Toronto

Think Braveheart in Japan. The Last Samurai offers a story not drenched in typical pro-American horsecack; quite the opposite in fact. The violence starts off relatively blood-free, but with every battle, we see more and more blood. By the final fight, you can almost taste the stuff. I wanted to give it a 9, I really did, but I just found there were too many obvious spots made so Tom Cruise could flex his acting muscle and hope to win an Academy Award. Ain't gonna happen Tommy Boy, you're just okay. Also, the movie did delve into some melodramatic saphood now and then. Despite these minor complaints, this is a great film, with stunning cinematography and intense battles. If it wins any Oscars next year, it has got to be for costumes, which were, in my opinion, even better than Lord of the Rings. Actually I may have liked this movie more had I not seen Lord of the Rings two days before, but it was still quite good. Not as good as Braveheart, mind you, but good nevertheless.

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