Surprisingly Entertaining

Rating: Null/10 (7 December 2003)

I had my doubts when I went to see this film. Tom Cruise is a fantastic actor, but he hasn't been that good as of late. "Mission Impossible 2" had a bad effect on my view of him as an actor, to say the least. However, when I saw this film, I was blown away.
I was impressed with Cruise's acting abilities -- he definitely goes through a transformation in thos movie, and if you pay close attention to his face you'll see what I mean. Of course, at certain points it's hard not to pay close attention to his face. I think the director is in love with it; there are many close-ups.
But I digress. The film was, as many have pointed out, Dances with Wolves combined with Braveheart. And it worked quite well. It was not only entertaining but somewhat spiritual.
I don't want to spoil anything, so go and see the movie. I personally think it's worth a try. I've read a lot of bad comments on this site and I find many of them stating that they were bothered by its historical inaccuricies. With all due respect, it's a movie. When you read a book, you suspend your disbelief. You should do the same for a film.
The bottom line: 8/10 Better than great.