TOM CRUISE ASIDE, THE FILM MEETS THE CRITERIA FOR A MEMORABLE FILM EPIC

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2003)

I just want to say that I went into this film wanting to hate it. Although I've never really hated a Tom Cruise movie I've always been put off by the fact that he's in them. It angers me in a way. I don't think he's a particularly good actor and his film choices usually seem like crowd pleasing safe ones. Don't get me wrong he's not really a bad actor either he's ranged from the slightly off(Born on the fourth of July) to the decent(Jerry Macguire) and to the even more confident(Eyes Wide Shut). This film presents his performance in various degress from cheesy and melodramatic to inspired and worthy. Sadly enough theres not an overwhelming abundance of the second. But the film fares just fine without it. Edward Zwick of legends of the Fall has created a truly moving epic. It's in the race to be the most depressing film of the year right after Ron Howard's The Missing. Although it seems a bit contrived the film ultimatly delivers on a very emotional epic scale. Tom Cruise stars as a Captain during the civil war. He suffers from guilt and has turned to alcohol from seeing so many innocent native americans butchered. He longs for his life to have meaning and to find some sort of peace. He's shipped off to Japan to teach their soldiers to defend themselves in combat with guns against the samaurais'. He is unfortunatly captured after a fierce and gory battle and succumbs to their way of life and their teachings. Ultimatly adapting to it and learning to love it and the people around him. It is truly a wonder too see the film progress on an emotional level and no matter who you are it will at least draw a tear or two. The film for the most part is well acted, the script is decent with a few unintentionally funny lines, the direction is simplistic and grand at the same time, the score is moving and the cinematography is lush and mood driven. All in all you must give Credit where credit is due. And although Tom Cruise may not totally deserve it he does do an average to above average job of capturing his charachter's complex emotions. Tom Cruise aside, the film more than meets the criteria for a memorable film epic.