The Last Samurai is easily one of my favorite new films, gorgeously shot and brilliantly acted. Tom Cruise and Ken Watanabe are outstanding in their roles as enemies who become allies after each reaches a new level of understanding of the other's culture. Watanabe, especially, is wonderful as the Samurai leader determined to uphold the traditions that define them as warriors and protectors of the people. His final scene is deeply moving, the emotional highlight of a final act that reduced me to unashamed weeping. Not since Titanic have the closing moments of a film made me feel such a profound sense of sadness at the story unfolding before me. Cruise delivers some of his best work in recent memory as he transforms from a boozing fallen hero to spiritual warrior able to come to peace with his past.

       The Last Samurai is a lovely film aesthetically, beautiful in the details and true to the time period in terms of costuming and set pieces. The battle scenes are well-staged, the editing moving you right to the edge of your seat as men clash in a flurry of gunfire and flashing swords in the name of honor and freedom. I sense that the history may be off a bit, but it is not unusual for some liberties to be taken in a period piece such as this.

       At nearly 3 hours, The Last Samurai runs a bit longer than I think it needs to and probably could have benefited from a bit more editing. Having said that, however, director Edward Zwick takes great care to let the relationships between characters develop naturally, never forcing the story for the sake of trimming time.

       The Last Samurai comes to DVD in a spectacular 2-disc set. Disc One features the film in a choice of 2.35:1 widescreen or 1.33:1 full screen and Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0 Surround. This disc also features commentary from Zwick. Disc Two is jam-packed with bonus features, including a total of 7 featurettes covering production design, costume design, weapons design, and military training. 'Making An Epic' has Cruise and Zwick interview one another about the making of the film and each offers interesting insights. 'Director's Video Diary' highlights some interesting behind the scenes footage with commentary by Zwick. 'Tom Cruise: A Warrior's Journey' chronicles the actor's journey through the film and sometimes feels a bit self-indulgent. Also included are a pair of deleted scenes, footage of the Japanese premier, and the original theatrical trailer.

       Overall, The Last Samurai isn't a perfect film – some of the plot devices are too contrived and convenient – but it comes close. The drama that plays out between intense action sequences is compelling and the award-worthy performance of Ken Watanabe is reason enough to highly recommend it.