Great Samurai

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2020)

A fascinating and inspiring epic, The Last Samurai is a powerful film. The story follows a disillusioned Civil War veteran who's recruited to train the Japanese army in Western warfare as they prepare to take on a Samurai rebellion. Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe lead the cast and give excellent performances. The directing is also quite remarkable, and captures the spiritual aspects of nature and of the Samurai culture. Additionally, the writing does an effective job at depicting the culture clashes, and at developing the characters. The score by Hans Zimmer is brilliantly done as well, perfectly complementing the film and enhancing the themes. The Last Samurai is a smart and passionate drama that's well-crafted and compelling.