'Samurai' slices its way onto DVD

Sorely overlooked during awards season this past year, "The Last Samurai" arrives on DVD in a sterling two-disc package that doesn't quite live up to the grandeur of the film itself, but is quite impressive nonetheless.\nTom Cruise stars as Captain Nathan Algren, a disheartened Civil War veteran summoned to Japan in order to train the Emperor's army in the ways of modern warfare. Shortly thereafter, he's taken prisoner by rebel samurai -- the very men he's been hired to kill. Slowly but surely he sees the worth of his captors, primary among them honorable samurai master, Katsumoto (an immensely engaging Ken Watanabe), and his allegiances are rightfully swayed. Expertly written, shot, directed, scored and acted by its talented cast and crew, "The Last Samurai" is a beautiful companion piece to other modern epics such as "Dances with Wolves," "Braveheart" and "Gladiator."\nThe DVD has a nice array of bonus features. The commentary by writer/director Edward Zwick is equal parts informative and sleep inducing -- the latter trait may be attributed to his nasally speech rather than the track's content. Other extras include the History Channel documentary, "History Vs. Hollywood: The Last Samurai" (as the title suggests, it's both interstitial and educational), absorbing, albeit abbreviated, featurettes concerning production, costume and weapon design and near-fellating profiles of Cruise and Zwick. The extras may be a tad self-serving, but more often than not they're interesting and reveal two intelligent men with a passion for their work. Hell, they made a really solid movie -- a little gloating may be in order.\nKurosawa this ain't, but for a fascinating glimpse into the Japan of yore, "The Last Samurai" is well worth a look or even a purchase on DVD.