Captain Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise) is an American War Captain and hero, who now despises his past and seeks solitude from the bottle. Offered a vast amount of money he agrees to go to Japan to train up their army to fight and defeat the remaining rebel Samurai. Unfortunately he is injured and captured in action by the Samurai, and instead of being killed he is taken back to their village hide away. Although he is the enemy, he is not treated like a prisoner, and soon he comes to understand and respect the Samurai. With this his loyalty changes and trains to become a Samurai like his new found friends. Soon the Japanese army up their search for the remaining rebel Samurai, this time they are prepared for them and are ready to go to war which could determine the fate of the Samurai once and for all.

In the lead role of Captain Nathan Algren is Tom Cruise (The Color of Money). Usually I find Cruise's performances to be quite cheesy, but in this case he puts in a very classy performance which shows his true acting capability. Not only does he display good skills in the action sequences he also displays the range of emotions of a man who detests himself but then the happiness when he finds inner peace. Opposite Cruise is Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto (Batman Begins) the leader of the Samurai. Watanabe plays the part brilliantly as he guides Algren and disperses pearls of wisdom. This character could have come over quite cheesily in a sort of Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid) sense, but Watanabe has a very powerful presence on the screen which makes his character very believable. In some minor roles, but still important, are Billy Connolly as Zebulan Gant, Algren's second in command, and Timothy Spall as Simon Graham, a historian and interpreter who is Algren's guide. Of course there is a huge supporting cast and really can't be faulted for there performances.

The Audio Commentary is provided by Edward Zwick who passionately takes you through the film where he describes what he was trying to convey, but he also gives praise to the actors and set designers as he discusses the scenes.

'Tom Cruise: A Warriors Journey' this is a feature all about the character of Algren with interviews with Cruise and other cast and crew members. It gives an insight into how Cruise went about playing the part.

'Making An Epic: A Conversation With Edward Zwick And Tom Cruise' this feature is very good as the star and director discuss what they are trying to achieve with the film.