very moving great film

Rating: 10/10 (17 March 2007)

Hi all! This is my first comment on IMDb, so I'll try to not spoil anything and make a good first impression. :) This movie is definitely my favorite. No doubt about it (well, maybe a little with 300 now showing). I watch this movie almost periodically to keep myself...'in check' with my values and to put into my perspective what is important to me and what is good for the people around me. I find that this movie hits me...in several 'dimensions', you can say. I'm reminded that decisions and actions I make will stick with me and that my life later on will be affected greatly by my choices and I'm reminded that courtesy, respect, devotion, and most of all, honor should be held high in my life.
Every time I see the film, I feel like I'm maturing in some way from all the emotional and moral vibes I get from this film. While there are fights in the movie, it isn't the conflicts that the movie focuses on. The movie focuses more on what the fight is for.
(I'm not sure this is a spoiler, but I'll flag my comment as a spoiler for it anyway, just in case) The samurai fight for justice and live to serve their emperor. The emperor's advisors, however, aim to gain for themselves using the emperor's goal for a unified and independent Japan. This conflict of interests is what makes the rest of the story.
This movie's portrayal of the samurai and 'the bad guys' is genius. By the end of the film, I saw the samurai nearly as saints while I see the 'advisors' as despicable. The samurai are represented with characters that each show admirable qualities, while the opposite is seen of Omura (watch the film to know him). Only in the beginning, before you get a chance to see the samurai's perspective, might you think otherwise.
At the end of the film, when the emperor is being told a secret, you can see Omura dropping in in the corner of the screen. Images like that throughout the film give powerful portrayals.
My favorite aspect of the movie of all, its soundtrack. I LOVE this movie's soundtrack. Its quite beautiful and you can picture the movie while listening to it. It is slightly repetitive, just enough to notice, but not enough to change my opinion of it whatsoever.
This is my favorite movie and my favorite soundtrack (and possibly music in its entirety) 10/10