Spellbinding

Rating: 9/10 (4 October 2009)

A beautifully done film, and a sweeping and spellbinding epic in every sense. The Last Samurai is exquisitely shot, with stunning locations, wonderful cinematography and well designed costumes. The music by the ever reliable Hans Zimmer is gorgeous, dramatic in the battle sequences, and poignant in the slower scenes. Speaking of the battle sequences they were extremely well staged and came across as spine tingling. The story is strong, and the performances and direction are too. I have never really liked Tom Cruise, but here he gives one of his better performances ever in this film, sometimes I forgot that it was him acting. Billy Connelly also handles his role well, though I usually associate him with comedy. However, it is indeed Ken Watanabe who captivates, and easily walks away with the acting honours. The script is well crafted, and while the Last Samurai is sometimes overly idealistic and a tad stereotypical, me and my brother cannot help deny this is a superbly shot and well performed film. 9/10 Bethany Cox