A good story for mature people----

Rating: 9/10 (12 March 2004)

The Last Samurai (2003-D. Edward Zwick) Tom Cruise is Nathan Algren, a disillusioned officer who fought in the civil war and later, in the Indian wars. His last battle was at Little Big Horn with Custer. Now he is drinking hard and giving talks in tent shows about his exploits. He is asked to go to Japan and help modernize the military there and get rid of the Samurai's and their culture. The biggest problem is he hates the officer who would be over him, Col. Bagley (played by Tony Goldwyn as a clueless bigot) but takes the job anyway.
After training the raw recruits of the new Japanese army, who have never before held firearms and can't shoot straight, for just a few months he is ordered to take them against the Samurai. He demonstrates that they are not ready in a great sequence standing in front of a target and ordering the terrified man to shoot at him. Finally the man does and misses by a mile, but Bagley orders him and the rookies into battle anyway.

Against the great Samurai these hapless recruits are annihilated, and Algren, wounded, is about to be killed, when the leader, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) orders him brought back to their home in the mountains. Thus the story becomes about the ensuing friendship and understanding between two very different cultures.
For mature people who need a good story with their action/adventure films, this is the ticket. By the last battle, I was in tears and wanted to shout 'hooray' when Bagley is finally downed, even though we know the battle has been lost. This is a very good, thoughtful film and Watanabe and Cruise are wonderful. 9/10