Review: Last Samurai, The (2003)

THE LAST SAMURAI
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****):  ** 1/2

THE LAST SAMURAI stars Hollywood's number one A-list actor Tom Cruise as Civil
War veteran Captain Woodrow Algren, a washed-up American hero haunted by
nightmares of his participation in the Little Big Horn debacle.  A drunkard who
makes his living hawking firearms like a cheap carnival barker, he is offered
several times his salary to go to Japan to teach modern warfare to their
soldiers.

This hot-and-cold action picture, set in 1876, is directed by Edward Zwick, who
can normally be counted on for fast paced dramas such as THE SIEGE and COURAGE
UNDER FIRE.  This time he starts the film cutely and dramatically and then lets
it bog down in a long, pretentious middle section that sometimes feels more
like an endurance contest than a movie.

After being captured by the rebels he is fighting, Algren comes to love and
respect his captors and learns how to fight as a samurai, without the use of
modern weaponry.  The analogies to the training in the ways of the Jedi from
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK are obvious -- only the light saber and Yoda are
missing.  This snoozer of a middle is interrupted by a big Ninja fight sequence
that is simply spectacular.  In fact, whenever the movie involves fighting, it
soars.  The battle armor is incredible, and the costumes and the music are
certain choices for Oscar nominations.

After all of his training, including getting beaten repeatedly by sticks, and
after having to utter some awkward and pretentious dialog ("I am beset by the
ironies of my life."), Algren and his previous enemy, Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe),
finally fight together in a battle royal that is truly awesome.  This sequence
is reminiscent of the large battle segment in GETTYSBURG.  THE LAST SAMURAI
isn't a bad film, but it could and should have been a great one.  If you just
wait and see it on video, you can easily edit out the many slack moments.

THE LAST SAMURAI runs way too long at 2:32.  The film is in Japanese with
English subtitles and in English.  It is rated R for "strong violence and
battle sequences" and would be acceptable for teenagers.

My son Jeffrey, age 14, said that it was one of the best movies of the year and
gave it ****.  He was very touched by it and said that it was one of the few
movies that made him tear-up.  He loved the costumes, the music, the action and
the character development.  He found the film realistic, and he especially
liked the ending.

The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, December 5, 2003.  In
the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC and the Century theaters.    


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