The Last Samurai

Perhaps the title Dances with Samurai was already taken when work began on this grandiose Oscar-baiting epic about a disillusioned Civil War veteran (Tom Cruise) who is sent to Japan to Westernize its military to fight against a samurai rebellion, but instead comes to embrace the honor and discipline of the ill-fated warrior class he means to destroy. Structurally and emotionally similar to Kevin Costner's 1990 American frontier drama--but with monumental, riveting battle sequences--The Last Samurai is hindered by the fact that Cruise is always Cruise (even in a strong performance like this one), as well as by his character's heavy emotional baggage, both of which draw focus away from the samurai culture that is being obliterated and toward the American interloper's redemption and heroism. Ken Watanabe's intense but serene spiritual aura as a samurai leader is a well-calculated personification of warrior nobility as he takes the reformed Cruise into his trust and into battle, and director Edward Zwick (Glory) has an elegant, graceful command of the storytelling (save for his overuse of Cruise-indulgent sword-fighting slow-motion hero shots), but this is ultimately an epic for epic's sake and not a film of much true substance. Optional. [Note: Available in both widescreen and full screen versions, DVD extras on this two-disc set include audio commentary by director Edward Zwick, and a slew of featurettes, including: “Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey” (13 min.); “Edward Zwick: Director's Video Journal,” a behind-the-scenes segment with commentary by Zwick (26 min.); a “Making an Epic” conversation with Zwick and Cruise (18 min.); the History Channel documentary production “History vs. Hollywood” (22 min.); “A World of Detail: Production Design with Lilly Kilvert” (7 min.); “Silk and Armor: Costume Design with Ngila Dickson” (6 min.); “Imperial Army Basic Training” (6 min.) in New Zealand; and “From Soldier to Samurai: The Weapons” (5 min.). In addition, there are seven text “Bushido: The Way of the Warrior” segments, two deleted scenes with optional commentary and behind-the-scenes footage (6 min.), seven minutes of “Japan Premieres” footage with select subtitles, a trailer, and DVD-ROM features. Bottom line: a meaty extras package for a beautiful if somewhat disappointing epic.] (R. Blackwelder)