Anyone that knows me well enough will be able to tell you that the 1989 film “Glory,” Directed by Edward Zwick and staring Mathew Broderick as Colonel Robert Shaw who leads the first black regiment in the American Civil war, is my favorite film of all time. It is beautifully filmed, powerfully written, and extremely emotional. In the film, as Shaw struggles with following what he knows in his heart to be honorable, and his military duty of the time period, he blurs the ideas of what is right and wrong, and pushes the rules to ultimately prove that following your heart will prevail. Joining Broderick is a remarkably strong group of characters, including Denzel Washington’s first Oscar win for Supporting Actor as Private Trip, who bring such raw emotion to the screen that each time I watch the film, I can honestly feel the honor and pride swell in my chest and brings tears to my eyes.

In “Glory,” Zwick enhanced Broderick’s career by changing the actor’s notoriety from mostly comedic roles to a serious dramatic leading man. After almost 15 years and four other films, Zwick returns again to the familiar theme of honor, war, and following one’s heart with “The Last Samurai,” but this has veteran Tom Cruise in the lead role. A slightly different time, a different land, and a different war, but the similarities between “Glory” and “The Last Samurai” are striking.

In the latest film, Cruise plays Captain Nathan Algren, a troubled and rebellious, yet highly decorated Captain, who fought American Indians in the Civil War. Algren is presented with an offer by Omura (Masato Harada), a rich and powerful Japanese businessman, to travel to Japan and “Westernize” their army in the ways of the new American warrior. Once there, Algren learns that his responsibility is to train the troops in order to defeat the Samurai, Japan’s ancient warriors who are opposed to the Emperor’s Westernization of Japan. During their first battle with the Samurai, Algren is taken prisoner, his life spared only because Samurai Leader Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) saw what he believed to be the courageous Captain in a vision. Taking refuge in the Samurai’s remote mountain village during the winter months, Katsumoto does not imprison Algren, but instead has his sister Taka (Koyuki) nurse the Captain back to health. During this time, Algren is allowed to roam (for the most part) free in the village, and in doing so, begins to see the honor and nobility in the way of the Samurai, which helps him come to terms with his own mental demons. Once he is returned to the Americans, Algren is torn between following what he knows in his heart to be honorable, and his military duty.

In “Glory,” there are two interesting struggles to find one’s integrity. First, with Shaw trying to understand how he can follow his heart and what he knows to be right while also following orders. Secondly, the black soldiers have their own struggle trying to prove the integrity and honor of themselves (and their people) against the oppression of American society at that time. In “The Last Samurai,” Algren’s struggle mirrors Shaw’s, as he determines how he can follow the path his heart, and fate, is leading him down. As for Katsumoto, he takes the part of the soldiers, as he is struggling to show that modernization does not mean forgetting your past, and he leads his followers to prove that there is integrity and honor in their beliefs and customs.

There are many other similarities between the two films, most strikingly, two specific scenes that are almost duplicated. The first being the initial battle scene in the forest as the enemies confront each other for the first time, and the second when Algren hands his diaries to writer Simon Graham (Timothy Spall, who also does the voice-overs throughout the film), telling him “I bet these will make a great story one day.”

However, as much as the films are similar in story and theme, they are very different in cinematography and execution.

“The Last Samurai” is an amazing picturesque of vistas, gritty battle scenes, and personalities that stand out long after the film is done. The hillsides and cityscapes of Japan are breathtakingly photographed, and the Samurai battle scenes portray all the fervor and action of sword fights and gun battles that will rank this film highly for fans of the action. There are very few forgettable (or weak) characters, and even those can be forgiven.

As the key figure Algren, Cruise does an adequate job at making us feel the emotional struggle his character is going through, although you never fully grasp the soul of Algren. Paralyzed by images of killing in the name of “duty,” he fights to continue his role in life, yet longs for something more honorable, which he finds in the lives of the Samurai warriors. However, I found it visually displeasing that in 1876, his beard was almost impeccably groomed and his hair styled and brushed, particularly for someone who does not seem to want to take care of themselves and does not bathe. He’s almost too “pretty” for the role, but as the core of the character is really in the emotional nuances, Cruise is up to caliber.

As for the other major players, they also bring incredible emotional nuances that jump off the screen and into our souls. As Katsumoto, Ken Watanabe is outstanding, and will hopefully be nominated come Oscar time. The integrity and honor he brings to the role of the Samurai Leader is perfectly portrayed, and he subtly demonstrates a hint of liveliness and caring behind his warrior duty. His Sister Taka, played by the demure and beautiful Koyuki, portrays the grief of losing a husband and a son with fantastic subtlety, and her sense of duty to her Brother is yet another struggle in the story. The remaining players each have their own struggles, but are very well cast, however I did find something lacking in Shichinosuke Nakamura’s portayal of the young Emperor.

Since I am such a fan of “Glory,” and because the films are so similar, you would assume I would have loved “The Last Samurai.” Unfortunately, there are a few times throughout the film that I felt were “over Hollywoodized,” meaning that there were parts here-and-there that were so commercially scripted that they lost their impact, as well as certain scenes that were just not needed. Even though Zwick doesn’t quite reach the quality of “Glory,” it does come close, and “The Last Samurai” is an amazing film filled with beauty, action, and most importantly of all, honor and integrity.