Another hero story with a good message and growing interest in the way of the Samurai.

Rating: Null/10 (5 December 2004)

This movie may have been cliché, it may have been a little corny sometimes but I would like to emphasize how good the movie was as well.
The fighting scenes were good. It is rare to see some real good sword fights on TV, other than the usual Matrix style or karate stuff we usually see. The Lord of the Rings had some good sword fights but this movie is bloodier. It has style too it but it stays realistic. Like the part with Tom Cruise slicing a guys neck and the head stays in place before it rolls off after the body drops. The director does a good job in letting the audience feel for Tom Cruises' character as we are taken inside his mind when flashbacks of war are shown and his cognitive process of memorizing his fights as he is in one.
Tom Cruise never dying after so many fights and battles and fighting 5 or sometimes even 100s against only him is a little on the fake side but nonetheless, the director gives us what we want! Who wants to see Tom Cruise die anyway, he is such a stud muffin! OK, just kidding, but it the movie gives us a good message in the end. When the last Japanese Samurai dies, he says something that you should think about for all peoples, whether they use guns or swords to fight.
It certainly is a teardropper if your a simple person that just needs a good hero's story for the Friday Night.