Filmic poetry

Rating: 10/10 (24 June 2013)

How to write a review that can fully express my appreciation for the last samurai is very difficult.
To avoid all the confusion of 'what the hell is Tom Cruise doing in a movie about samurai?', watch the movie with the premise that Ken Watanabe's character is the protagonist and Tom is a translator to bridge the Japanese culture with the west.
Upon visiting a Japanese friend in Yokohama, I asked everyone I met if they believed the movie represented the through should of Japan. They all said yes.
This is one of those movies where the different elements such as storyline, film score and acting performance enforce each other into creating an unforgettable emotional roller-coaster and climax.
The movie artfully captures two clashes; the clash of a modernizing Japan, in conflict with its time honoured traditions and the clash of a warrior that has lost his purpose with a person whose sole purpose it is to be a warrior.
Undoubtedly one of Hans Zimmer's finest scores; put on 'a small measure of peace' and simply close your eyes and you will feel what I mean.
Simply breathtaking