Set in the late 1800s, The Last Samurai stars Tom Cruise as Nathan Algren - a disillusioned soldier reduced to touring the country hawking rifles. His chance for redemption comes when a fellow soldier, Col. Bagley (Tony Goldwyn), offers Algren a job training Japanese recruits how to fight like Americans. But after he's captured by a group of Samurai warriors, lead by the enigmatic Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), Algren begins to identify with their plight and eventually joins them in their fight against the Japanese army (which has been charged with the task of eliminating all the remaining Samurai). It's a relatively simple story that's been stretched out to an occasionally excruciating two-and-a-half hours, and although it's never flat-out boring, the film's often far more ponderous and deliberately paced than one might've liked. Director Edward Zwick has infused the proceedings with the air of an endeavor designed to win awards more than entertain, as the majority of scenes and sequences feel as though they've been planned out to such an extent that they've been drained almost entirely of energy and spontaneity. The subsequent lack of compelling characters is hardly surprising, as even Cruise's Nathan Algren remains a sketchily-drawn figure that the viewer is ultimately unable to sympathize with. His arc is a relatively simple one - callous soldier experiences an epiphany and bonds with Samurai warriors - but we're nevertheless forced to endure countless sequences featuring Algren chatting with Katsumoto and his family. And while some of that stuff is interesting - helped in great part by Watanabe's fantastic performance - it finally gets to the point where enough is enough; we get it already. Having said that, The Last Samurai remains worth a look thanks primarily to the uniformly strong acting and amazing combat sequences. In terms of the latter, there's a fight between the Samurai warriors and a group of ninjas at around the one-hour mark that rivals anything in Kill Bill in terms of sheer jaw-dropping spectacle. And then there's the final battle between the Japanese army and the Samurai, which is gripping and involving in ways that everything preceding it is not. But the film's denouement is overwrought and far more melodramatic than necessary, as though the filmmakers wanted to ensure we understand how important this story really is. The end result is an endeavor that boasts plenty of positive attributes, yet never quite adds up to a story that's particularly involving.