OK, but not great

Rating: 7/10 (28 April 2005)

Not horrible. The script was predictable and about what you would expect out of Hollywood. The overall themes were tired and old starting with the US mistreatment of the Indians to the western worlds ignorance of cultures older than our own in the early part of the last century. (I say in the early part of the last century. Currently we are not ignorant of those cultures even if we act as if we are.) Some good sword fighting in the Samurai film tradition and a beautiful landscape. Ken Watanabe's acting was wonderful and heartfelt, portraying feeling and emotion not from the things he said, but from his bearing and expression. But that was about it. They touched on some of the aspects of what being a Samurai is about, but didn't really go deep into the meaning. (See "Ghost Dog, Way of the Samurai) This I felt would have been much more interesting than watching Tom Cruise play a teary eyed drunk dealing with inner demons. Sorry - been there, done that. He was much better at it in Magnolia.