[rating=2]

Cruise as Samurai!

Edward Zwick has displayed himself in the past as a true patriot. Just look at the protagonists in his films, striving for independence, justice and honor: Denzel Washington in “Courage Under Fire” and “The Siege”, Matthew Broderick in “Glory”, and now Tom Cruise who, as it turns out, represents the director’s patriotism like no other.

This is a star performance, and never for a second is Tom anyone but Tom. Observe, as with an expression of eternal pondering he gazes past the camera while riding a horse; or he lunges into battle with a spiritual moan, his freshly-shampooed hair getting splattered with all that mud and blood. The conversations between Cruise’s character and the samurai who captured him so that they could learn the techniques of Western battle, or know thy enemy, if you will, are filled with haiku-like laughably bad dialogue. Those supposed moments of existential reflection are in fact irritating interruptions between the battle sequences.

The film is like its star’s performance: while glossy and seemingly intelligent, it’s in fact shallow and predictable. The film follows a simple structure: Cruise as American – Cruise captured by samurai – Cruise trains – Cruise falls in love with the village and its people (including the wife of a man he killed) – Cruise as Samurai.

Ken Watanabe is a very Americanized version of a samurai. Cruise’s love interest, despite the best efforts by actress Koyuki, is nevertheless a one-dimensional character. And at the end, there is an extended battle, where the two protagonists remain alive long enough to pronounce the moral of the film. Blah.

Zwick’s film isn’t apparently flawed, but doesn’t break any new ground. It displays little affection for/understanding of its main subject. Watch Kurosawa’s classics instead – even Jim Jarmusch’s “Ghost Dog” has a more authentic samurai feel than this Hollywood by-product.