A really attractive movie that just doesn't quite get to the mark.

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2003)

The problem with mega-epics like The Last Samurai, is to get it "banked" it takes a mega draw star. Tom Cruise is such a bankable star but he may be great in a Top Gun type swaggering stud role but as a staggering drunk turned hero he is not all that good.
But he is surrounded by a lot of good things. The very best is Ken Watanabe, who plays Katsumato the leader of the last of the traditional Samurai warriors. Mr. Watanabe should be nominated if not win the best supporting actor bid for this role. In short he is powerful!!
Tony Goldwyn is a well selected choice of Colonel Bagley, the over zealous commander of the american "advisors".
The music is very good. The costumes are authentic and well shown and presented and as such they may get awards too.
The Story? Well it is a bit "hero based camp", but that is what action epics are supposed to be, so no complaints there.
The location shots are beautiful and...ok...to the not so good part. That is just it you see...none of it is bad....all of it is just short of really good. The potential love story is left short. The adversary/ buddy angle starts well and ends in an incomplete fashion too. The power of the movie is Watanabe and he is really worth the price of admission and afterward I think you will say it could have been so much better. Maybe if David Lean had directed it??? Naw the direction was ok...it was just not as good as it could have been.
But go see it. It is way better than the goo we have to deal with most of the time. A seven in ten a high mark for me.