Powerful and Insightful

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2004)

The Last Samurai displays some of the best sword fighting I have ever seen in a movie. Ken Watanabe gives an Oscar performance as the Samurai leader, Katsumoto. Not only did he have some awesome fighting scenes, but also his character was deep and just fun to watch. Tom Cruise gives a surprising performance as a disgruntled American general turn samurai. Needless to say, I was skeptical of Tom Cruise pulling this role off, but he did so pretty nicely.
The story is a powerful, moving piece, but it can get kind of long and depressing. This isn't really the feel-good movie of the year. It also got a little confusing particularly with the blossom scene. I zoned off for one minute, and I was lost on the significance of the blossom for the rest of the movie. Oh well, it wasn't too big of a deal, and I enjoyed the movie anyway. If anything, this movie gives great insight on the mysterious and intriguing life of the samurai. It's definitely a good experience.
My IMDb Rating: 9/10. My Yahoo! Grade: A- (Almost Perfect)