The usual.

Rating: 7/10 (5 May 2004)

In "The Last Samurai", Cruise is a burned out ex-soldier (circa 1870's) who's crawled into a whiskey bottle to escape the guilt he feels for having seen it all, done it all, etc., at the Little Big Horn, etc...blaa, blaa. To pull down some big bucks, he signs on as a mercenary to help Japan get rid of a bunch of Samurais who, for reasons unknown, try to kill the modern Japanese army even though Samurais are peaceful warriors who only fight at the Emperor's command, etc...blaa, blaa. Cruise decides the way of the Samurai is for him because they dig cherry blossoms and mysteriously answer all questions with questions and Americans kill Indian women and children. So, Cruise, who magically learns the Japanese language in less than a semester, gets his mojo going and sets about to make war with the Japanese imperial army and....blaa, blaaa...hence, the title. Things you should know include: 40% of the dialogue is Japanese and that means subtitles. Also, the film is 2.5 hours long (seems longer). When all is said and done, "The Last Samurai" is a pop top Hollywood product complete with hype, an over-rated centerpiece (Cruise), lots of mediocre epic action, and a token hottie. In other words, a typical blockbuster. No more, no less. (B)