Hollywood's Inaccuracy and Entertainment

Rating: 8/10 (22 March 2005)

The Last Samurai (2003) I've watched numerous times. The last time (last night) I found the movie a lot better than I remembered. Set mostly in 1870's Japan during a time when Japan was beginning to modernize its country. Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is hired along with other US soldiers to modernize the Japanese Army currently caught in civil war with the samurai.
Even though this movie is based on actual events the United States had nothing to do with the modernization of japan. It was mostly France, Britain, and Russia. Yet the movie is still good. The portrayal of the way of the samurai is fascinating and the idea of rifles against sword seems utterly insane.
This movie is the first movie for Ken Watanabe to speak English in and does a fine job as the Samurai leader Katsumoto. Even though I'm not exactly a fan of Tom Cruise I feel he did a good job with his troubled soldier character. The story isn't original (a soldier trying to find his honor and the right path) yet it's does fine. The action is wild: the first battle in the forest to the last battle with the fires all around.
The Last Samurai. Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Timothy Spall, and Shichinosuke Nakamura. 3 1/2 out of 5 Stars.