BEFORE: Fourth of July weekend, which is a time a lot of people go on holiday, but not me. I've got to stay home and keep working on clearing my DVRs, which is partly work and partly fun. But there are advantages to sticking around NYC when most people have cleared out - we can eat at just about any restaurant we want, and now that we have iPhones we have apps that can find new places for us. We tried a new restaurant in Glendale tonight (the location of a 2nd-rate German restaurant that folded) and got 10% off by checking in on a Yelp app, whatever that is.
Tonight I'm sticking with Tom Cruise and the 1800's.
THE PLOT: An American military advisor embraces the Samurai culture he was hired to destroy after he is captured in battle.
AFTER: Tough to stay awake during this one, but I think that had more to do with a busy week at work, combined with some really long movies and late nights.
The concept here struck me as a little odd - a disillusioned American veteran (if you served under Custer, you might be disillusioned too) finds himself hired as a consultant to the Japanese army. Japan is going through a difficult time as it modernizes, and the rebellious Samurai are likened to the Native Americans, thus the hiring of U.S. veterans with Indian-based experience.
Cruise's character is captured in battle, and held hostage by the Samurai village, and eventually he comes to regard them as noble warriors instead of savages. He learns their customs, the way of the Samurai warrior, while getting himself sober and coming to terms with his mental battle scars. I'd say he regains his honor, but that seems like something of an elusive concept - that's sort of open to interpretation, I think.
The film was worth watching for two scenes - one with Samurais battling ninjas, and the final climactic battle. Other than that, it was pretty slow-paced - was that a zen thing?
If they get around to making another Wolverine movie, since part of his past storyline takes place in Japan, they could do a lot worse than using this film as a template.
Also starring Ken Watanabe (last seen in "Letters from Iwo Jima"), Tony Goldwyn (last seen in "The 6th Day"), Timothy Spall (last seen in "Sweeney Todd"), Billy Connolly (last heard in "Open Season"), with a cameo from William Atherton (Walter Peck from "Ghostbusters")
RATING: 5 out of 10 wooden swords
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteOkay. I'm serious. Someday, I want to see one of these Fish Out Of Water White Guys learn that this strange race whom the so-called "Civilized" world deems "Savages" is actually a big bunch of total d***s.
ReplyDelete"I mean, holy s***, dudes!" he would yell. "You pay all this lip service to Honor and Tradition and Duty and Your Word...and then you go out as swords-for-hire and murder and terrorize entire villages of innocent farmers on your lord's slightest whim! What the f*** is THAT about?!?"
I just got a mental flash-forward. If there's still anything akin to movies 150 years from now, the 2161 version of Tom Cruise will play a CIA agent sent to Pakistan to assassinate a so-called "terrorist kingpin." He gets captured and over the course of a year living in the kingpin's compound he comes to understand that Osama Bin Laden is a gentle holy man with much to teach this so-called "civilized" man about peace and love and God...