Tom
Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Timothy Spall, Billy Connolly,
Tony Goldwyn, Seizo Fukomoto |
Directed
by: Edward Zwick
Written by: John Logan
Distributor: Warner Brothers |
US:
12/05/03
UK: 09/01/04 |
Set
in the late 1870s...
An epic movie of the old school showing the beginnings
of Japan's modernization. The story begins as the island
nation moves past a feudal society, as symbolized by
the eradication of the samurai way of life. We see this
from the perspective of an alcoholic Civil War veteran
turned Winchester guns spokesman, Captain Woodrow Algren.
He arrives in Japan to train the troops of the emperor,
Meiji, as part of a break away from the long-held tradition
of relying on employed samurai warriors to protect territories.
The task of the emperor's new army is to prepare to
wipe out the remaining samurai warriors. When Algren
is injured in combat and captured by the samurai, he
learns about their warrior honor code from their leader,
Katsumoto, which forces him to decide which side of
the conflict he actually wants to be on. |
|
Cruise
can do very little wrong for me. The perfect combination
of actor slash star. The guy has just got a built in-integrity
factor that beams out on-screen. Combined with a reportedly
excellent screenplay that highlights the epic tale perfectly,
this is an event movie to look forward to. |
|
|
Is
Tom Cruise turning Japanese?
I really think so!
|
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