The Last Samurai

Released 2003
Stars Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe, Tony Goldwyn, Timothy Spall, Koyuki, Hiroyuki Sanada, Billy Connolly, Shichinosuke Nakamura
Directed by Edward Zwick

Tom Cruise stars as Captain Nathan Algren in this epic movie set in 1870s Japan. Hired to instruct the country's new army in the ways of modern warfare, Algren learns to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy their way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself, to be loyal, selfless and true, and to fight for the samurai's right to exist.

Summary from www.netflix.com

Hollywood, Hollywood, Hollywood. Big, bombastic, dumb, overblown, and silly. I loved this movie when it was called "Dances with Wolves." Maybe it wasn't really a remake, but it was the same movie, except clumsier and dumber. My favorite moment was when the American rebel walked into the Emporer's chamber uninvited (after fighting against the Emporer's troops) with a sword, and helped him decide foreign policy. Oh boy. --Bill Alward, June 1, 2004