O Último Desafio

Let me start by saying this is a straight-up good guys vs. bad guys, shoot 'em up action movie. Would you expect anything less from Ahhnold? I'll say that I was happy to hear Arnold was returning to the big screen for starring roles once his Governorship was over. I've been a die hard Arnold fan since I was 6. Sure he's a senior citizen now...but he's ARNOLD! The trailers for this movie don't really hide anything, it's presented exactly how it is. It's an action movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. The movie does try and have these heartfelt moments which come off more as cheesy than anything else. But I will give the movie props for actually trying to develop its characters to the point they're not just cardboard cut outs. They have personality and emotions so you actually care if they live or die. Which is more than I can say for most movies of this type. Unfortunately the movie seemed to be relying heavily on Arnold's return to the big screen to put butts in the theatre seats. The movie only made $6 million on its opening weekend. Making it the bottom of the barrel at the box office. However I went and saw it on a Tuesday night at 7pm and the theatre was packed. So perhaps word is travelling that it's a fun movie and it'll be able to make some money back. Not that I'm crying for Arnold's bank account but it's a shame when a good movie doesn't do well.

The Last Stand (2013)

Well, if you take this too seriously you're missing the point. It's a comedy, and if not quite a parody of a tough lawman against the odds plot, it pumps up all the clichés nicely. It's fast, well done, and appropriately preposterous. And Arnold Schwarzenegger is true to form, even joking once about his getting old.

In a way, this is Arnold trying to be a bit like Clint. Clint Eastwood that is. Because Schwarzenegger is playing a sheriff in a lonely western town. When a bad boy drug lord (a very cute one) is set to be blast through in his Corvette, this sheriff, Ray Owens, won't tolerate it. Of course. Who would?

In this hyped up against-the-odds yarn, we have some excellent if well-worn clichés. First, the FBI gets its usual due. They are a professional team led by the ever-enjoyable Forrest Whittaker, but of course they are a bit too professional, and arrogant, and they make constant little mistakes of misjudgment. So the bad guy on the loose is on collision course with Owens with his rag-tag friends in his Arizona border town.

I didn't expect to like this, but ended up captivated. It works the same way a "Die Hard" movie works--fast plot, do good hero, nasty bad guys, and jokes. It's not realistic, but the characters are believable. This is in contrast to a movie I saw a couple days ago along the same lines (loner man against evil), "Jack Reacher," which was filled with such strained dialog and absurd plot conditions it was irritating. "The Last Stand" has the advantage of not taking itself seriously, and so it's great fun and well done fun all along.

Yes, it's stupid. I mean, come on, that's the point! But it's smart stupid. If you have an open mind for this stuff, give it a shot.

This movie is a lot of fun for what it is, a mindless, bloody, shoot em up action movie complete with some Schwarzenegger one liners.

Ray Owens used to be part of an elite LAPD anti-narcotics task force but now he is enjoying a quieter life as a small Arizona town on the Mexican border. His peace and quiet is about to be shattered... drug lord Gabriel Cortez is being moved by the FBI but following a dramatic escape he flees south in a stolen 200MPH supercar and an FBI agent hostage. As he heads south his heavily armed associates set about placing a mobile assault bridge over the narrow canyon near Sheriff Owens's town. They kill the landowner causing somebody who misses him to contact Owens. An investigation leads to a confrontation that leaves one deputy dead. As Cortez heads to the border Owen and his surviving deputies get ready for his arrival; before that though they will have to face his henchmen in a showdown on Main Street.

This action film is a lot of fun; it starts well with the spectacular escape. It then turns into an effective western as the small town sheriff and his small number of deputies prepare for the arrival of a superior force of bad guys while they know help will not arrive in time. Arnold Schwarzenegger shows that he still has what it takes to play the lead role in an action film. The supporting cast, which includes some familiar faces is also solid enough. South Korean director Kim Jee-Woon, best known for 'Oriental western' 'The Good, The Bad, The Weird' once again combines action, some of which is quite bloody, with an enjoyable degree of humour without tipping it into being a comedy. The action is nicely varied with car chases, smashing through road blocks, fights and shootouts... one of which involves Arnie using a Vickers machinegun! Overall I'd say that this is an enjoyably action film full of western tropes; it might not be a must-see but it is still worth watching if you are a fan of the genre.

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.