Great modern epic

Rating: 10/10 (9 December 2003)

This movie is fantastic. I really am surprised there are so many complaints about it. I suspect they are stereotyping Tom Cruise from the many bad movies he's done. Don't give this movie a negative review just because Cruise is in it! I changed my opinion of Cruise after Born on the Fourth of July; I suggest watching that movie.
Granted, he's not a great actor. His performance in this movie isn't oscar-worthy. But he holds his own and moves the story along believably. I'd say he's done his job. But I liked him a little better in Born on the Fourth of July.
But what makes this film really shine is the lack of annoying american actors. Ken Watanabe is unbelievably amazing! I found myself so drawn to his character at the end of the movie. It is impossible not to be moved during the gatling gun scene and when Katsumoto meets his destiny. It takes good acting for me to care about a character, and a whole culture even, like that. There have been complaints about the acting of the widowed wife. You have to understand Japanese culture to understand why the women act like that. It was intended she act that way.
As for the story, it is fantastic. Maybe you could say it was scewed a certain direction. I wouldn't call it PC nonsense though. Perhaps I am biased though. I love the Samurai culture and everything about it. So I couldn't find any problems with the story.
Cinematography, costumes, and sets were excellent. My only complaint might be one shot in a battle scene that looked like CGI graphics. It looked out of place in this film. But it was only a 1 second shot.
And then we come to the ending. While the ending is a bit "hollywoodish", it wasn't as bad as I feared from a hollywood movie. I would say that is a good thing. Though perhaps they could have ended the movie after Katsumoto met his fate. That might have worked a little better.
Often when I watch a movie and like it I go to IMDB and see negative comments and find myself agreeing with them and myself liking the movie less because of it. But that is not the case with this movie. I have read the negative comments, and could not agree with any of them. Though I can sort of understand complaints about the ending, but at least it wasn't as bad as hollywood normally makes endings- think about it.
In summary this is one of the best modern epics I have seen. Many of the complaints from the so called "purists" will cite better movies made in Japan, or the old epic movies. I cannot comment on those, I haven't seen enough of those for comparison. But for a modern hollywood movie, this is one of the best.