It is the most absorbing movie I've seen in years

Rating: Null/10 (13 December 2003)

Having just returned from seeing the movie, I feel the need to write about it quickly before the thoughts fade. The Last Samurai (2003) brought me into it, and made everything feel right in the world. But it is just a movie, and like all movies, it ends. Which means I want to see it again.
I am certain that I don't know everything about the historical period that was the setting for this movie, but I do have some familiarity with the legends of the samurai. I hold in awe the beliefs that they supposedly held. I love the tragic nature of the samurai. I love that the legendary samurai were so perfectly bent on doing what was right, never compromising their morals and honor. And this movie portrayed that heroic and tragic philosophy so beautifully. I was literally moved to tears.
Though the setting, characters, and plot points are different, the sensation of seeing this movie is something I would describe as being like the sensation you would get from seeing the movie Glory (another excellent film). It is well worth seeing, and well deserving of much praise.