Samurai art

Rating: 7/10 (15 May 2004)

Tom Cruise is probably Hollywood's most popular actor, and he's been doing movies like COCKTAIL, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, JERRY MAGUIRE, MINORITY REPORT and VANILLA SKY, and well, here he delivers probably his best performance. Although maybe MINORITY REPORT is his best film, this is without doubt then a very worthy second place.
Nathan Algren is a retired soldier that's drinking heavily and doesn't have any kind of job. But soon he's back into the military where his mission is to lead a bunch of un-trained Japanese men into battle against the feared samurais. Well, the samurais wins the battle easily and Algren fights for his life alone, but instead of being killed he gets taken prisoner by the samurais and soon lead to their village. Here he soon understands that the samurais is good people, and with bad nightmares and a huge hatred of his old military colleges he makes peace with the samurais, and join them in their fight...
A movie that's so beautifully made that you simply can't avoid being charmed by it. The fantastic photo and the fabulous directing makes the movie elegant, delicate really, so while sitting there I just had such a good time. Tom Cruise is brilliant as Algren who suffers of bad nightmares and has to make peace with his mind. Samurais is something I think everybody thinks is pretty cool, and this movie shows a side of the samurais that they're peaceful, relaxed and intelligent people that studies war. THE LAST SAMURAI stands very alone, and is a dead-on movie, and it has got it's competitions; TROY, KING ARTHUR and ALEXANDER THE GREAT are all big movies with big budget and costumes, battles and stuff, so well...if THE LAST SAMURAI will win the four-on battle is a question. I think personally it will! STARS: 5/5