One of the Best Films I've Seen in a While

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2004)

Although I may appear biased, I am a sucker for a film which talks about a certain code of ethics -especially if its a japanese one! This film is not the best of its kind, and neither the writer nor the director could fully convey the way of the japanese people. I'm not an expert but I've seen my share of japanese films (and some chinese and korean and I don't mean action movies). I would say that this film is probably one of the closest American films that could grasp -if any at all, the culture of a foreign nation. I would also like to state for the record that the american cinema has been pretty weak for about 5 years now and this is probably one of the few films that I liked since that time (I don't even have to start and mention the awfull fashions of sequels and remakes of old films).
I couldn't find a better or worse person than Tom Cruize to take the role of Captain Nathan Algren. His facial feature are excellent for the role but his integrity as an actor I find low (except for his roles in "A Few Good Men" and "Rain Man"). This made me lose some of the seriousness I would have found in his role were it not him playing it. Still, I have to salute Tom for his decision in taking this role -its a good one. People might say that this film tried to convey more than its worth and some may even say that tries to force out a tear or two but I would have to say that although part of that is correct, I couldn't help but think that this film is the first I've seen which could touch the japanese people so close and that is the truth. Any way I really liked the film and i would recommend it to anyone who loves war movies that are filled with sacrifce and honor.