Rating: 
Summary: Good. Me likie.
Review: Insomuch as the movie was not designed to be a historical account of what happened during this period in Japan, rather an interesting, beautiful work of fiction in the form of a movie, I liked it."Dances With Wolves" in Japan? Definately.
Amazing film making? Umm, yeah, okay.
Terrific scenery and costumes? Oooooh yeaaaaaah. I'm *not* a Tom Cruise fan, but I *did* like this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not Great....
Review: It's a pretty good movie overall. It would have been nice if Tom Cruise were replaced by a japanese actor. It would have been impossible for a foreigner to learn the japanese language and how to sword fight (japanese style) in such a small space of time as described in the movie. Basicly 6 months?? LOL
The movie is loosely based on the "Satsuma Rebellion" which took place in 1876-77 when a bunch of aging Samurai decided to take a last stand against the new Meiji Government. The Samurai fought well but eventually went extinct. The Last Samurai is a good movie though, in a world with a lack of Samurai flicks.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful to Watch, But Stretches Reality...
Review: 'The Last Samurai' is yet another 'White Stranger in a Strange Land ' story. The film has many similarities to Kevin Costner's 'Dances With Wolves' (noted by other astute reviewers); the Civil War is major factor in both central character's state of mind. Both men choose to side with the natives, rather than the exploitative European culture that spawned them. Like 'Wolves', this film is bloody and beautifully shot, with large battle sequences. The supporting cast is excellent, with Ken Watanabe simply marvelous as the Samurai Leader, Katsumoto. I found myself wondering just how this film would have played without the Tom Cruise character- I think just terrific, and would have been solely from the Japanese point of view. I am dreaming here - Cruise shares producing credits, and the film probably would not have been made without his star power behind it. Nevertheless, one does get tired of these movies with the 'Great White Hope' leading the way for the natives. The one area I have real doubts about is how quickly the Samurai were to accept a Westerner into their insular society in the film. This really stretches the imagination - even today, Japan is not exactly eager to bring foreigners within it's inner circles. Japan was a VERY closed society in 1876, yet we are to believe that the Cruise character literally becomes one of them in a matter of months! The film is beautiful to watch, with spectacular action and realistic battle scenes. In spite of the obvious plot flaws, the film takes the opportunity to teach the viewer about Japanese culture; one sees the impact on future events (WWII and the Bushido Code, for example). The final battle is inspiring, with the Spartan stand at Thermopylae being used to rally the Samurai against a clearly superior enemy. All in all, 'The Last Samurai' was enjoyable in spite of it's Hollywood origins. The whole idea of Tom Cruise as an adopted Japanese Samurai warrior really is farfetched, but somehow I left this film still impressed. What it really comes down to is the supporting cast - they carried the film. 'Samurai' is really about Japan, and the Japanese actors did themselves and director Ed Zwick proud!
Rating: 
Summary: Some good scenes, but not quite credible
Review: The Last Samurai is typical of epic Hollywood war-action/adventure films --impressive scenery, musical score and battle scenes, yet bogged down in cliches and contrived situations. Tom Cruise plays Captain Algren, an 1870s war hero who is tormented by memories of brutal battles against Indians. He is persuaded to travel to Japan to train the army to fight against the samurai, Japan's traditional warriors. The Japanese government, motivated by financial reasons, wants to modernize and develop relations with the West; the samurai, who represent Japan's noble cultural and warrior heritage, resist these changes. Algren is not given sufficient time to properly train the army in the ways of modern warfare; he is forced to confront the samurai, who defeat the modern army with their discipline and ferocity. This is where the film lost me. Algren himself is only captured after single-handedly fighting off something like a dozen samurai warriors. It is of course a cliche of martial arts movies that the hero can take on countless opponents, but this film is more ambitious and attempts to be realistic, and it is absurd to imagine a man untrained in these traditional martial arts defeating all of these elite warriors with their own weapons. At this point, I was resigned to watching a generic Tom Cruise action hero rather than a believable character. Algren is captured and allowed to recuperate so that the samurai might learn something of their enemy (there had to be some excuse for letting him live). He is even trained in their martial arts, which seems unlikely. Why would they train an enemy combatant? And the time it takes him to learn to fight with their weapons only highlights how unrealistic it was that he was unbeatable in his first battle (where he would more likely have been killed). Algren predictably comes to admire the samurai way of life and eventually sympathizes with their struggle. The film attempts to examine the complex issue of preserving traditions in a rapidly changing world. This is largely expressed in conversations between Algren and a samurai named Katsumoto (well played by Ken Watanabe). A woman named Taka (Koyuki) is the inevitable love interest, as the wife of a man Algren killed in battle. She struggles between her grief and growing fondness for Algren. Although some of the interaction between Algren and Katsumoto is interesting, the film has a basic contradiction that it never really resolves. It is superficially a sympathetic exploration of a traditional culture, yet at the same time it revels in the stereotype of the Great White Man who travels to distant lands and saves the day, a book and movie tradition that goes back at least as far as Kipling, where British colonists tamed the "primitive" people of Africa and Asia. Again, The Last Samurai seems to be more on the side of the colonized, yet this is belied by the huge role played by the Tom Cruise character. Perhaps the most effective scene in the film is the last battle, where we see a rapid-firing cannon mowing down samurai warriors. This image is a stark image of modern society mechanically wiping out a less technologically advanced culture. Unfortunately, I didn't find most of the film equal to this theme. I think a better portrayal of a similar story can be found in the miniseries (based on a novel by James Clavell) Shogun.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly Fine Movie!
Review: THE LAST SAMURAI is for many of us a Sleeper of a movie. The media mania was so high at the release time in the theaters that it seemed by the trailers that this was another massively expensive Epic riding on the Big Name Star vehicle. Sadly, I avoided seeing this beautiful film on the big screen: now I wish I had not been so influenced by the hype. THE LAST SAMURAI is at its core a very tender movie, a story of men overcoming their personal demons, of the power of allegiance to ideals, of forgiveness of the past and holding on to honor, of growth of the human spirit and soul. 1876, and America lands on the beautiful islands of Japan at the beckon of the Emperor to "Westernize" the country, and the army in particular, to stamp out the historical presence of the Samurai, a band of dedicated, gracefully trained warriors whose purpose was to defend the Emperor - a man believed to be the earthly manifestation of holiness. The military men sent to perform this transformation are the guilt-ridden, alcoholic Civil War Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) and his commanding officer Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn). The two attempt to transform the inept army of the emperor's spokesman but when they encounter in battle the Samurai warriors and their leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) they are naturally beaten. Algren, through his native skills as a fighting man, is captured by the Samurai and is forced to live by their customs in the house of the wife Taka (Koyuki) of a man Algren had killed. Most of the film is concerned with the gradual spiritual awakening of Algren, his commitment to the Samurai principles of battle and of life and Director Edward Zwick handles this quietly and with great dignity by exploring the growing bond among Algren, Katsumoto, and Taka. The ultimate confrontational battle between the last of the Samurai and the newly Westernized troops of the Emperors' advisors is not only epic in scale but also mythic in values. The entire cast is excellent and a large cast this is! But the kudos that have been awarded Watanabe have for some reason not fallen to Cruise. They are both excellent as are Tony Goldwyn, Koyuki, Timothy Spall, etc. The cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful, the musical score is thoughtfully eloquent, and the BIG scenes are a spectacularly Grand as the intimate scenes are extraordinarily tender. Sometimes a great film passes us by because of the megalomania of the media hype overpowering the actual film. Give this one a try in your home and see that it is better than you'd expected.
Rating:
Summary: Very pretty
Review: Reviewing the historical accuracy of Hollywood films is probably futile. What the heck, I do it anyway.. 1) Americans had nothing to do with training the Japanese military during the period covered by this film. At the time (1876), America was not the place you would have gone looking for professional soldiers. The training came from Europe.
2) By the Meji period (1868-1912), the Samurai had become an idle aristocracy who could no longer be described as warriors. Getting rid of them was probably the best thing that ever happened to Japanese democracy. That said, the film is beautifully photographed, and had some nice battle scenes. People get down on Tom Cruise for his limited acting range, but he does a good job here. The supporting cast is entirely watchable and believable. If you're in the mood for an action flick that doesn't require much in the way of critical thinking, it's worth seeing.
Rating:
Summary: Visually stunning, and with a message to offer
Review: I hesitated to watch this film for the hazardous theme it treats: the "opening" of a country by another. After minutes of viewing all my initial worries were dispelled. The clash between modernity and tradition nineteenth century Japan, with its toll of death and suffering, is depicted here in all its complexity. Unlike the military "historian" in the featurette by the History Channel (in the Special Features disc), who purports to remind us that the modernizers were in fact the good guys, the film strives to recreate a subtle, often controversial portrait of these complicated times, inviting audiences to reflect on the costs and the downsides of an abrupt "modernization". Concessions are made, of course, to Hollywood-style storytelling: the warriors are so steadfast in their committment to tradition, so noble in their disregard of personal interest that one can hardly fail to feel sorry for their fate and resent their annihilation. Nevertheless, this historical epic is a rarity among today's blockbuster movies for it has a message to offer, a question that was as urgent in Fillmore's times as it is for the Bushes today: whose "modernity", and on whose "past"?
Rating:
Summary: Tom Cruise's Best Performance
Review: I just bought this dvd yesterday and it is very good. The second disc has the special features and the inside booklet details all of them. The best part is honestly the movie. There is no commercials on the disc - thank god it goes right to the movie menu just like master and commander. The movie is just brilliant. Ken Watanabe is amazing and Tom Cruise gives us just a brilliant performance. He pours his heart into this role and it shows. Right down to the expression in his eyes- the emotions of the story show and he shines. Not to mention the filming of this moving and the editing. It is just beautiful to watch- the views of the country are breathtaking. You would not be dissapointed in this one.
Rating:
Summary: The Last Samurai Is One Of The Best
Review: The Last Samurai is clearly Tom Cruise's best film to date. In the movie he plays Captain Nathan Algren a Civil War veteran who at first arrives in Japan to train the Emperor's army in modern warfare but then is captured by the very Samurai Warrior's he is supposed to be fighting against. After being captured by the Samurai and their leader Katsumoto, played skillfully by Ken Watanabe he soon learns what the meaning of the word honor is. After being nursed back to health by the recently widowed Taka, played by Koyuki, Algren trains in the ways Samurai and then joins them in defending their way of life against the very army he helped to train. He also develops a romance with Taka, who besides being the sister of Katsumoto is also the very widow a Samurai Warrior that Algren killed. In this movie you see some great scenery, and of course great action scenes. There is also a solid storyline and you really get to know the characters in this movie. The costuming was terrific and the weapons such as the swords were very authentic looking. There is not any negatives to this film as it was impressive to watch on the big screen and is a must own on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Saw it Twice in Theater, but Even Better on Dvd!
Review: I enjoyed it both times I saw it on the big screen, but for some reason when I bought and watched it tonight it seemed so much better than the previous viewings. The love story is classy and not overdone as in most epics and the acting is wonderful. Tom Cruise delivers his most convincing role to date and this is one of the few parts I actually liked him in (thats saying a lot!). Of course, as mentioned in numerous reviews, Ken Watanabe steals the show as the Samurai leader and should have been awarded the Oscar over Tim Robbins. The action scenes are brutal and hold your interest, (SPOILERS!!!) but I didn't like the fact that Cruise was the only character to survive the final battle. Very unrealistic and is truly the only part that brings the film down a bit. Great cinematography and an excellent soundtrack as well. I must also mention the fact that very little CGI was used in this film and that just makes the battles and actual locations that much more believable. Don't waste money renting a movie you'll want to buy the next day. Add it to your collection to watch again and again!
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