A True Epic

Rating: 8/10 (10 December 2003)

Nowadays, with these cheap films (and when I say cheap, I mean plot wise, acting wise and so on) coming out, like Bad Boys II, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and so on, it's great to know that there are still filmmakers out there who know how to create a masterpiece of a film.
In the early parts of this year, I was drawn into this film through the teaser trailers and posters they would have at the theaters. I just knew from watching the trailers that this movie was going to be big. And was I right.
Tom Cruise is amazing. Gone are his days of the cocky teenage roles and stereotypical movies. Tom has grown up and realized that since he is a super star, he can do something more than those kinds of movies, and he has in the recent years. For example: Magnolia and Jerry Maguire, both earning him an Oscar nod. I know for sure that this year is Tom's year. After watching Jerry Maguire again after watching the Last Samurai, I know that the Academy will at least give Tom Best Actor.
And Mr. Cruise isn't the only one who's going to be getting some Oscar nods. Ken Watanabe will probably get nominated for best supporting and possibly Ed Zwick as director. However, I doubt that the film will win for Best Picture. Not because it doesn't deserve it, but because it had to be released the same year as Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. It's going to be next to impossible to beat Jackson's film, and I think that that's too bad, because The Last Samurai has Best Picture written all over it.
I was drawn into this film immediately when we saw Col. Algren's past come back to haunt him, and I knew that his mission in this film was going to be to silence his lambs, so to speak. Although it was somewhat Dances With Wolves at parts, I felt this to be original, visually stunning, and heartbreaking at the same time. Tom Cruise and everyone involved in this film have done an amazing job and they deserve all the praise they are receiving.
10/10. Go and see this movie if you have not already. And if you have, see it again. Because they deserve a lot of money since they won't be taking the Best Picture Oscar home.