 "The Last Samurai... Dances with Samurai" | 2009-10-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: A28GCEHD00JFZG |
The Last Samurai: 8 out of 10: I admit I greeted this movie with low expectations. The idea of Tom Cruise as the last Samurai was laughable. The movie completely suspended this disbelief right until the horribly awful last scene. Tom Cruise plays a drunken Civil War hero who hired by the Japanese government to modernize their army is captured by the Samurai rebels and falls in love with their doomed way of life.
And what a life. Every shot of the Samurai village is postcard perfect almost to the point of unintended parody. Like Robert Redford's take on Montana in "Legends of the Fall", every view is spectacular, every sunset is orange, every leaf is colorful and falls just so and all the characters are freshly scrubbed and dressed in their Sunday best. You wouldn't be half surprised to see Hobbits pop out at any moment. Of course the old time Samurai are romanticized to the nth degree. Historically the Samurai at this point resembled Afghan warlords resisting a long overdue central government rather than the honorable colorfully armored knights that are depicted. (Samurai no more wore armor in the late 18th century than the British army did.)
Yet the picture despite one or two faults works. The acting, with one exception is uniformly excellent. The battle scenes are plentiful and full of surprise and the pacing is good. On the dark side newcomer Nakamura Shichinosuke plays the Japanese emperor like he was channeling Michael Jackson. The voice and mannerisms of the gloved one is as out of place for a Japanese emperor than it would be for the Pope. His strangely self effacing dialogue doesn't help his cause, yet it truly is his performance that is cringe worthy. In addition the last scene is an awful Hollywood copout. I still recommend The Last Samurai highly however as a thinking mans action movie. |
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| "2 Thumbs UP" | 2009-10-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: AICA7XL0J5ZSM |
| This is one of the best action movies since interview with the vampire. Don't know how anyone can rate it less than 5 stars. Great drama/action. :) |
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| "I erased the feedback by mistake!!!" | 2009-10-08 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3B02O8GH0DJ1Z |
| Anyways, this product is amazing and the quality is superb, sorry I erased by mistake the rating but the reality is that from the transaction to the delivery was correct.!!! |
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| "A True Masterpiece!" | 2009-09-24 |
| - Reviewed By yuktibaba |
| When I watch a movie that I enjoy, I'll watch it many times with months in between to allow it to breath. If I can find more depth and meaning each time, I consider it more than just a film, it becomes a teaching about life. Such is my finding for this exceptional movie. It offers up a wide variety of important, even vital, lessons of life portrayed to perfection by everyone involved. The writing, directing, acting, locations, depth of meaning are all most excellent! In today's world we often race by the more subtle and beautiful aspects of life. A movie such as this calls forth pause and consideration of what is being served up for our enlightenment as well as our enrichment. The Last Samurai is about the redemption of humanity as well as the individual- the awakening to a deeper level of life, honor, purpose, self sacrifice, and pure, love. While watching this film for perhaps the 7th time, I fully realized that it is a true masterpiece. I suggest to the viewer, that they treat this film as one would a rare and fine wine. The point is to take your time with this film, sipping it slowly and savoring every drop of it's wonderful bouquet of thoughts and emotions, and in the end become enriched by an understanding what films have the potential of delivering and sadly also, what they seldom do and that is a fuller appreciation of "life in every breath." |
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 "A very entertaining movie; a solid hit by Wantanabe and Cruise" | 2009-08-02 |
| - Reviewed By lawdog2 |
This movie succeeds in its primary objective: it entertains. There is a solid story here that engages the viewer, moves at a smart pace, and never drags. Nor is this a shallow shoot-'em-up. There is a fascinating overarching theme here: the transformation of Japan into a modern, industrial nation and the fact that elements of Japanese society, i.e. the Samurai, will not easily fit into the new order of things.
While this film has historical inaccuracies, it is a fact that there were revolts against the Meiji Restoration, which is what this film is about. The Japanese are portrayed respectfully, and I think accurately, in this film. The sets and scenery, by the way, in this film are about as good as you will ever find in any movie, and this one rewards the viewer who either sees it in a theater or on a first-class flat-screen TV (as I did.)
Tom Cruise does a pretty good job in this film, and he has plainly matured as an actor over the years. In my opinion, however, Ken Wantanabe, as the main Japanese protagonist, dominates every scene he was in, leaving the viewer wishing for more. I have noticed this about Cruise (and other big-star) films--the director seems compelled to place Cruise in almost every scene. Nothing against Cruise, but a little less would have been more, because the Japanese cast was engaging and competent, and I would have liked to have seen more of them.
Overall an excellent film to which the viewer will return more than once. RJB. |
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| "Excellent movie - Music of the year" | 2009-07-13 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3LBZV21PM3T9G |
Perfect.
Hans Zimmer is a true genius and he has composed here the best score of his career so far. The music transcend the movie and the landscapes are just to-die-for. I own both DVD and Bluray of this film to be able to play it whenever and wherever I want.
True, it's not so historical but never claimed to be. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride offered by a perfect cast.
Nothing to waste here, and that's quite rare so I better mention it! |
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