Directed by: Edward Zwick
Grade: B
From the very beginning, I could tell that the Last Samurai was going to be a cinematically beautiful film. From the very beginning, in the film’s prologue, we are given quite a few beautiful shots of Japan (well, ok, the movie was filmed in New Zealand), and I could tell right away: this movie was going to take very little fault in respecting ancient Japanese customs and traditions. As the two and a half hour long epic progressed, I recognized that the tale it was telling was all too familiar and all too powerful: warrior man is an enemy of the opposing culture, but joins them and comes to respect their ways and learn a lot about them, and then fights for them in the end. Dances with Wolves is by far the best movie I can think of that employs this plotline. I therefore recognize that Dances with Wolves and the Last Samurai are very similar but not equals: I awarded Dances with Wolves a complete A rating and inducted it into my Significant Films list; the Last Samurai I am giving a solid B, even though I was tempted to award it an even better B+. Many scenes in the Last Samurai succumb to becoming formulaic and predictable; others are not. The end battle scene is a knockout by the way: masterfully staged and a sight to see. Like I said, the entire film is gorgeous to look at, and even though its familiar plot may prove a hindrance, it’s a movie of epic proportions that never fails to entertain. B
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