Braveheart goes to Japan

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2004)

I saw this film for the first time last week. I read a number of reviews before hand but I never expected it to this bad. I thought it was a terrible film. What a waste of money.
There a number of things that went against this film from the start. The first thing was that it is very obvious from this film that Tom Cruise really wants that Best Actor Oscar and he thought that a film about a drunk American going to Japan only to have his life turned around by the ways of the Samurai would get him it. What a fool. We have seen these kinds of films before and at the time of release the vast majority of us really enjoy them and think they are excellent but we always find that a few years later that we cringe at the thought that we once thought they were very good. I myself am very guilty of this. I will give Braveheart and Dances with Wolves as case example and studies. I hope that Tom will look back in ten years time and see this film as a bad film on his C.V. I think myself that Tom Cruise is capable of so much more. His supporting cast (Billy Connolly & Timothy Spall) were not far behind. Connolly was terrible from the very moment he appeared on screen as the Irish/Scottish (what was he please someone tell me) Sergeant. He cannot act he really should stick to Stand up comedy. Timothy Spall is a fantastic character actor however he sucked big time in this film. The only people that really suited their parts were Ken Wanntabe and his fellow Samaurai. They were brilliant. I cannot fault them.
The script was woeful. Everything that was said we have heard numerous times in films such as The Patriot, Michael Collins and Braveheart.
On a positive note I found that cinematography and sets were amazing and it was a pity that the above bad points took away from their splendor and beauty.
Finally I advise any up and coming film makers to watch this film and use it as an example of how films should not be made.