It's "Dances With Wolves" in Japan

Rating: 8/10 (27 June 2004)

Hmmm, let's see. An American soldier, battered by the effects of his home grown war, is sent to a far distant region. He eventually goes native & adopts a new culture completely alien to his own. When confronted with his past he is more & more driven to embrace his new identity.
This isn't "The Last Samurai" this is "Dances with Wolves! The story line has been planted into 19th century Japan, with a few tweaks & adjustments. Another indication of the paucity of innovation in Hollywood these days, where no one makes a decision for fear of failure & anything successful is distilled into a formula & then flogged to death.
Having said that the film is entertaining, with Cruise in his most interesting role since Minority Report. Enough has been said about everything else in this film for me to not have to repeat the same observations here.