Eastern promise

Rating: Null/10 (21 January 2004)

Rating: **** (out of *****)
Everyone knows that once in a while, an epic adventure will comes along to challenge for awards. The Last Samurai is the latest film of this kind, and even if (at just over 2 ½ hours) it's probably a little too long, it still offers at least more than two hours of compelling cinema (and is therefore one of my favourite films of the year).
Like Braveheart and Gladiator, The Last Samurai is a period epic. Here, it's the late 19th century in America, where Tom Cruise steps into the shoes of an American Civil War veteran, Captain Nathan Algren. Looking for a new challenge, he teams up with his friend Zebulon Gant (Billy Connolly) and his commander, Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn) to travel to Japan, where they will train soldiers to battle against a group of warriors who are being trained by the last true samurai, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). When Katsumoto captures Algren alive in an unexpected skirmish, he does not kill him. Instead, he holds him as a hostage in his village. Both men soon find themselves learning about one another, with Algren getting an especially strong insight into Samurai culture. The question is: what will happen when the time comes to face his fellow Americans again?
The themes of love, trust, honour, heroism and adjustment are nothing new in epics. But director Edward Zwick (whose resume includes war epics Glory and Courage Under Fire) touches on these themes without being heavy handed. Even the scenes which call for serious emotion are handled with the correct amount of restraint.
It seems that Zwick wants to fit something for everyone into this epic, and he very nearly manages it. Action, adventure, discovery, romance, humour...you name it, it's all here. Where Zwick doesn't manage 100% success is in the expository sequences. The first half of the film is riveting, but some of the later scenes outstay their welcome.
Regardless, Zwick should be praised in the many areas he does succeed in, such as the actual battles. These are close to competing with anything to come out of Middle Earth in the last few years. They are beautifully shot and genuinely exciting. Like Peter Jackson, Zwick uses panoramic shots to great effect and even if CGI is being used, you really can't tell. The setting really feels genuine, and therefore it must be commended.

Tom Cruise is undoubtedly more of a star than an actor, and many continue to label him either overly smug or wooden, or both. Recent films, however, have shown that these tags are a little out of order. Actually, I think this is among his best performances of recent times. One of Cruise's central strengths has been his ability to carry a film while not overshadowing everyone around him, and that is exactly what he shows here. Regardless of how the rest of the cast acts, he is still the film's central character, and if Algren is not believable, then the film fails. It's one of the more demanding roles he has played, and he is definitely up to the task, even (apparently) poking fun at his own image once or twice. Certain people will see this as his best chance in years of a Best Actor award (even though I personally don't think it's fully deserved).
Cruise's reliability has always left room for certain members of the supporting cast to really steal the show. Cases in point: Renée Zellweger in Jerry Maguire, Samantha Morton in Minority Report. In The Last Samurai, it's Ken Watanabe. We not only accept him more in his role because he is more of an unknown this side, but because, like Cruise, he immerses himself in his character. The difference is he does so with more depth and greater authenticity. Talk of nominations for him should not be dismissed.
I'm certain that this will be an Oscar contender. Do I think it should be, though? Well, I would have definitely said yes had it been a little less uneven. A superbly done epic on a grand scale always makes for welcome viewing, though, and The Last Samurai should therefore be warmly received by the majority of those who see it.