Great Movie...except for the ending.

Rating: 9/10 (23 February 2004)

After watching The Last Samurai a couple of months ago, the images and themes it bring up still linger in my mind. The image of Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe) meditating on top of the hill to begin the movie was pretty powerful. It presented the idea of inner-peace, yet also one of confusion, which seems to be a paradox that many people face. Also, the theme of honor runs rampant throughout the movie, and is strongly conveyed through the Samurai characters. Hiroyuki Sanada was impressive as Ujio, the tough, brutal, yet loyal and disciplined Samurai, and Ken Watanabe stole the movie with his powerful performance as the regal Katsumoto, who was faced with the dilemma which was complete change, or annihilation. The only character I felt was a bit overdone was Tom Cruise's. Granted, he was the main character, which is why the majority of the luck went to him, but it is still hard to believe that any man could have survived that charge on the howitzers. Getting stabbed my a couple spears when he was captured yet surviving, believably lucky; not getting ripped apart by hundreds of gatling gun rounds while everyone else around you is, unbelievably lucky. There were moments where I felt that there was a fair amount of overacting by some of the actors, but overall, the mood of the film was well maintained and expressed. I believe this movie deserves an 8.5/10