The Single Most Amazing Film Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (9 November 2010)

The Last Samurai is a monumental film directed by (Sir - as I think he should be knighted for such a film) Edward Zwick with Tom Cruise as the protagonist accompanied by Ken Watanabe (who frankly steals every scene he is in). For those of you who do not like Tom Cruise, or cannot appreciate him as an actor, you're in luck, because in this movie you can hardly believe such an awe inspiring performance can be given by such a loony man.
The film is ultimately about the psychological struggle of a soldier as he tries to forget what he has done in his military days, serving under a merciless leader, Custor. He is hired for another job training the Japanese army in order to fight the Samurai rebellion (who believe Japan is becoming westernised too fast). To really enjoy the movie to its full capacity it must be watched more than once. The movie contains a lot of symbolism and is by no means the average persons movie, as it requires a lot of what the educated call "thinking". To understand the movie in all of its beauty, you must devote time to understanding Algren's character and how he chronicles his life, and ultimately his evolution to peace of mind. Algren chronicles his life through a diary and narrates much of the movie as we virtually enter the mind of Nathan Algren.
It begins with an introduction of Kastumoto (Ken Watanabe) doing what seems to be meditation, thinking of a white tiger, which later equates to mercy and a friendship between Katsumoto and Algren. We are then immediately engulfed into the world of Algren's character and personality as we see that he is a washed up soldier doing educational plays for the community. During this scene we see how morbid his character is, as he reflects on the hell he had to endure while under the command of Custor. Throughout the beginning of the film we see that he is a clear alcoholic (and he uses this to escape the reality of what he has done) and as the film progresses we see his declining need for it as he comes to terms with what he has done and finds peace within himself. Countless times he has escaped death, each time wishing it would be his last as he cannot take the strain of what he has done.
The movie turns around from a morbid character development of Algren to a positive progression of self portrayal after he is captured by the Samurai and held as a (somewhat free) prisoner in Katsumoto's son's village. It is here where we see perspective on his character as he realises the disgust he has for his own culture. He becomes lost in the beauty and serenity of the Samurai culture, slowly trying to learn their ways and as he does, he begins to forget about what he has done in his past and obtains a sense of closure and peace.
I cannot express the beauty of this film in words other than it is one of the most visually spectacular films I have ever seen. Every single actor in this film gives an absolutely amazing performance, and the directing is second to none. On top of that, there is a constant harmonizing soundtrack written by the one and only Hans Zimmer (and in my opinion is the greatest movie soundtrack ever written) which gives a beautiful ambiance to the whole movie.
Every time I watch The Last Samurai, I cannot help but weep at how sad the movie is and the concept of it. And for you action junkies, it has incredible fight scenes that have been amazingly choreographed.
I have seen this film 18 times now, and every time I love it more than the previous, and this cannot be said about 95% of the films made, but I realise something new every time. This movie changed my life and I can give it no less than a 10/10, and a movie that rivals it in my opinion is Shutter Island that I give 9.5/10 to.