Plot Details: This opinion reveals everything about the movie''s plot.  
Premise- Tom Cruise stars as a frontier captain that's down on his life. So he tries to sell new Winchester rifles by shooting at people. He is recruited by the Emperor of Japan to fight against the rebellion of samurais. So Cruise trains the Japanese army, and they move out to battle against the samurais. As predicted from the previews, he then becomes a samurai himself, and then he fights against the emperor's army.  
 
Review- Don't let this movie fool you. I looks like an epic. It stars Tom Cruise. It's big, loud, and it looks great. It has beautiful scenery, awesome battles, and it's well-acted. But, deep down inside, this is no better than an Ed Wood film. So, why is this a bad film? First, and most of all, it rips off other great films before it. There can be some ripping off, but this film goes overboard. Here's all the things I can point out:  
 
Glory- Remember the part in Glory when Broderick shouts: "Faster! Faster!" while training the black army for the North? Tom Cruise, while training the Japanese, shouts: "Shoot me! Shoot me! Faster! Faster!" Also, Broderick shoots a gun a couple of time to scare the black man and make him nervous to simulate a real battle. Tom Cruise does the same thing. In Glory, after this ordeal, Broderick says: "Teach them properly." Indicating that they are not ready. Tom Cruise says: "They are not ready." Hmmm...Rip off? I let this slide, but there is oh so much more.  
 
Cool Hand Luke- Remember when Paul Newman is fighting that big guy in the boxing match, and he won't give up, even though he knows he is defeated? Well, in The Last Samurai, there is a scene EXACTLY like it!! Except, instead of boxing gloves, they're wooden swords.  
 
The Patriot- Mel Gibson's character is not proud of what he did to some French soldiers. Tom Cruise's character is not proud of what he did to some of the Native Americans.  
 
Dances With Wolves- Kevin Costner's character was an frontier man who then becomes like the Native Americans. He learns their ways, and learns to love them. Tom Cruise is a frontier man that becomes like the Samurai. He learns their ways, and learns to love them.  
 
The whole gripe I have is the fact that this movie shamelessly rips off so many more movies before it. Though I listed only 4 examples, I counted 10 when I first came out of the theater, but I can't think of the others. However, it rips off hundreds of characterizations from other movies and books.  
 
Other than the rip offs, I find it very funny how Tom Cruise, the all-mighty white man, it the only survivor of the entire Samurai army. I'm sorry, when thousands of bullets are flying right to you, you are going to get hit, and you are going to die- PERIOD. Also, the nightmares Tom Cruise had about killing the Native Americans never really comes into full focus. He seems to have just had these nightmares, but after these nightmares, these actions don't come in anywhere else in the movies. And he blames this one guy that led the attack for all this, and Cruise himself shot the natives without question. He didn't even really put up a good fight against his commander's orders. He doesn't even get tempted not to shoot. He just fires away.  
 
It could have been a great movie. It could have been excellent, and to all the people who have forgotten about the older, greater movies before it, will think that as well. It does have beautiful scenery, some of the best since Lord of the Rings. The acting is well done, and I really liked the son of the leader of the Samurai. He was a likeable chap, and I hated to see him die. But, other than all that, this movie is nothing more than hidden rip-offs.  
 
