Where have I been? This movie is great. I'm not a cruise fan either, but I thought he was perfect for this role. And yes, Watanabe smokes him. He starts out as the bad guy, and even then I thought he was magnificent in his role. That's how good both of them are. Never saw Braveheart, but this is the bloodiest movie I've ever seen. If you're squeamish, you might not like the arrows in guy's eyes, people's chests blowing apart, or the sword splitting a guy's face in two. That aside, it's amazingly warm, wonderful, beautiful, funny in parts, and extremely entertaining. One of those that you don't want to end. Oh yeah. Real men do cry. Even the Last Samurai. Great flick! So much better than Hollywood-by-the-numbers nonsense that lasts about 2 weeks in a theatre. This is good stuff.... an epic.

The best film ive seen in some time. This is Edward Zwicks best film yet. I did have one small problem with the film though. The ending was a little to cheesy for me. If Tom Cruise would have died, then this film would be at the top of my list. Road to Perdition is still #1.

It was one of the best movie Iv seen for sometime. I do not know what your are thinking, you obviously do now know your movies.

I enjoyed this movie immensely. Everything was great, from location to costumes to actors (with the small exception that with good Irish actors, couldn't they have gotten a real Irishman, not Scottish Billy Connolly who can't do the accent to save his butt). Great movie!!!!!

Wow. Not only does it give enough action but captures your whole soul and feeds it with great story telling, compasion, and... something else, i can't put words with it. I have never felt something like this in a movie befor. Ever!

What is it with Tom Cruise bashing? This movie was magnificent. And, though I've never been a huge Tom Cruise fan... I'd say that his performance put him on the level as Tom Hanks. The photography and screenplay in this film were absolutely amazing. It gets my vote for best picture of the year. I guess there were similarities between this movie and "Dances with Wolves"...(Jeff is a wise one... he recognized human plight/themes from the same era of history in each! Genius.) This movie has a profound message, and can evoke a human realization regarding the "higher roads" that can be taken in life... That is if you're not too busy trying to find fault with Tom Cruise. (Jeff Vice... Get a life!)

i believe tom cruise is wanting to turn his career, that really is just an extension of his appearance and a good move or two in "all the right moves" and "risky business" into a mega star madness situation .. tom cruise in my mind doesnt belong in this movie , but i think an actor like richard gere, or perhaps anyone else for that matter would have given it the just due that it deserved ... a fairly good script, with magnificent costumes and awesome scenery , tell the story with enough persuasion for us to believe it ... but, i still dont like cruise in the film .. could you see russell crowe here ? i could ... tom, stick to marrying and divorcing and tabloid news so i dont try to re define you in my mind ....

In terms of scope, sweep, grandeur and length, Director Edward Zwick has succeeded in making The Last Samurai a genuine cinematic epic. This film has all the stylistic elements of a classic adventure. It is visually stunning. The scenery, sets, costumes, art direction and cinematograpy are all marvelously beautiful and convincingly descriptive of time and place (1870s Japan). The story of the twilight of the ancient order of Samurai warriors is intriguing and compelling. The staging of major battle sequences is equally impressive. They have all the brutal, bloody realism moviegoers have come to expect since Braveheart raised the bar. The performances by a superb cast are, for the most part, solidly effective, involving and engaging. The film's major (nearly only) weakness, which sadly diminishes the entire project, is the male lead. Tom Cruise is a one-note actor. His one scowling note grows tiresome quickly here. This is Ken Watanabe's film anyway. In every way he is superior as an actor. He dwarfs Cruise in screen presence and emotional range as he does in physical stature. He expertly carries of the towering title role and leaves Cruise seeming hopelessly inadequate. I left the theater imagining how very good this film might have been if the Cruise character had been dispensed with altogether and the story centered on Watanabe's character, giving us deeper insight into the Samurai.

Waht is it with critics now days. Almost every article i've read compared this to Dances with Wolves. Did they see the movie? This was a fantastic piece of entertainment. All year I had looked forward to Master and Commander: To The Far Side Of The World. While I very much enjoyed that movie. For me The Last Samuri has out past anything made this year. The Scenery was breath taking, The costums were excellent. The story I found evoked emotion. I have not had a film hit such a cord since Braveheart. One of these days the critics will good to a movie just to sit back and enjoy it.