Jeff, I suppose it’s simple opinion differences. He seems to see some “anti-American” references in the movie, which I really didn’t see. In fact, he even says this about The Last Samurai: “Rather than just revel in the cruelty of the samurai tradition, like Quentin Tarantino does in “Kill Bill,”….” Kill Bill? As to that, well, the director, Quentin Tarantino, says “the film is a feminist statement – a film about girl power.” Never saw it, but I don’t find the trailer interesting.

I like Samurai’s Tom Cruise, an ex-Lincoln soldier, who has flashbacks in regards to the slaying of Indians under orders of his murderous, Yankee superiors. The movie presents this ex-Union soldier as a man with a conscience. Oh sure, the movie is full of some outrageous fantasies, but who cares. It’s a fun movie with some moral lessons to boot. And it pokes fun at the militaristic North.