Really Surprised!

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

In my humble opinion, THE LAST SAMURAI is the best Tom Cruise's movie so far.

Quite simply this is a wonderful film. It is a beautiful masterpiece in filmmaking. Very emotional.

The theme of honor and integrity run throughout this picture, with Tom Cruise portraying a former Civil War and Indian Wars soldier who's disillusionment with killing has stripped him of his humanity, leaving him a broken and dispirited individual. Aimless, Captain Nathan Algren (Cruise) accepts an offer to train the Japanese in the art of warfare to put down a Samurai uprising against the new Emperor's quest to modernize his country. What Algren comes to understand following his capture by the Samurai will change his life, one which will offer a renewed dedication to discipline and learning. For Tom Cruise, it's an intense role in a picture that calls to mind the 1990 Western epic "Dances With Wolves" in it's examination of a foreign culture and how becoming familiar with the unknown can be a life defining experience. Perhaps even more charismatic than Cruise is his opposite in the story, Ken Watanabe as the Samurai Master Katsumoto Moritsugu. From Katsumoto, Algren attains a spiritual view of life that he never had before, grounded in values deemed noble, like honor, loyalty, and personal integrity. When it comes time to test Algren's new resolve, he joins the Samurai quest to turn back the forces that would diminish or destroy an entire culture for the sake of elusive modernization and monetary gain. Perhaps most notable is the manner in which Algren earns the eventual trust and admiration of his Samurai hosts by learning the language and adopting their martial art tactics. The Samurai way is emphasized a number of times in the story with the ritual seppuku performed by General Hasegawa (Togo Igawa) following an early American defeat by the Samurai, and later on as Katsumoto accepts death as his spiritual reward on the battlefield. What influences the story most is the ever present honor among a people to maintain their traditions and way of life.

Last Samurai is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren is brilliant.The development of the relationship between Algren and Taka and her sons was beautiful to see. Also a fantastic part of the film was the music.In my opinion it is a wonderful film about humanity and identity in a globalized world, even if maybe there are some mistakes in the way it portrays Japanese culture in 19th century.