The Last Stand (2013) - Review

Director: Kim Jee-woon

Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Peter Stormare, Forrest Whitaker, Jaimie Alexander

Country: United States

Rating: R

Run Time: 107 min

When one thinks of the phrase "action star," there are many names that come to mind: Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Jackie Chan, etc. However, I think that we can all agree that no one defines the notion of the action star more so than Arnold Schwarzenegger. After dominating both the 80s and 90s with several successful and truly stupendous action films, Arnold announced his retirement from action movies in the early 2000s, with Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines acting as his final film before he began his term as Governor of California. Fortunately for action fans, Arnold's self imposed retirement only lasted a solid decade, as he eventually came back to action cinema for good in the 2010s. Although he had made cameo appearances in both 2010's The Expendables and 2012's The Expendables 2, he hadn't led an action film for a solid 10 years. Therefore, 2013's The Last Stand was a big deal at the time of its release, as it was Arnold's first starring role in a long time and the announcement of his return to action cinema. 

Unfortunately, the film was a mild flop, and quickly faded into obscurity. Arnold himself and action fans had to face the harsh truth: action films starring aged action icons no longer made the money that they used too. Although Arnold was officially back, few people cared to notice. Therefore, The Last Stand came and went in the blink of an eye, with most people foregoing it as "just another action film." However, I am now here, a mere three years after its release, to give the film another shot, and to see how well it holds up. If the rest of society won't give Arnold the time of day, than at least I will.

He's back!

For a comeback vehicle, The Last Stand offers up a good plot to reintroduce Arnold to audiences, although it is unfortunately muddled by some poor story telling decisions. Arnold plays Sheriff Ray Owens, a former L.A.P.D. Narcotics Officer who has chosen to settle down in his elder years as the sheriff of Sommerton, Arizona, a small town near the border of Mexico. However, Owens' peaceful life is shook up when a notorious drug cartel, Gabriel Cortez, escapes from custody and heads towards the border for freedom, with only Sommerton standing in his way. With the entire town nearly deserted due to an out of town sports game, Owens assembles as many hands as he can to help him stop Cortez and his men from making their way through the town. 

If The Last Stand should be remembered for anything, it is that it thankfully restores a sense of fun back to action cinema, especially when held up to its competitors at the time. Interestingly enough, The Last Stand was released around the same time as Walter Hill's Bullet to the Head, starring Sylvester Stallone, and John Moore's A Good Day to Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, the two other faces of action cinema's "big three," as I like to refer to them. By the way, how often does that happen? The three biggest action stars in American cinema all starred in R-rated films that were released at the same time, that's pretty awesome if you ask me. Anyways, both Bullet to the Head and A Good Day to Die Hard pale in comparison to The Last Stand, as they represent the dire and dull tone of contemporary American action. Although not devoid of humor, both of those films' jokes conjure up only groans, not genuine laughs or smiles. In comparison to said films, The Last Stand is a breath of fresh air, as it perfectly recaptures the tone of 80s action cinema in that it treats its subject matter seriously whilst offering up self aware humor and bloodshed in spades. Without a doubt, The Last Stand is one of the liveliest offerings of the "Old Guys Kick Ass" movement of the late aughts and early 2010s.

Even though it's a blast to watch and never boring, The Last Stand can't help but mess up a fairly simplistic plot by committing one of the most heinous sins in all of cinema: making Arnold's Ray Owens a supporting character within his own movie. From the onset, it's clear that Owens is the protagonist, as he is the sheriff of Sommerton, and he's played by Arnold Schwarzenegger of all people. Unfortunately, the film's script (or decisions made while shooting, that one's for you Max Landis) makes the decision to focus nearly half of the film's focus and run time on Gabriel Cortez's escape from custody and the F.B.I.'s attempts to hunt him down. Therefore, a federal agent played by Forrest Whitaker constantly takes over the picture and steals much of the screen time away from little Sommerton. So much time is spent on the F.B.I.'s hunt and Cortez's escape that you'll honestly forget all about Owen and friends during the first two acts of the film. Not until the titular last stand kicks in does Arnold take center stage. This was a huge mistake on the filmmaker's part, as Owen and friends don't have much to do until the "bad guys" show up for a big gun battle. There needed to be a complete script rewrite or something along those lines, as The Last Stand falls hardest in terms of its storytelling and handling of character.

Hey Noriega, loved you in The Devil's Backbone, hate you in this though.

Before I go any further, it is important to mention that The Last Stand was not only Arnold's comeback vehicle, but also South Korean director Kim Jee-woon's first English language picture. Known for his acclaimed and highly visceral trilogy of action thrillers starring Byung Hun Lee (A Bittersweet Life, The Good the Bad the Weird, I Saw the Devil), Jee-woon is one of the most exciting directors working today, alongside his fellow South Korean compadres Park Chan-wook (The Vengeance Trilogy) and Bong Joon-ho (The Host).

Unfortunately, The Last Stand barely represents Jee-woon as a filmmaker. Unlike Chan-wook and Joon-ho, whose own English language debuts (Stoker, Snowpiercer) heavily represent them, The Last Stand feels like a studio picture that Jee-woon was simply hired on to direct, and nothing more. It also probably didn't help that he didn't speak English at all, as all of his directions were translated to the actors. When one even looks at Jee-woon's entire filmography, The Last Stand sticks out like a sore thumb, more of an oddity or even a mistake, and not so much a building block or progression of his thematic sensibilities or skills as a filmmaker. I would compare Jee-woon's The Last Stand to John Woo's 1996 blockbuster, Broken Arrow, one of his blandest American films that only showcases his mastery of action. Still, even though The Last Stand barely represents Jee-woon, it does feature his eye for action that makes all of his previous films so unforgettable.

Besides Arnold, the other reason that you come to The Last Stand for is its action, there's no denying it. Thankfully, most of the action in the film is solid, as loads of practical squibs and vehicular stunt work adorn the screen. Jee-woon's fast paced and visceral action lands just as hard as in his South Korean efforts, although nowhere near as dramatically compelling as in those films. Every second of Owens' and friends last stand against a group of armed mercenaries is fun, exciting, and filled with numerous memorable kills; ranging from henchmen being ripped in half by an old German turret to Arnold jumping off of a roof with a gunman and shooting him in the face as they fall. Trust me, it's a blast. On the other hand, all of the action that precedes the titular last stand is somewhat wasted, as it doesn't involve Arnold or add to the story very much. Therefore, the film constantly bombards you with technically impressive action, but it's mostly hollow at its center.

Peter Stormare rightfully steals the picture from everyone else.

A few signs of DTV cinema creep into the mix as well, which is no surprise given that the film was distributed by Lionsgate, who partners with the likes of Summit and Millenium, who more or less distribute big budget DTV films themselves. Flaws include an unnecessarily large cast of characters who are purely in service of the plot and take away from the dignified protagonist, an overly complicated plot, on screen text that tells you what time it is even though you'll most likely forget about it seconds later, and awful green screen during interior car scenes, but that's about it. These technical and storytelling flaws don't out right kill the film, but they definitely hold it back from the being the great B-picture that it could have been.

As far as Arnold performances come, he is at the top of his game here, at least when he is given the time to dominate the screen. Arnold gets to shine in his first true old man role in which he interacts with small town folk like an every man and even shows off the limitations of his age. When Arnold leaps through double doors in order to avoid enemy fire, a patron asks, "How are you doing Sheriff?" to which Arnold replies, "Old," in his wonderful Arnie way. Although Arnold is a blast in all of his action and comedic scenes, I highly enjoy his dramatic scenes as well. They're a nice counter balance to the moments ripe with self aware one-liners, as it proves that Arnold is an all encompassing actor who can nail any tone or character. Sheriff Ray Owens may be far from a deep character, although he does have an unflinching sense of honor, but he's one of Arnold's very best. And coming so late in his career, it's nice to see Arnold shake it up a bit with an honorable law man type whose glory days are over, which is a nice reflection of Arnold's own action hero career.

On a final note, The Last Stand has a surprisingly large and diverse cast of notable character actors, Award winning performers, comedians, and action stars. If you thought that Arnold Schwarzenegger was enough, than you better believe that this film also has Johnny Knoxville, Peter Stormare, Luis Guzman, Forrest Whitaker, Jamie Alexander, Eduardo Noriega, Daniel Henney, and even Harry Dean Stanton. Of those supporting players, the one who shines the brightest is Stormare as Thomas Burrell, the man in charge of Cortez's armed group of mercenaries. Stormare, who has always had a knack for crafting unique supporting characters with his unforgettable personality and Swedish accent, portrays a slimey villain who proves to be more enjoyable to watch than even his own superior portrayed by The Devil's Backbone's Noriega. Watching Arnold go head to head with Noriega in the finale is a chore, as the two in no way earn their face off, despite the fun car chase they engage in, but seeing Arnold lead a group of lawmen against Stormare and his armed mercenaries makes for The Last Stand's greatest human versus human conflict, as well as its biggest take away from an entertainment stand point. Case in point: Peter Stormare should be in more movies, or should have at least been the lead villain of this film.

"Welcome to Sommerton!"

While The Last Stand is far from great, and somewhat far from even being good, it's an immensely watchable action picture for numerous reasons. For starters, Jee-woon keeps the film moving along at a steady pace and with a great sense of humor. Once the film arrives to its third act, it's nothing but a breeze to watch. Jee-woon also directs the hell out of some fun and bad ass action sequences that give old man Arnold a chance to shine in his elder years. And speaking of Arnold, he gives a solid performance as a dedicated sheriff that reflects an everyman more so than an invincible killing machine (note: he kills around six people in the entire film, that's it). Therefore, based purely upon Arnold's memorable performance, the striking action, and sense of levity, The Last Stand earns my recommendation. Say what you will about the film, but when held up against 50% or so of the bland DTV releases or dull studio actioners that come out nowadays, it's a blast to watch, and a helluva lot of fun.

Rating: 6/10 - Arnold's presence and Jee-woon's always incredible action are the only things that hold this film up beyond its serviceable plot and convoluted storytelling. Recommended for die hard fans only.