Excellent movie, but mediocre actor in lead

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2006)

I thought the plot line and story was an excellent one, much in line with Shogun, Dances with Wolves and other movies where a lost soul finds truth in who he is through another culture. Where this movie falls short for me is in the acting of Tom Cruise. I have no personal beef with Cruise as I think he has had several good movies that suit his acting style. Mission Impossible and MI2, Top Gun, Risky Business, just to name a few. I personally don't believe he is a great drama actor. He simply does not pull it off as his dramatic range is more believable when it involves a character with a huge ego such as in Jerry Maguire, A Few Good Men, or The Color of Money. I think a better choice of actor for the role of Nathan Algren would have been Christian Bale. This critical role needed a highly physical actor, capable of performing highly technical martial arts skills, with a tremendous dramatic range. Without this, the movie falls well short of its potential.