Edward Zwick is one of those rare directors who easily slip back and forth between film and television. Though he’s only helmed a handful of projects, they are generally never less than memorable. Even going back to 1986’s “About Last Night”, which seemed to be just another romantic comedy, the film turned out to be much more. He made the greatest impression on me in 1989 however, with “Glory” which starred Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, and Denzel Washington (in what I still consider to be the highlight of his career). This Civil War epic captured the horror and insanity of war, creating living breathing human beings out of the faceless men who needlessly gave their lives so long ago. In 1994 he popped back up with “Legends of the Fall”, which I wanted to see more than any film that year. Unfortunately, it fell far short of my expectations and paled in comparison to “Glory.”

Delivered more like a soap opera, we got no more than a broody Brad Pitt and an over emotional (and always annoying) Julia Ormand. Being a story of three brothers living with their widowed father, I felt like I was watching an overlong episode of “Bonanza” (just not a good episode…).

But that was then, and this is now. Zwick went on to direct two better (though underrated) films, “Courage under Fire” and “The Siege”, occasionally hopping back to do television work. He returned to the big screen last year with the Tom Cruise epic, “The Last Samurai.” It was a movie I was told I had to see in the theatre by everyone I knew as it was described as a cinematic masterpiece. Unfortunately, being the little homebody I’ve become, I never made it. I had to wait for the DVD. Too bad for me, as it turns out.

“The Last Samurai” tells the story of Captain Nathan Algren (Cruise) who, having survived Little Big Horn, is driven to drink… heavily. He loses himself in a traveling road show that hawks Winchester rifles town to town. When he is given the opportunity to train a Japanese army, he jumps at the chance. Of course, lest we think the hero has returned, his reasoning is far less noble. He simply wants the money, and the time to sink to new lows in alcoholism. Caught in the midst of a battle gone awry, Algren is taken captive by a samurai leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe). It is here that the real battle begins, not only between cultures, but within his own soul.

Finally watching the film on DVD, I was first impressed by one thing. The sheer scope of the beautiful cinematography. Within the first few minutes, I immediately see why I was told over and over again to see it in the theatre. From beginning to end, “The Last Samurai” is a visually stunning piece of work. Whether focused on the beauty of Japanese countryside or pulled into the midst of a raging battle, every shot is carefully set up to elicit awe and wonder. I’d like to say it successfully transfers to television, but no matter how good the transfer, one can only imagine how incredible it had to have looked on the big screen. It might help if one has a 65” screen, but if one doesn’t, well…

As for the film itself, it is one of conflicted performances. Every single cast member in the film turns in amazing work, with the single exception of the star. Granted, I used to be a detractor of Tom Cruise. I had nothing against the actor, it’s just for a while he seemed to make a career out of playing ‘hot shot’ this and ‘hot shot’ that, and it wasn’t until “Born on the Fourth of July” that I though he really broke his own mold and stretched himself. From that point on, his performances have been hit and miss, but at least there were opportunities to see him using more than his onscreen presence to sell a movie. He has a strong presence in “The Last Samurai”, but he often comes across as empty as his character. He isn’t so much in the story as he is simply in the movie. Yet, he still carries it well enough and only slightly mars what would otherwise have been an awesome piece of work.

The film’s real star is Ken Watanabe, who has been working in film internationally for years. This is his first really big ‘American’ film and he completely takes it over. His screen presence is a powerful one, and he gives Katsumoto an incredible amount of depth. Unlike Cruise’s Algren, who seems little more than a one-note character, we see many sides to Katsumoto’s character. He can be frightening or imposing one moment and yet become warm and reflective with no more than the turn of his head. I’m looking forward to seeing more if this actor’s work, especially as Ra’s Al Ghul in the upcoming “Batman Begins.”

The DVD for “The Last Samurai”, gets high mark for quality in terms of sound and picture. Though again, you really need a big screen and sound system to really appreciate all the nuances of the transfer. But for those who don’t, you still get more than your money’s worth (just don’t squint too hard in front of that 13”).

The requisite commentary by Zwick is one of the better in recent memory. Though he is not really a lively speaker, he does have quite a bit to say. He touches upon just about every aspect of the filmmaking process, but inter-cuts them with a lot of anecdotes. Moving on, there were so many other extra features as to warrant a 2nd disc. First we have a short conversation with Cruise, discussing his role in the film and what it took to prepare, this is followed up by another discussion where he is joined by Zwick. There is a Director’s Video Journal, which runs just under 30 minutes, and is chock full of behind the scenes footage. I’ve seen a few other DVD extras like this that are usually just a lot of footage thrown together. This one was obviously a little better edited and includes some narration by Zwick.

I like watching the history Channel, though I missed the “History vs Hollywood” episode covering this feature. Fortunately, it is included on the DVD and, though it had way too many clips form the film, was quite interesting. This is followed up by some featurettes that are more on the production side of the film. The first introduces us to Lily Kilvert, who was the production designer, then we move on to Ngila Dickson who gives us a little inside look at the costuming. The last two focus on the training the extras for combat scenes and a look at the amazing weaponry. For history buffs, there is some text available that teaches the seven principles of the Samurai code (which really come in handy while watching “Samurai Jack”), and a couple of deleted scenes. Finally, we get a little peek at the Japanese premieres of the film and the theatrical trailer.

Overall, “The Last Samurai” certainly ranks amongst Edward Zwick’s better films, and is more than worth watching its 150 minute running time. At first glance, it might seem like a retelling of “Shogun”, but it is not. The DVD set offers up just enough extra features without going too far overboard, all worth watching whether you are a casual filmgoer or hardened cinephile.

Directed by: Edward Zwick
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Billy Connolly, Tony Goldwyn, Hiroyuki Sanada, Koyuki
Extras: Commentary by Director Edward Zwick, History Channel Documentary “History vs. Hollywood – The Last Samurai”, Tom Cruise – A Warrior’s Journey, Edward Zwick – Director’s Video Journal, Making an Epic – A Conversation with Edward Zwick and Tom Cruise, A World of Detail – Production Design with Lilly Killvert, Silk and Armor – Costume Design with Ngila Dickson, Imperial Army Basic Training, From Soldier to Samurai – The Weapons, Deleted Scenes, Japan Premieres
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 5/4/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Strong Violence and Battle Sequences)
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We'll give The Last Samurai an A.