'The Last Stand' Review- A Perfect Father-Son Film
This was originally released in 2013.
Arnold Schwarzenegger returned to the big screen with The Last Stand. South Korean director Kim Ji-woon’s first American film. It is a non-stop action film that is perfect for dudes and their dads.
Sheriff Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) polices a sleepy border town called Sommerton Junction in Arizona. Everything is going off without a hitch until he gets word that a drug cartel leader, Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), is driving fast to his sleepy community. Cortez is coming at top speed in a modified Chevrolet Corvette CG ZR1 with a hostage. The FBI, led by Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker), is hot on his tail, but little do the feds know that he has an army that plans on helping him cross the border into Mexico and disappear forever. Sheriff Owens and his small band of deputies, including Sarah Torrance (Jaimie Alexander) and gun nut Lewis Dinkum (Johnny Knoxville) have to defend the small town and keep him from crossing the border while waiting for reinforcements from the FBI, who think the villain is headed in a different direction.
I rented this film with my dad and we both had meager expectations but were pleasantly surprised. We enjoyed everything about this film and had a great time watching it. While it is not anywhere near the award-winning level, it is fun and action-packed.
Though the foul language was a little over the top, the action, the story, and the sheer magnitude of bullets made for one awesome guy movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat and totally entertained. I was never bored and paid attention to the events on the screen.
Kim Ji-woon did an excellent job on his first American film. I am not too familiar with his work in Asian, but I can say that I would probably watch another flick with him in the director’s chair.
The casting could not have been more superb. Schwarzenegger is at the top of his game here and it shows. He is definitely a master at this type of flick and he seemed to be right at home. I am not a huge Knoxville fan, but he actually had some pretty good one-liners that gave me a chuckle.
Noriega did good on his part, but because he was driving fast through the majority of the plot, you did not get a sense of urgency until he arrived for the showdown. Alexander was also impressive and had some excellent scenes. Whitaker was, of course, brilliant. Even in films that I was not impressed with, he always turns out a good performance.
Bottom line, The Last Stand is a fun action flick that is good to sit back with a bowl of popcorn. It has that over-the-top humor, action sequences, and everything in between for you to enjoy it.
FAVORITE QUOTE: Well, next time don’t park it in the fire zone.
Parental concerns: Violence, Strong foul language
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, anime, movie, or novel you would like me to review.