Le dernier château

I had never heard of this movie and came across it on Showtime. Pleasantly surprised. Cross between Cool Hand Luke and Cadence.

In an era when most new filmmakers seem less concerned with story than with figuring out new and creative ways to possibly damage their camera equipment, it's encouraging to see someone like Rod Lurie come along. A former film critic, Lurie has emerged in the last few years as a maker of old-fashioned "good movies well made". He impressed me last year with the political drama "The Contender", and this year he brings us "The Last Castle", a prison picture that overcomes some dramatic potholes to provide a solid two hours' worth of entertainment.

The castle in question here is a maximum security military prison, home to the armed forces' toughest offenders. The whole place is ruled by Col. Winter (James Gandolfini), a tinpot tyrant who delights in turning his prisoners against one another. Make them forget they are soldiers, make them forget they are MEN, and you will win...that's Winter's philosophy. Then, a monkey wrench is thrown into the works, in the form of Gen. Eugene Irwin (Robert Redford), a much-decorated three-star general court-martialed for a battlefield infraction. Irwin immediately sees Winter for what he is, and as his weeks in the prison wear on, he begins to realize that he is surrounded by SOLDIERS, tough, competent, and ready to fight. All they need is a general to get behind...and a villain to rally against.

"The Last Castle" is a character-driven piece, and is carried by the strengths of its performances. Robert Redford takes a character who is admittedly rather sketchily written and, through sheer force of his charisma and personality, turns him into someone quirky and specific. Irwin is more like the Sundance Kid than any character Redford has played in some time: a rebel battling against a system that has arrayed insurmountable odds against him. This time, however, Irwin is a product of the system, and he knows its rules. Redford conveys that wisdom with a bemused grin or a mere flex of his craggy but still handsome face. This, folks, is star power.

The actors surrounding him put in equally fine work. James Gandolfini is miles away from "The Sopranos" as the despotic Col. Winter, and makes him a fine villain, loathsome yet pathetic and curiously affecting at the same time. Mark Ruffalo comfortably wears the role of the prison bookie, a cynic whose father was a Vietnam P.O.W. with Irwin, and Clifton Collins, so creepy and evil as the assassin Frankie Flowers in "Traffic", turns in a drastically different turn here as a stuttering corporal who first recognizes Irwin's greatness.

Lurie helms this material with assured confidence. He gives the film a gritty, authentic look and feel, he knows how to recognize a dramatic moment and pay it off, and he handles the film's quieter scenes and its boisterous action payoffs with equal elan. Any way you slice it, it's just good filmmaking.

Though David Scarpa and Graham Yost spike their screenplay with memorable moments and fine dialogue, they shoot themselves in the foot with third-act implausibilities (you'll find yourselves asking more than once, "Now how did they manage to throw THAT together?") and an abrupt finale that leaves too many unanswered questions.

Still, even with these problems, "The Last Castle" is a solid, rousing piece of mainstream entertainment. It's well-made, it tells a good story without insulting your intelligence or your good taste, and it showcases some fine acting by veterans and newcomers alike. And I bet Lurie didn't even break any of his cameras. I'm sure Dreamworks appreciates that, if nothing else.

Gandolfini is just perfect in that movie. It worth to watch this movie for his extraordinary performance. Redford is, for sure a great actor, but Gandolfini is the real star of this movie.

Such terrific entertainment. It's just a shame that it at the same time is such a bad film. Borrowing from numerous films like Shawshank Redemption, Murder in the First and The Great Escape to name a few, it is still somewhat different from what you expect.

The acting is eminent. Robert Redford does a fine performance as the reluctant hero, but two other actors are stealing the scenes even more so. The first is of course the fabulous James Gandolfini in a very different role than what we are used to from The Sopranos. I am a big fan of the TV series and I would never have thought that he would be able to play such a prick that I would actually hate him. The second actor worth extra praise is the new talent Mark Ruffalo who played so heartbreakingly well in the amazing You Can Count On Me from last year. He portrays an ordinary character with such heart and genuineness that the character becomes so much more interesting than it would with most actors.

The film is saved by its actors and its entertainment value. What pulls it down is all the logical errors and holes in the script. And I am sure many Americans will appreciate the excessive patriotism shown in the film, but it really gets too much.

Absolutely worth watching, but I have a feeling that this could have been so much more.

Rating: 7/10

The last castle is unbelievably entertaining.

That may sound like high praise but when I say unbelievably , I mean I didn't believe a thing that I was seeing but it was definitely entertaining.

Robert Redford plays a court-martialed General who rallies together twelve hundred inmates to rise against a corrupt and sadistic warden played by James Gandolfini.

Robert Redford is a true movie superstar and he's pretty good in this considering his age but the star of this show is the brilliant James Gandolfini. His acting is subtle yet his every sound and facial movements say so much .

The story is ridiculous. Extremely ridiculous.

You could put this in the same bracket as Con Air , Face/Off and The Rock .

Extremely Entertaining but when you try to delve into the plot it makes you laugh .

The whole scene when the prisoners rise up and roll out a sling shot , hook a helicopter with a rope and have hand held catapults made me laugh out loud .

The prisoners were not believable either .

I know they were all military inmates but how they went from thugs to disciplined men was just silly .

Having said all I have I really enjoyed it . The time flew by and I was never bored and it's probably the last action film Robert Redford made and for 65 year old as the time he looked really good .