Tom Mix In Chaps

Rating: Null/10 (30 October 2004)

Ken Watanabe sure knew what he was doing to play in his first American movie aside a big Hollywood star but 'Ouch'...it must have been painfully unfortunate that it was Tom Cruise! Cruise seems to diminish every serious story he's ever appeared in...with the possible exception of Artificial Intelligence...think how much better 'Interview With A Vampire' could have been with out him!
And oh my...perhaps it's my female prejudice...few white men look good in hakama pants...got to face it...Cruse looks like Tom Mix in chaps when he dawns this particular item of native costume. As for the Samurai garb...he almost falls over on the battle field a few times in the heavy armor. He looked just like a child in an overstuffed snow suit! Not at all convincing as a feudal warrior. Give me a Kurosawa flick any day! Mr. Kurosawa is the Shakespeare of making any Samurai story (historically accurate or not) a metaphor for life.
However, I admit to being a sucker for anything Japanese. Especially when there is ancient history an/or scenery involved. That said...the battle scenes were brilliant! So too was the cinematography. Rural Japan in winter is a spiritual experience...and praise all that is holy that the director allowed this movie to be subtitled and not dubbed! And last...too bad something could not have derailed the degrading ending. The juncture between tradition and modernism is a most difficult transition when it has to be done in such a short period of time. It's a monumental task and the Japanese have succeeded remarkably better than others at it...it must be their roots!