An Epic film that is not without its flaws

Rating: 8/10 (5 December 2003)

While researching for this review, I again marveled at the filmography of Mr. Tom Cruise as I do with each new film to which he is attached. Like him or hate him, you cannot neglect the fact that this actor likes to change pace and takes roles that are so different from the last. Just look at his last five films for example. He has portrayed a detective (Minority Report), a tormented publisher (Vanilla Sky), an inspirational speaker (Magnolia), a doctor (Eyes Wide Shut) and a sports agent (Jerry McGuire). Each role was such a departure from the last and each were successful Hollywood vehicles.
Enter Cruise's next stab at celluloid, The Last Samurai. When I first heard that he was attempting this film, the title gave me reservations as to whether this was a misguided career move. After all, those of us that grew up in the 80's remember Cruise more for his young pop-culture roles in films like Top Gun and Cocktail, so to think that he could divert our minds from his Risky Business role dancing in his underwear to being an American Samurai in Japan, is asking a whole lot.
But the movie did have something immediately going in its favor. Edward Zwick, who directed Glory and Legends of the Fall was at the helm and the film was co-written by John Logan who penned 2000's Oscar favorite Gladiator. So there I was, popcorn in hand as the lights dimmed, and it didn't take long for me to get caught up in the fact based backdrop of the Japanese civil war between the Emperor's troops and the last of the samurai.
The movie's plot is really quite simple. Tom Cruise plays Nathan Algren, a war-hero in General Custards battles with the American Indians, who is recruited by the Emperor to help train his troops using new weaponry from the west (guns, cannons). Algren agrees for a ridiculous fee, but is forced into battle before he believes his troops are ready, and they are defeated and Nathan is captured by the samurai.
While a prisoner in the Samurai camp, Algren begins to respect the ways of it's people (everything they do is to perfection'), and befriends the family of one of the soldiers he killed on the battlefield. Fall soon turns to spring, and Algren and the leader of the Samurai, Katsumoto (played by Ken Watanabe), have turned their captive-captor relationship into a mutual friendship, and when Katsumoto is taken prisoner by the Emperor and sentenced to death, Algren orchestrates an escape and the two head back to the village to begin a war strategy to fight the oncoming troops.
The Last Samurai is a film that will be classified as an epic due to its exotic locations, cast of thousands, costumes, battle scenes and running time (144+ minutes). Edward Zwick actually does a very commendable job in maintaining a story amongst all the visuals, and Tom Cruise is able to dig deep and put together a fairly convincing portrayal of a man that is torn between honor, love and responsibility.
But for all its positives, there are many flaws also. The thought of an American riding along side the Samurai just doesn't fit right  especially in today's climate, it was just another example of America putting their nose where it doesn't belong. The scene where Algren is beaten repeatedly by a samurai warrior and continues to rise every time he is submitted to the ground, played more like something out of a Marvel comic book rather than a real life will to show up the enemy.
The Last Samurai is a good movie despite its obvious shortfalls. The battle scenes are visual feasts for the eyes and ears, and the, and Zwick moves things at a rather healthy pace leading up to the eventual climax. It's not as memorable as his last war film, Glory, but The Last Samurai will still garnish a nomination or 10 when it comes time for the Academy to elect the best of 2003.
And my final word goes back to you, Mr. Cruise. Thank you for at least trying new things each time in front of the camera and not stereotyping yourself like so many of the other 80's superstars did in their careers (paging Sylvester Stallonepaging Sylvester Stallone). Keep it up and we will forgive you for self-indulging yourself with such fare as the Mission Impossible series.