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Modern viewers will notice that the beginning of The Last Samurai is identical to that of The Electric Horseman. Though Cruise is a war hero stumping for a rifle company, Redford is a rodeo star now reduced to that of pitchman for a cowboy breakfast cereal, not to mention a dysfunctional drunk. Redford's Sonny finally grows a conscience and a soul, though, when he's asked to perform with a retired race horse on a Las Vegas stage. He promptly horse-naps the stallion, and escapes into the Vegas desert, with reporter girl Jane Fonda hot on his tail (though the cops can't find the guy).The middle is heavy on romance between the two stars -- both megawatt powers in 1979 -- but the central plot, about a stolen horse for God's sake! -- doesn't carry the weight director Sydney Pollack might like us to believe.
