code" did not die in that last battle - most Samurai resigned and lived. That mentality made it's way into the 20th century and led Japan to kill millions. Furthermore, the Samurai were "upper" class, the elite. They were in no way poor or neglected. Their main objective was to uphold the rights of the elite. It's the equivalent of Republicans with swords. The last thing that incenses me is the idea of killing oneself honorably. B.S. Suicide is cowardly no matter how you look at it. The Samurai were just big babies who killed themselves if they didn't get their way. Real honor and courage means living and persevering despite adversity and trials. Honorable suicide - ridiculous!
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie
Review: I cannot understand how Peter Travers from Rolling Stones gave this DVD such a low review. This movie is great!!!!!!!1
Rating:
Summary: Dances with Braveheart
Review: Throw in a wolf and some blue face paint and that's pretty much what you've got: Dances with Wolves meets Braveheart. Civil war soldier thrown into the culture of his enemy mixed with a social class fighting for their right to exist. Aside from the derivative nature of the movie (and the music; it was at times note for note The Thin Red Line, but they were both done by Hans Zimmer so at least in his case he was ripping himself), it was actually a pretty good film. Tom Cruise carries the film brilliantly and outshines any other cast member by far, partly because his character was the only one that was shown to develop. The message of the film is a very positive one, that of honor and courage, even in the face of unbeatable odds, a code almost completely foreign to the average American. Even with this, it's a still a somewhat depressing film, watching the demise of an ancient and majestic society, which was traded in for the pop culture of the West. At times the action was a little overwhelming for this type of film. At one point there was an attack from ninjas that almost degenerated into Kill Bill Vol. 1 - a little too much ninja for the epic journey film maybe. The last criticism is a technical one - while the cinematography was wonderful, the sets were not. There are times, mostly at the beginning when we see shots of San Francisco, and then a distance shot of Mt. Fuji, that it looks less real than a Bob Ross painting. I really wouldn't have expected this from such a high budget film.
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