Misunderstood Perfection

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2008)

I bought this DVD a couple of years ago and really like the movie. Its one of my favorites and shows a Tom Cruise in a very different role, where he is magnificent. I had no intention of giving a review on this one, cause its not brand new and there are plenty of reviews. I did not read them all, but i read some of the 'hated it', cause i wondered why it didn't get such high votes as id like it to get and well, i have to say my thing:
People complained that it is not totally historically correct and I'm sure it isn't. Never looked at it as if it was. People complained Americans are too ethnocentric, putting Tom Cruise, there in the spotlight and yes they are. But this movie is that ONE Hollywood movie that *tries* to depict another culture, without throwing bombs at it and making it totally bad. Thats exactly the reason i cherish it! It could not be done without giving the American viewers something to identify with. They aren't gonna watch some serious Japanese movie... get real. Surely there will be some flaws in it, so what? The main object is to lay down a nice story, a moralistic story, in another culture, learning how that culture differs from yours and try to accept it, even appreciate it up to the fact that you want to live there! And that is done superbly! Can not be done better! This is exactly the movie that addresses what we are losing today! Our identity, our own cultures, since everything has to become western, 'civilized' capitalism. It is GREAT in showing exactly that what we know is not always best. That NEW is NOT always better! Yes without advancement we would still be apes in trees, i admit, but advancement one way, is going backwards the other. Maybe we would be better off being still apes in trees! NEW is NOT always BETTER
In the DVD set there is also some explanation about Bushido and i think that is far better than what we have here. (the 'west') New isn't always better. Western philosophy died decades ago. Im not saying eastern philosophy is better, cause there is none. Philosophy comes from where the Greeks started, with logic and that is exclusively reserved for that. In the east the knowledge wasn't layed down by logic reasoning that could be followed and deducted by everyone. They were written as simple, one lined moral guidelines. With all our logic reasoning philosophy and societies following with great lag (POST MODERNISM is NOTHING), we will find that west meets east. Or, we would, if the western systems hadn't swallowed everything else. Thats is why this movie is a pearl in an ocean of Hollywood pretentious bogus and drama. Ever wondered why there are so many good movies, more and more, that are about people in our free and tolerant and social western societies that are going totally crazy? It is a mirror of society. We are euthanising ourselves collectively. That is why this captain drank. He had ghosts in his head from killing Indians for the west. A whole culture slaughtered. And he ended up in Japan and saw something else...
Now, are you happy? And if not, to which country will you go? Aren't they all the same by now? Is that progression? It surely doesn't give you more freedom...
Progression is a movement in a certain direction. We call it development because we think we control where we go and think it is better if we can do this or that. But moral is subjective! Read Nietzsche! THINK! If i walk backwards, i still progress, i still develop, but who is to say if it is better or not? Do i go forward or backward?
New isn't always better and yes you may call it hypocrite that this movie could not have been made if we were still apes in trees, but then again, there would not be a need to make it.
Do you think Star Trek is realistic? Thats child's stuff. It never widens the horizon on moralistic issues. Hardly any movie does that well, if at all, because it is extremely hard to comprehend, to feel deeply that all we ever made for ourselves is ultimately hell, without any way to escape. Yea who enters here, abandon all hope. No, we rather see lies, cut and dried good and bad. Its easier on the eyes. Sleep well my friends...
Thats the main reason i will never let this great movie be put down by ignorant people.
Apart from that, it is a great story, well casted, well acted, great shots, great action, good pace, good dialogs, truly a GREAT movie. A MASTERPIECE. As The Japanese leading actor would say: "Perfect". as he dies. As it was supposed to be. Perfect.
And Tom Cruise stood there and wondered, on the brink of understanding it. He HAD to stay alive to serve the story. To be, not the pretentious westerner, but the loser who smelled at it, and got so close.
Go see it if you haven't.