Brilliant, Powerful Epic

Rating: 9/10 (28 August 2004)

Having read the critic's reviews of this film, which panned it, as I recall, I found the DVD of this film at my brother-in-law's house while my wife and I were staying there. I watched it with my 23 year old son (I'm 53). What a film! What superb performances! Tom cruise was excellent as was Ken Watanabe.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The film tells the story of a US Cavalry officer haunted by the demons of the native Americans he killed while under orders from his superiors. He is descending into drink when he is recruited to advise the Japanese on how to defeat some renegade Samurai warriors who are rebelling against the emperor. He is captured by them and finds as he lives with them, that he begins to like and respect their code of morals and their way of life. He begins to find peace in their way of life.
In the end, he ends up fighting with them against his own people and the westernised Japanese army.
The only thing that spoiled the film very slightly for me was the final battle, where the Samurai place their lines apparently just out of reach of the American field guns, but, with a small change of elevation, the guns reach them easily. As an experienced cavalry officer, Cruise's character would have been well aware of the range of the guns and would have stayed back out of range.
The final battle, where the samurai ride directly into concentrated gatling gun fire was again nonsense, as, again, Cruise's character would have known better.
Those criticisms aside (which prevented me giving the film a 10) were still small. The film is a grand epic: Beautiful, involving, haunting and extremely well filmed and played. I would rate it as one of my all time great films.
9/10 from me!