The Last Stand - L'ultima sfida

I grew up watching Arnold, I own every film of his, I am what you would call a serious Schwarzenegger fan. I have waited a decade for his return to the cinema, and I wasn't disappointed. The Last Stand isn't perfect, but Arnold fans can rejoice, for he truly is back!!

The premise (for those that haven't watched the trailer a dozen times like me) is a Mexican cartel boss (Eduardo Noriega) has escaped custody during transport and is heading to the Mexican border, and he is going to get there by going through the sleepy town of Sommerton, Arizona. Arnold is the Sheriff in this sleepy little town, and he is the FBI's last hope at stopping the ruthless gangster.

This movie is full of intense, bloody action, exciting car chases (thanks to a supped up Corvette ZR1 with over one thousand horsepower!) and funny one liner's. The film never takes itself too serious (which is good thing) and is surprisingly funny throughout. Arnold's acting is a little rusty, but he more than made up for it in the action scenes. And the (many) action sequences were exciting and bloody, the theater kept cheering out loud. The pacing was perfect, the film flew by.

The cast was great...Luis Guzman is hilarious as Arnold's Deputy, Forest Whitaker as the lead FBI agent, Peter Stormare as the maniacal "right hand man" villain, Johnny Knoxville as the town clown, Harry Dean Stanton as the crotchety old farmer, the list goes on...

The film was everything I wanted from an Arnold movie, it's fun(!), full of fast paced action and lots of (funny) one liner's. The non-Arnold fan probably won't get much from this, but this movie was made for Arnold fans, and it delivers.

A lot of my favourite films growing up and to this day are some of Arnold's Classics like T2, Predator and countless others. Although not one of his best, The Last Stand is one of Schwarzeneggers better films and perfect for him to do what he does best - shoot bad guys and crack one liners. This film is a quality made action film that contains some innovative stuff blending old school car chases, blazing gunfights and an intriguing yet simple story in a solid modern action movie. Other than the action,the film blends comedy very nicely. The whole theatre was cracking up especially at the characters of Johnny Knoxville and Luiz Guzman. The movie overall is a solid, fun and entertaining film that keeps the momentum going to the final climax which is sure not to disappoint. If that sounds appealing to you, Check it out and you'll be sure to enjoy.

Overall: Solid 7/10

After brief cameos in films like the Rundown and Expendables, we finally got a glimpse of a possible return to form for Arnold Schwarzenegger. Finally his first full length solo action film is here with The Last Stand. As if this wasn't exciting enough, add to the mix I Saw The Devil director Jee-woon Kim at the helm, it has the makings of a great comeback.

The Last Stand follows a former LAPD detective who is now the sheriff of a small quiet town and enjoying the peaceful life. When a notorious drug kingpin escapes FBI custody in a supped up corvette the only thing standing between him and the border is this small town and the sheriff who has vowed to protect it. The story here is pretty simple and in anyone else's hands would have probably been a throw away film. Thankfully Jee-woon Kim brings his signature dynamic style taking this film to a much more entertaining visual level. If there was any concern with Arnold being able to live up to his famous line "I'll be back" being accurate you can relax because he is back in a big way. This film takes a bit of a step back and moves a bit slowly at first letting the story build a bit instead of just flooding it with action. When the smaller action pieces, if you can call any of them that, do occur they are pretty high octane and fun to watch. All this builds up to a full on blood bath ensuing old west action show down featuring all the explosions, guns, blood and fun you could want in an Arnold film. Make no mistake this is a popcorn action film that hearkens back to the old school action films of the 80's and 90's when they delivered. The cast is great and each delivers a fun performance featuring Johnny Knoxville who while brief brings some of the funniest moments, Luis Guzman who is right there holding his own, Forest Whitaker, and Peter Stormare. Arnold still delivers his cheesy one-liners like a pro, but has moved on from the usual ones that were starting to run their course. His years in office clearly have made him a better speaker, hence a better actor.

Arnold may not be as fast or agile as he once was, but he still manages to show he can hold his own with the best of them. This film not only gets Arnold back where he belongs on the big screen it also kicks off a movie year that almost feels like the old days of action again with numerous franchise and action icons bringing the pain in 2013. Arnold has always said he would be back and he is better than ever. If you were ever an Arnold fan, then get ready for a film that will spark the visual crazy fun that's been missing in this genre for a long time.

The Last Stand is famously known as one of Arnold Schwarzenegger's action comebacks. Since his appearances in The Expendables films are limited and doesn't quite satisfies his fans, here he gets to be the lead. The film is also directed by Kim Jee-Woon and he creates a set of awesomely crafted action sequences. There's nothing else in the story but a Western formula with a band of misfits. It's a simple fun action film that has no other ambition than to enjoy the fans of the genre. It may be senseless at some point but the admission is never regrettable.

The plot is like a modernized version of a famous Western story with an FBI to the side. A sheriff who tries to save his small town from a bunch of bad guys who seem incompetent. The good guys are a team of mismatched heroes. There's a veteran, a short Mexican, a crazy gun owner, a tough woman, and an ex-convict. These elements fit to the film's ridiculousness and they worked well enough. The characters are also likable, probably because of our familiarity to the cast. Like we know Ray Owens is a badass sheriff only because he's played by Schwarzenegger, but that's fine since everyone's here for the action.

The action scenes are quick and stylishly shot. It provides a sense of speed and excitement. The most inventive sequence is the cornfield car chase. The best is the old school action with violent gunfights and brutal fistfights. Schwarzenegger still got it in those scenes. In other parts gets a little drama and some silliness. There isn't anything else beneath it but the execution of these ideas in the storyline are beyond adequate. It's quite clear that this only exists to let the audience have fun.

Everybody might disagree once I say this but The Last Stand is kind of like last year's Haywire. The premise is not that original but with an interesting direction and an awesome ensemble cast made it pretty good. The only differences are it's louder, it has an entirely different target audience and the concept is more interesting. It's not brilliant but it gets what it wants to be. It's all about the fun. It's so fun, it's hard to notice some of its flaws. The merits are generally the filmmaking and of course Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some might look for more beneath it, but for action lovers it's a glorious action joy. If you're craving for some nonstop badassery then The Last Stand is definitely for you.

And splendid for us, the audience. Arnie's back! After small cameos in The Rundown ( This blink-and-you-miss-it cameo also served as passing the torch to new action star, The Rock aka Dwayne Johnson) and The Expendables finally comes an action film with Arnold as the lead.

Directed by a South Korean Jee-woon Kim who is known for bloody and violent films so this information promises a great film filled with right ingredients for Schwarzenegger movie. The film starts off slow to develop the characters which is great at least you care about the characters. Arnold might be older now but he's still go it to be an action hero. The only problem is that this film is not doing well at the box office. The planned return of the 80's is not going according to plan, which is sad because the films reminding us of the most probably best times of action films are well made films. I have seen it in a packed theatre so I guess that is a sign positive word of mouth will bring a lot of Arnold's fans to theatre.

Johnny Knoxville is not only tolerable but he is also funny. His character bring some of the funniest moments in the film. Jaimie Alexander shows once again that she can pull of amazing kick-ass heroine. Let's hope she gets more screen time in the next Thor movie. Harry Dean Stanton who is her for one only scene is just unforgettable just as the dialogue in his scene. Forest Whitaker, an Oscar Winner, gives his usual magnificent performance which sometimes seems very funny given the context of the film and its ridiculous plot.

The violence in modern movies is not the same as in the 80s, 90s. I don't want to sound like a maniac but given the credit of Jee-woon Kim I expected this film to be more "off the chain". It is like the studio executives came on the set and told the director to tone the violence and blood down. Even when things get violent it is just not the same as it used to be. Despite some flaws this film still is a great mindless fun action ride and that is exactly what I expected and it's great to see Arnold back on the big screen.