Great action/war film.

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2006)

The Last Samurai is the story of an American soldier who is captured by Japenese Samurais, but as he is kept prisoner there he begins to respect the soldiers and eventually grows fond of them. He ends up befriending the samurais and fighting on their side against the Americans. This is one of the best historical type war movies there is out there, in the vain of movies like Dances With Wolves.
The plot of this movie is very good. It shows that there can be understanding between two cultures who are taught to hate each other. The American soldier learns respect for the other culture even as he's their prisoner. And even though he's their prisoner, they learn respect for him. When they end up becoming friends, you can see they'd do anything for each other. The dialogue is also very good, even humorous at times. The fight scenes are perfect. This is one of those movies that puts you right in the battle so you can see what it would really be like.
I've always been a Tom Cruise fan. He's a pretty good actor. He seems like a far more down to Earth character in this film though, and it's refreshing. I can't really pick and choose good acting jobs, because they're all good. Overall, this is an amazing film, and I'd recommend it to fans of the genre.
8/10