Picturenose

Cruise controls

A double first for me. The first first (?) is that I am writing a review for the first time in a good long while. I’m sure James will thank me for the input in his own inimitable way. The second is that I am reviewing a film that stars Tom Cruise that I actually enjoyed. I wouldn’t normally spoil these lovely pages by lauding the stunted one’s celluloid output, but - and credit where it’s due - this is actually not half bad, Cruise or no Cruise.

OK, I’m not saying it’s up there in the top 100 movies of all time, but it’s certainly competently put together, has some good, solid performances and looks as though some care has been taken to make it work.

The story is a familiar one. A drunkard ex-serviceman, this time a survivor of the battles of General Custer and the Civil War, Nathan Allgren (Cruise) is tortured in his dreams by images of the wholesale slaughter of women and children. He is recruited to Japan, to advise on the use of the latest western weapons technology, which are seen as a turning point in Japanese warfare in the late 1800s. In an effort to clear up the civil unrest at the introduction of western warfare techniques, Allgren is part of a corps sent in to deal with the samurai warriors. Naturally enough, the Westerners seriously underestimate the fighting skills of the legendary samurai, and Allgren ends up a captive in a Japanese village. During his captivity, he learns the ways and customs of his captors and, after some protest and a fair struggle for acceptance, he ends up coming round to the samurai’s way of thinking.

It all sounds very formulaic, and I suppose it is. It stands out from the usual Hollywood fare of ‘American wades in and teaches the stupid foreigners a thing or two’ because he just doesn’t do that. It was very refreshing to see Cruise speaking Japanese, rather than simply presuming, Star Trek-style, that everyone, everywhere will obviously speak English. The accusations of racism levelled at this film are, for me, unfounded. Rather than showing the samurai how much better Western life is, Allgren comes round to the idea that living with honour and fighting for principle instead of money or imperialism is a better way.

Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond (2006) directs with some flair. The cinematography is not amazing, but there is some solid work from John Toll (Braveheart (1995)). The casting is both impressive and quirky, with above-average performances from Cruise and from Ken Watanabe, who plays the samurai leader Katsumoto, and also some smaller, interesting parts for Brits in the shape of Billy Connolly and Timothy Spall.

If I had to find a major fault, it would be that it is formulaic right up to the final scene - but it is well-handled and doesn’t get too mawkish or overdone. If you have a couple of hours to spare and want to see something not too demanding, but well-paced with a solid story, why not check out Tom Cruise in a role that won’t make you want to gouge out your own eyes?

154 mins. In English, Japanese and French.