The 'Last' of this Garbage

Rating: Null/10 (7 December 2003)

Warner Bros. is certainly financing some of the biggest projects of late. Both 'Matrix' sequels (both creatively dead), this, the next two 'Harry Potter' sequels, 'Troy', and the 'Polar Express' are costing them over $900 million. This kind of gross excess can only be matched by Disney.

My question is "where do they get the money to throw into a project like 'The Last Samurai'? Are they trying to duplicate the hope of 'The Last of the Mohicans'? Is this supposed to be spiritual like 'The Last Temptation of Christ'? One thing's for sure, it's as dead of a film as 'The Last Picture Show'.
The biggest question should be, "why is a weak director like Zwick, who has not advanced beyond the flimsiness of 'Glory', put in charge of so much power?" I know this movie will fail, have known that for the last 10 months they've been advertising for it. There is no more market for swaggering white anti-hero leaders, 'Far Side of the World' is proving that. Wait until 'Return of the King' for something possibly new because this movie is old stuff.
Overall, if de Palma had this big of a budget, we might have a new version of '2001' in our hands. As it is, I'm sick of this recycled junk. 1 out of 5.