Another Civil War Hit For Zwick.

Rating: 8/10 (25 February 2004)

Edward Zwick's "The Last Samurai" is an epic, dramatic, war film set after the American Civil War in which a disillusioned soldier is hired to instruct modern warfare to the Japanese.
The opening sequences perfectly and succinctly introduce Tom Cruise's character, the time and place the film is set and the violence that is to come. Co-screenwriter John Logan is certainly the flavour of the month, or should I say decade, with past credits that include Ridley Scott's "Gladiator", Oliver Stone's "Any Given Sunday" and "Star Trek: Nemesis". Not to take away from Zwick's involvement who has created a beautiful, humouress and gentle film that is punctuated by moments of graphic brutality.
Over the last couple of years we have been introduced to a new Tom Cruise. The pretty boy of the past who inundated us with arrogant, always heroic characters has been replaced with an older but wiser thespian who's not afraid to disfigure his globally known face. Here he plays an alcoholic, emotionally scarred, Civil War veteran. Not your usual Cruise role. He tried to change his image twice before. In 1989 he portrayed Vietnam War veteran/protester Ron Kovic in Oliver Stone's "Born On The Fourth Of July' to much acclaim. Then in 1994 Anne Rice adapted her own novel for Neil Jordan's "Interview With The Vampire" in which Cruise starred as Lestat much to Rice's dismay. After viewing the movie Rice changed her mind and thoroughly endorsed their choice. Now with Cameron Crowe's "Vanilla Sky" and Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report", Cruise has made the leap from movie star to actor. His choices as an actor and producer are quite bold, challenging, even intellectual. He provides a stand out performance as a tortured man ruining his body, losing his will to live but with a never say die attitude on the battle field. This is a complex character and Cruise has obviously paid special attention to crafting a very real, compassionate and moralistic soldier.
The other star of this film is Ken Watanabe. This is his first English language role and he commands attention with a quiet but powerful screen presence. He physically conveys the ideology of the Samurai to an audience that may be clueless as to what Samurai do or stand for. Along side Cruise he stands his own and in some cases steals the scenes they have together.
Scottish comedian Billy Connolly appears in a supporting role as a fellow serviceman of Cruise's. There is something quite pleasing about seeing Connolly in a big budget Hollywood production. He always brings a smile to your face whenever he enters frame. After some strong performances in previous dramas, John Madden's "Mrs Brown" for example, you no longer let out a little giggle when you see Connolly's name up on the big screen. His laid back persona and loud, sometimes controversial stage performances serve him well as an actor. He fits his role perfectly. I only wish that he could've sticked around a little longer.
Also in support is Mike Leigh regular Timothy Spall as an Englishman abroad who fell in love with the Japanese culture. Spall has always been a likeable actor with a natural flair for comedy. He's in some part the comic relief but also a Caucasian teacher of basic Japanese life for Cruise and the audience. Tony Goldwyn and William Atherton also appear.
The special effects are certainly worth noting. It's getting tougher to figure out whether crowd scenes are real extras or computer simulated people. Unfortunately there is one shot that screams it's a blue screen effect. When Cruise is standing on the boat coming into port there is something extremely artificial or cartoonish about the background especially the sunlight shining over the horizon.
This is not the first time that Zwick has tackled the subject of the American Civil War. "Glory" was a brilliant film about the first black regiment in which Denzel Washington won the Academy Award for best supporting actor. That film was a very tragic tale and one of the most horrific aspects was that they seemed to have no knowledge of strategy. So it comes as a surprise in this film when Cruise's character turns out to be a brilliant tactician. Majority of what he knows about tactics comes from Greek history. But with "Glory" in mind you have to ask yourself how intelligent or educated were the soldiers at that time. One film portrays them as unschooled in the art of war while the other has them as genius strategists. What is the truth of the matter?
SPOILER ALERT!
Some critics have complained about the conclusion of the film saying that it becomes too Hollywood, pandering to it's lead actor. Here's a hint. The film's called "The Last Samurai". It's star is Tom Cruise. What did you expect? It's all in the title.