À contre-courant

B-movies should be treated as B-movie. If you watch the previous condemning comments, well, I can agree to them at some extent but it should be noted that this movie offer a good characterization of the Marshal. A rough, tough, macho, reckless lawman whose approach to handle crime is out of date but proves to be effective, just like Dirty Harry's approach. However, he's also thoughtful, he feels uneasy for getting caught by a lady for uttering swear words. But Scott Glenn truly portrays this character convincingly, a man who's bold enough to assert himself as he is (of course by wiping out his enemies with style). Action scenes are mediocre, but what else do you expect? I think it's still not that bad.

Scott Glenn is about the only reason to sit through this routine cops and action thriller that plays like McCloud in Florida--if McCloud were a violent racist redneck. At least that's how the movie starts out. Scott Glenn spews a stream of anti-Mexican racial invective in the opening sequence that is amusingly nasty and also brings to mind some of the more edgy elements of the first Dirty Harry movie. Actually The Last Marshal works pretty well until Glenn's character is sent to Florida on the trail of two suspects--then the movie not only turns into a standard issue fish out of water thriller but becomes spineless--once Glenn is paired up with a hot Hispanic female partner he becomes such an emotional softie that Alan Alda in his salad days would probably have been embarrassed. Scott Glenn is a fine actor and always worth watching, but it's a shame that he only gets leads these days in straight to video junk like this. Movie does at least have a sense of humor about itself, which helps.

I love Scott Glenn's acting, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I dared watching THE LAST MARSHAL despite its score of 5,0 and mostly negative reviews with the highest rating a 7 just like me. But I found it better than most of the naysayers would have said to deter me.

Cole McLeary (Glenn) is a tough Texas Marshall great in fighting, drinking and swearing that as you might expect isn't well seen by his superiors and colleagues tho Cole manages always to get results before them. Trouble isn't that far because as the movie begins there is a shootout in the church caused by Torres (Vincent Castellanos) and T-Boy (Raymond Cruz) and when they escape to Miami, Cole follows them. Once in Miami it wouldn't be easy for Cole as it ended up in a multi-racial environment and various upbeat guys, and as partner he's assigned Jamie, a young and hip guy that Cole doesn't exactly estimate.

After some investigations (not without some brawls, swearing, shootings and some reprimands by the superiors that came there without letting the viewer know but ok) Cole will find out that the mastermind behind the murders, drug traffic, kidnappings and many other things is DeClerc (William Forsythe), and Cole sets himself for take down the empire his own way (succedding) while also winning the affection of Rosa, so at least he has a soft spot in his heart after all.

Yes, I admit it that most of the characters are scum and most of the time you have to suspend disbelief (the reason why I don't rate it higher than 7) but Glenn was great in playing an irritable no-nonsense guy that hates everyone in equal measure and it's also the last of a breed as the title suggests. At times it was also fun, sort of like a cross between an episode of RENEGADE and one of WALKER TEXAS RANGER. And the ending when Cole manages to stop DeClerc's criminal empire after lots of mayhem it's certainly reason enough to watch it.

Overall, one of those thrillers that is best to be seen when you are tired and don't want to think too much, and also without reading the reviews first. Lot of fun and with a great performance by the lead.

Scott Glenn carries this exciting, yet flawed action film. The set up in Texas has Glenn not exactly following the book in a hostage situation. He then is assigned to Miami, hot on the trail of the two killers who escaped from the Texas mayhem. The first and final part of "The Last Marshal" is superior to the middle, which bogs down in a not believable romance. There are other problems relating to how certain people just happened to show up at certain locations, but these flaws can be overlooked, in favor of lots of action, and some impressive stunts. For an action film, you could do a lot worse than "The Last Marshal" - MERK

As noted above this film borrows from every action film of the last 25 years. It's part Dirty Harry, part Death Wish, part Lonewolf McQuaid and part Terminator 2 (sans robots). The plot is just ridiculous and has so many flaws, but that is what makes the film.

Cole McClary is brilliantly racist homophobic US Marshall. The dialogue throughout the film is just farcical. The scene where he arrives in Miami and meets his new partner (who introduces himself as Don Johnson) is pure comedy gold.

This film taught me lots I didn't know about the US Marshalls and the DEA. For example, DEA agents must have training in the art of ninjitsu. It's acceptable when rading a house to snap the neck of a guard. Speedboats can catch motorbikes. US Marshalls can commit extra-judicial executions. When your drug deal/party is busted, gun down all of your guests. If you're a Marshall, you needn't worry about not reporting the people you kill. That's OK.

A quality film. A definite must for fans of classics such as Death Wish 3.