Story of a samurai

A samurai's life of honor, loyalty, and dedication to a strict moral code may seem strange to the contemporary viewer, but those watching The Last Samurai will feel right at home. This latest drama starring Tom Cruise draws the audience in, allowing them to explore the old-fashioned samurai in the tumultuous world of late 19th century Japan.

The Last Samurai, directed by Edward Zwick, follows the story of Civil War and Indian Campaigns veteran Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), who is haunted by the ghosts of his war-tarred past. He numbs his pain by living in a constant state of inebriation. But his life changes when hired by his former commander Colonel Bagley (Tony Goldwyn) and the Japanese entrepreneur Omura (Masato Haradato) to train and westernize the Japanese army in hopes of stopping the samurai rebellion.

The general story of an outsider who becomes gradually accepted and then respected in a foreign culture has been done over and over again (Dances With Wolves comes to mind), but the trick of The Last Samurai is that it executes its story masterfully.

The most noticeable example of this glorious construction is the movie's setting. Director of Photography John Toll shoots the rolling hills, gentle plains and the quiet 18th century samurai village beautifully. Nature is vibrant, and the town of samurai is alive with workers, children, and training warriors. If this film is nominated for an Oscar, chances are it will be for Toll's cinematography, Ngila Dickson's costume design, and the work of the entire set design and art crew.

The Last Samurai is one of those films where the majority of feelings are suppressed and conversations are short. This could lead to terrible, unfulfilling, muted conversations, but that pothole is avoided via great acting. Each actor hides his emotions of hate, anger, loyalty, and sadness just under the surface, like a dam about to burst. In particular, Ken Watanabe does a fantastic job as the curious and proud Katsumoto.

If someone is looking to go see TheLast Samurai hoping for an action movie, they won't be disappointed. The action sequences are well crafted, tense and spectacular. Whether it is one-on-one swordfights between training samurai or the large swords-versus-cannons battle sequence, the movie delivers. Those interested in the cerebral side of the film, however, don't need to worry about mindless fighting; all the action has purposes and consequences, and most of it helps to illustrate the psyche of Cruise's character.

Oh, and the movie does have ninjas, for those interested in that kind of thing.

Unfortunately, the movie does have a few flaws that prevent it from getting the coveted five star rating. It utilizes voiceover from a British translator (Timothy Spall) which is mind-numbly blatant and incongruous with the rest of the movie. The film is also very predictable and occasionally walks the thin line between drama and cheesiness. There is nothing novel about The Last Samurai.

However, those flaws are minor and shouldn't discourage anyone interested from seeing it. The Last Samurai is an excellent movie with well-developed characters, a convincing setting and remarkable action scenes.