Touching.

Rating: 10/10 (3 December 2003)

(Possible spoilers...haven't started writing yet.)
If you've seen The Fellowship of the Ring and was touched by how Boromir(the dude who was shot with arrows) kept on fighting as he was dying then you're guaranteed to be touched by The Last Samurai. And there are many other reasons why anyone would like this movie, but I don't want to over-hype it.
If you hate Tom Cruise then I plead that you imagine it's someone else in his place because this movie shouldn't be knocked just because he starred in it. If you're one of those people who like to just get lost in a movie, or feel like a part of the movie(if you know what I mean) then this is one of those movies. I ask you to put yourself in Tom's place and see what seeing, feel what he's feeling and this will truly be an enjoyable experience.

The visuals during the fight scenes are utterly amazing. Yes this is a movie about an American who becomes a Samurai within 4 months or so, but it's just a movie, SO WHAT! And yes the title gives it away, but he makes up for it in the end.
In my opinion the best movies to see are the ones you have zero expectations or knowledge of. For example, I was told by numerous friends that Pirates of the Carribean was the best movie they've ever seen, so that's what I expected. And of course I didn't like it as much as everyone else. I saw very little of this movie before I watched the sneak peek and I'm very glad.

To conclude my strayings of thoughts. I love to cry in movies(the touching parts) and yes I'm a guy and I admit it. I've cried in A Beautiful Mind, Finding Nemo, Cool Runnings, Lord of the Rings, etc. I know that might sound amusing of the range of movies that touch me, but I can't help it, they just do! So let me just say this, during the last 15 minutes of the film, I had to hold back some of the tears to keep from balling(pardon the corniness of how that sounds). And you know that feeling you get in your throat when you're kind of holding back tears, that kept going for 10 minutes after the movie ended. Go see this movie, have an open mind, have no expectations, and don't have any pre-dislikes for Tom Cruise. If you do this, this movie should really touch you or come close to it.