I liked it.

Rating: 7/10 (29 July 2004)

Not really knowing what to expect, I popped this film into my DVD player earlier tonight. I sat down and watched the film quietly during the next two and a half hours, and I was pleasantly surprised. I actually didn't make the "Dances with Wolves" connection until I came to these message boards. But so what, if the plot of this film is somewhat similar to that off "Dances with Wolves", we can live with that, can't we? This one is differently pulled off and there are many elements in this film that weren't present in Kevin Kostners epic, such as the battle scenes and sword fighting. As well as the many conversations about honor and belief between the characters.
The film starts out with a former military hero Nathan Algren being offered a new job in the Empire of Japan. He is to train the Japanese army, so that they can successfully face off, and fight back against, the rebellious Samurai. The Samurai are against the treaty that the Japanese are about to make with the Americans, since it would ruin their great history. But Nathan is just there to train.
However, when Nathan is pitched in a battle against the Samurai, and his Japanese army of poorly trained soldiers are defeated, he is taken prisoner by the Samurai chieftain Katsumoto. Now, Nathan ends up spending a lot of time with the Samurai, learning their ways and how they fight.
The movie is beautiful. Everything about it. The production design, to the costumes, to the photography. There is not one aspect of this film that the filmmakers missed out on. The plot is entertaining and entangling, even though some people might be disappointed by the lack of action scenes in the middle part of the film. The ending battle should definitely please the action fans, however, as it is one of the best I have ever seen on the screen. Truly great. Unlike some recent war films, however, this film is not afraid to show how horrible battle really is. That is, the blood has not been cut out of the film...
Tom Cruise holds up his character well, and you can tell that the script has really succeeded when in the end you just want Tom Cruise to stand up and chop the head off the greedy businessman. Bravo, bravo. Ken Watanabe also deserves to be mentioned, as his portrayal of the Samurai chieftain Katsumoto is really good. He plays the role marvelously, and makes a believable Samurai.
All in all, a very enjoyable film. You should see it, regardless what kind of films you like. You'll find a beautiful film with a great script, and some really good action too. Everything about this film is really good.
9/10