The Last Samurai

Tom Cruise stars in this action war adventure as an American war hero who has fought the American Indians in his home land.  He is asked to serve in the civil war of Japan.  He gets captured by the Samurai and is kept in their society.  He can not escape due to the fierce winter.  He begins to learn Japanese and embraces their culture.  When he is released, both sides of the civil war have been revealed and he must decide which side to take.  He chooses the Samurai.

Tom Cruise fits the perfect American captain, Nathan Algren.  Billy Conolly is present at the beginning, he dies in the first action encounter which does the film good as he is incredibly annoying.  Timothy Spall is casted too.  Ken Watanabe is the Samurai leader, Katsumoto.  He excels his role and makes the Samurai village atmospheric.

The story only really starts when he gets captured.  There is obviously fighting and dueling, which was necessary.  It was done originally and very you felt like you were watching it in the village.  Slow motion effects and atmospheric brilliance from Tom Cruise.

Even though it is biased towards the samurai, you are engrossed and you feel for Ken Wantanabe.  Needed the beginning chopped and the war at the end left out or made shorter, could have been an all time favourite.  The ending is beautiful.

IMDB The Last Samurai

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Rating: 6.9/10

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Minority Report

A Steven Spielburg science fiction set in the  year 2050 based on a short story.  The Pre-crime Department arrests murderers who have not yet committed their crime thereby reducing crime and saving lives.  This involves visions from the future determining the  next victim and the perpetrator by three gifted people called the “precogs” floating undisturbed in a pool which are then relayed to a perspex screen as flashing images.  The images can be interacted with by the use of a glove that can reach in, pin point,  zoom in, rotate and rewind to collect data ready for the Team to act on before the event actually takes place.  Tom Cruise is the head of the Pre-crime Unit and only he and a select few have the authority to get into the “precog” pool room.  But he is named as the next perpetrator and his Team turn on him, so he has to escape.

This is quite clever and thought provoking.  Apparently he does not know the victim?  Why would he kill someone he did not know and does he have a choice?

I enjoyed this story and the ingenuity of the future.  It was a pleasant ride and did not end up in the usual whacking it was much more inventive than that!  Some memorable scenes – anyone squeamish about eyes should look away!  Samantha Morton, Colin Farrell and Max von Sydow (Shutter Island) also star.

IMDB Minority Report

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Rating: 8.2/10

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Knight and Day

Cameron Diaz (June) arrives at the airport but Tom Cruise (Roy Miller, Secret Agent) tries to stop her boarding her flight.  One of the best beginnings to any film follows on board the plane and if the whole film was this good it would be a knock out 10 but unfortunately things get a little unreal and although very funny in places and warmly memorable, the storey is haphazard.  Cruise has to save a scientist and his invention from falling into the wrong hands.  Diaz copes very well in the mayhem and if she doesn’t then he drugs her and she usually wakes up somewhere else!  Feels like you are in and out of consciousness yourself as you struggle to figure out how they got where they did and why.

A light movie which is entertaining.

IMDB Knight and Day

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Rating: 7/10

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Valkyrie

Tom Cruise is a colonel who lost his right hand, some fingers and an eye in Tunisia, who realises that you can not serve Germany and the Führer.  Every Nazi soldier in World War two swore an oath to the Führer for loyalty and leadership of Nazi Germany.  In a conspiracy to assassinate Adolf Hitler, based upon real events Tom Cruise and the team devise a plan where upon success, operation Valkyrie is announced and the state security takes control in Berlin to agree a truce with the allies.  If they fail, their families and loved ones will be found too.

The film kept you on the edge as you were worried for the success and safety of the team.  The plan is clever.  Eddie Izzard helps the team in the operation as the inside man.  The beginning is engaging and the pace is never too slow.  Full of A list actors who don’t adopt German accents!

IMDB Valkyrie

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Rating: 8.1/10

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Vanilla sky

Mystery psychological film that turns into a sci-fi – if you don’t believe me, watch it!

Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Jason Lee from “my name is Earl”. Gripping opening as Tom Cruise is a charismatic playboy who is dumb struck when Penelope Cruz comes into his life as his best friend’s date. She captivates all who watch her and is particularly lovely in this film, her bad English is also endearing in this film (not always a bonus in others).  Cameron Diaz plays the psychological nightmare and events unfold that change his life forever.  Tom Cruise hops from dream state to reality and it is left is up to you to sort out what’s real and what’s not so, in this respect it belongs to the psychological thriller/mystery genre.  As the film progresses you are less likely to sort out the mess.  Great background music tracks to enhance the film along with shots of Times Square and New York.

While the ending did not do the film justice, looking through that, the film is a enjoyable music and story. Ending could have been cleverer resulting in a 7.6 rating.
IMDB link Vanilla Sky

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Rating: 7.6/10

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A Few Good Men

A court room drama with a difference.  Were men just acting on orders or …..

Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Jack Nicholson, Kevin Baconand Kiefer Sutherland in a star studded cast.  Nicholson is the Cornel in charge of the Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, he eats his breakfast 300 yards away from trained Cubans who want to blow his head off.  Cruise is the hot shot naval lawyer acting for the two soldiers accused of murder.  Demi Moore is in charge of Internal Affairs and puts herself forward to accompany Cruise to Guantanamo Bay.  Together they make a Team and go after the case, with the full intent of winning.  Kevin Bacon is the Prosecution acting for the Government and he warns Cruise that potentially his Defence could result in his own Court Marshall if he were to follow it through.

Intellectual film limited by the fact that it was played out in the court room after events had happened but having said that Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson are outstanding at pitting their wits against each other.  You swing from side to side – both cases are so reasonable – who is really culpable and all the clues are there for you?

IMDB A Few Good Men

Trailer

Rating 7.8/10

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