Released on Jan. 18, “The Last Stand” has everything you’d want out of a silly action film: fast pacing, cool car scenes, Schwarzenegger’s one-liners, and over-the-top, unrealistic violence. It is a movie you can escape in if you enjoy the extremes.
Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a former L.A. cop that has moved to an extremely small town near the Mexican border. While Sommerton has a lazy weekend with much of the population gone for a sports event, notorious drug lord Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega) escapes F.B.I. custody and heads for the border. Cortez plans to cross the border through their town, so Ray enlists the help of his deputies (Luis Guzman, Jaimie Alexander, and Zach Gilford) and two townsfolk (Johnny Knoxville and Rodrigo Santoro) as outside aid will not reach them in time.
It has been a decade since Schwarzenegger has starred in a film, and he isn’t quite the same. In a few scenes, he clearly moves a little slower, but his action is luckily mostly limited to using a gun. Director Jee-woon Kim smartly focuses on his star’s capabilities and highlights the more energetic action from others to balance Schwarzenegger’s stiffness.
Dabbled in almost every scene is a sense of humor, whether it is a simple one-liner or a funny scenario. Johnny Knoxville is one of the best parts of the whole film; his innocent and well-intentioned Lewis Dinkum is like Disney’s Goofy showing up.
“The Last Stand” is full of gory violence but it often aims for humor in its absurdity. Body parts are shot off, people explode, and there’s lots of blood.
The film’s main though forgivable fault is the mostly atrocious acting; Noriega is in odd fit, Peter Stormare’s henchman character has a drawl for half of the film and sounds like his Swedish self the other, and Schwarzenegger has never been known for his acting chops. Fortunately, emotion and a good story aren’t at all the point; it’s just plain fun for action fans.
Rating for “The Last Stand:” B+
For more information on this film or to view its trailer, click here.
“The Last Stand” is playing at most theaters in Columbus, including the two Marcus theaters Crosswoods and Pickerington and the Starplex Westpointe with most showtimes at AMC Easton. For showtimes, click here.
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