The Last Samurai

Went to see the Last Samurai yesterday, now there´s a great film if ever !! And it didn´t star any of the actors from the LOTR trilogy...*big wide eyes* imagine that. The three films advertised before the film actually started all had LOTR actors in them.... someone cashing in on their celebrity status..?

The film surpriced me in as much as I didn´t expect them to be some correct nor appreciative of Japanese thought and ways. The scenes, the houses, the village was beautifully rendered and the sword scenes were a pure pleasure..? The strongest scenes were those in silence, imbued with meaning but devoid of words. For once the Americans managed to make a whole movie without a single sex scene, there were three extremely erotic scenes but the eroticism lay in the air, the eyes not in plain old humping. The contrast between the old and the new was nicely portrayed and amazingly enough, not once did anyones acting bother me.... Billy Connolly was perfectly cast as the old loyal war veteran, jolly seeming but preceptive. Watanabe excuded dignity all the way and Cruise managed the dirty ;-) bedraggled, disheartened westerner.

Now the minor things that irritated me were kinda typical for me I guess.... Hey you have a village and a group of samurai that have fought together for centuries/generations and still they all look way different, facial hair growth differs, eyes and cheekbones vary from kyushu, to Hokkaido down to Okinawa... it was slightly too family Cosby for my taste.
Then there was the minor matter of Matsumoto placing this dirty foreigner, of a race known to be dubious at best in the house with his sister in law. Where she now lived all alone due to Aldren having killed her husband.. This in a society where womens status was low and hence advantage was easly taken and much abused..? Somehow doesn´t quite ring true does it.


All in all a great movie :D wouldn´t have missed it for the world !!

Algren: Did you hear my order?
Zebulon Gant: Aye, I did.
Algren: Then you will obey it.
Zebulon Gant: No offense Captain, but shove it up your arse.

Silent Samurai: Algren-San.
[he rushes in front of Algren to protect him from being shot, and is consequently shot himself]
Algren: Bob.