The Last Samurai has been critized by some for its lack of historical accuracy. While I can certainly understand why this would be an issue for some people, it never really makes the claim at any point to be a true story. It's a movie BASED in history, plain and simple, and an incredible one at that.
Tom Cruise plays a Civil War veteran named Nathan Algren. He is under severe stress, emotional problems, and has a tendancy to indulge in a bit too much alchohol. His problems stem from recurring images in his mind due a slaghter of American Indians he took part in. He is then invited to Japan to train their new modern army and also eliminate the samurai who are refusing to change with the times. Trapped and captured by the samurai during a battle, Algren slowly begins his tranformation into their lifestyle and agrees to help them defeat the new Japanese army, even if it means certain death.
Directed by Edward Zwick who gave us the outstanding war film Glory, Last Samurai is a brilliant film, quite possibly one of the best to come out of Hollywood in the past ten years. This is a beautiful epic, filled with outstanding performances from not only Cruise, but his Japanese counterpart Ken Watanabe (in his first English speaking role). The cinematography here his just gorgeous, with stunning sunsets and rolling camera shots that show off the country like few films have.
Hans Zimmer supplies his 100th movie score and it's one of his best. His pounding battle theme heightens the tension and adds another dimension to the already incredible battle scenes. Some may find Tom Cruise a bit hard to swallow in this role, but the perfectly written story is entirely plausible and his transformation is believeable. This is not an action film (though it certainly has a jaw dropping fight at the end), but a story that is gripping and flawlessly put onto the screen. This is a must see two and half hour movie and could easily go down as a classic in a few years time. (***** out of *****)
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