The Last Samurai

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WIDTH="588"><div>            Tom Cruise                                       Nathan Algren</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div>            Ken Watanabe                                 Katsumoto</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div>            Billy Connolly                                    Zebulon Gant</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="588"><div>            Tony Goldwyn                                   Col. Bagley</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="588"><div> Directed by Edward Zwick. An adventure. Rated R (for violence, language and some sexuality). Warner Bros. Running time: 144 minutes. In English.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="592" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="588"><div> A film of epic proportions</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> First there was "Vanilla Sky"<I> </I>in 2001. Then came "Minority Report"<I> </I>in 2002. In the year of 2003, Tom Cruise has once again proven his talent in picking incredible projects. </div> <bR> <div> It's the year 1876 and Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is a civil war hero haunted by a brutal past. Lonely and feeling betrayed by his country, Algren takes a job in Japan to train an emperor's army against the Samurai. During their first battle, Algren is captured by the Samurai and taken back to their village. What begins is a slow process of soul searching and ultimately Algren's transformation into a Samurai leader.</div> <bR> <div> "The Last Samurai" exceeded my expectations. The battles are electrifying, the scenes in the Samurai village are touching and the locales are absolutely breathtaking (New Zealand seems to be the hot spot to film now, i.e "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy). In some ways, "Samurai" is an even better film than "Gladiator." Here there are scenes of humor, tenderness and love, which balance out the brutal battles with an elegance and grace unseen in "Gladiator."</div> <bR> <div> As Captain Algren, Tom Cruise is quite impressive. Even if he doesn't win best male actor this year at the Academy Awards, he should at least be nominated. But the most surprisingly effective role in the film comes courtesy of Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto, the Samurai leader who takes Algren in and teaches him a code unlike anything Algren has ever experienced. A fierce warrior and a loving leader of his community, Katsumoto is the character in the film that we secretly root for the most. His relationship with Algren is the most important one in the film, and one that brings tears and smiles over the course of the film. Katsumoto's dignity and honor make him a character to remember long after the film is over.</div> <bR> <div> Clearly inspired by Akira Kurosawa ("The Seven Samurai"), Director Edward Zwick ("Glory"<I>)</I> knows how to craft an epic. Many of the themes and plot points in "The Last Samurai" will undoubtedly be compared to past war dramas. However, a moving score by Hans Zimmer, and some of the best-choreographed battle scenes in the past decade (courtesy of John Toll), help this film stand by itself in an increasing list of "epic" motion pictures.  </div> <bR> <div> One of the most beautiful moments in the film comes when Algren is alone with Taka (Koyuki), the wife of a Samurai Algren killed before being captured, while she is putting on his many layers of armor before the final battle against the imperial army. At this point in the film, their relationship has been slowly building from spite to trust, and finally, love. No words are spoken, but you can literally feel a sense of trust and fear within both people. </div> <bR> <div> "The Last Samurai"<I> </I>is one of the best pictures of the year. Here's to Tom for proving himself once again.  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> David Spielman © 2003</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:info@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><U>david@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>