なぜ韓国人は、嫌われるのか？

I went to see the screening of "The Last Samurai" with such anticipation and curiosity due to the pre-Oscar talks bestowed on the film from various rumors; I came away at the end not remembering -- nor caring -- most details of the movie, and in a way was kind of glad with my conviction that all the buzz for this latest work from Tom Cruise was rather wildly exaggerated.

The idea that a woman would receive her husband's killer in her own place of dwelling, take care of his injury that resulted from the very battle, not only feed him daily but also share meals with him at the same table day after day -- with the rest of her family (who also not only doesn't mind but is overly excited and joyous of his presence), then personally change his clothing while gracing him with a longing, almost loving, look is simply too much of Hollywood nonsense than I can accept. It took a little more time into the movie before I realized she was actually fully aware of his identity all along. Really, show me any real-life sinner, man or woman, of any color, any race, from any period in time, who can truly be that forgiving. If I were a woman full of honor the way the character alluded to at one point in the storyline, I would immediately (try to) chop off the guy's head without hesitation before I even consider hara-kiri -- to hell with my brother's instructions and orders, regardless of his social title. And just what is wrong with this brother of hers? I can appreciate his "desire" to study his enemy, but did he run out of place in his precious little domain to house his prisoner (of war)?!?

And a foreign army captain from the West, coming off a long recovery from a serious body injury and armed with some trivial fighting practices in a short few months (years?), capable of consistently defeating groups of samurais/ninjas at their swords?

Total absurdity!

This is not taking anything else away from this movie, however. Tom Cruise is very good in it, although his performance may be a bit too dramatic, to the point of rigid, for my taste in his role, and I really like his acting more in "Minority Report". The battle scenes are well-done, for one thing I couldn't spot any CG effects, although they don't rise to the level of, say, "Napoleon," (let alone the more recent battle of Helm's Deep in "LOTR: The Two Towers," for those who may wonder). What's more, there's nothing memorable about the battles, nothing to be learned; it's not good vs evil, it's not even a civil war, in my mind more about an Emperor's wish, or rather, his henchman's, to get rid of some troublesome local warlords. Not enough for an epic. The movie carries many beautiful images, exactly the type of imageries I would expect -- and demand -- to see from such beautiful and serene place as Japan, although, of course, most of the shots were taken in New Zealand. On the other hand, if the Oscar prize were given based on beautiful images alone then National Geographic Specials would no doubt steal all of them in a cinch all the time.

The New York Post hit the nail when it exclaimed "The Last Samurai" is more of a crowd-pleaser than a contender. The film is entertaining overall, but I know I would pause to decide whether to add to my library when its DVD version is released.