Dances with Swords

Rating: 8/10 (5 September 2016)

I've worked enough call centers to know their motto: "Change is Good" isn't really the case; it's just lies to avoid riots. And here's the proof.
I wondered how they were going to explain away the once again whitewashing of American movies made in/about foreign countries. This movie is all about Japan's wakeup call to come to the future (of 1870s, anyways) and revolves aroundTom Cruise. Well, he is short. There is that
But, no need, it was the whole story of him going to Japan in 1876. Once Japan got hit hard with the new technology of the West – or gunpowder, to be precise – the kid Emperor freaked and sought out America's help to evolve. This led to hiring a troubled U.S. Captain (Cruise) to train their armies against the Samurai, or the Japanese equivalent of Native Americans. Or so he thought.
Without knowing the background – which I did a little research following this first screening, I knew where this was going: Captain (Cruise) is caught by the Samurai and guess what happens from there
The Last Samurai is one gorgeously made movieon the surface. Yes, it's Dances with Wolves deep down, but it's what happened to the old ways of Japan. It's both sad, but in some respects, what needed to be done. Now that said, little did we know then, this all eventually triggered Japan's involvement in World War II in the worst possible way.
The movie is 100% believable, includes great acting and you do get a sense of what life was like for the Samurai. It's just pretty darn long and a hard sell to get me to see it again since everything that will happen in the movie is so painfully obvious. This is not a good sign since I blindly bought the BluRay movie on good word of mouth and since I needed to fill up my Amazon order to $25 for discounts.
I definitely don't regret seeing it. The stunning cinematography alone was worth it. I just probably should've streamed it firsthand since it really is a one-time viewing.
On a completely different note, anyone interested in buying a slightly used BluRay copy of The Last Samurai?
***
Final thoughts: Notice how I didn't mention Tom Cruise much upstairs. Meaning, I didn't go into his acting, what he brought to the project and if he enhanced it in any way. The last answer is: Nope. He was okay. Good, perhaps, but seriously, anyone could've played his role. The movie's extreme positives come from the story, scenery and direction.
Now, I'm not downing Cruise. He is one of my favorites and I've probably seen his movies more times apiece than any other actor. It's just he was incidental to this project. Make that, fourth or fifth tier to the rest.