The Last Stand

 
Whatever you do, do not tell me you have never watched a Schwarznegger movie. If you do, you are possibly lying or you are a Twilight fan. There is no reason not to see one of his classics, this austrian Läderhausen boy knows how to party. Most people probably think of Terminator, personally i find the first Predator movie one of his most classic movies of all time. Last summer it felt great to see him on screen, for the first time in almost 10 years, kicking ass in The Expendables 2. He is older, and he might not be able to do all stunts he used to do, but what the hell...he is Schwarznegger, so he needs no excuses. There were rumours of his latest comeback film on interet, that this would be just like the old classics we grew up watching. So the question is, does The Last Stand please action audiences all over the world, or is Arnold way too old to be doing this ?

In the sleepy border town Sommerton Junction, located in Arizona, the town Sheriff Ray Owens ( Arnold Schwarznegger ) is making sure everyone feels safe. Ray used to work for LAPD, but after a bungled operation that left him wracked, and problems within the job, he decided to retire. One night in Las Vegas, international drug lord Gabriel Cortez ( Eduardo Noriega ) escape from FBI custody, taking Agent Ellen Richards ( Génesis Rodriguez ) hostage on his way to Mexico. Agent John Bannister ( Forest Whitaker ) arrange a blockade in Bullhead City, but without success. Gabriel Cortez still manage to continue his journey. Back in Sommerton Junction, deputies Jerry Bailey ( Zach Gilford ) and Sarrah Torrance ( Jaimie Alexander ) find the body of local farmer Parsons ( Harry Dean Stanton ). The tracks to this murder leads to Cortez´s henchman Thomas Burrell ( Peter Stormare ) Deputy Bailey is fatally shot in a shootout. With some help from friends, sheriff Owen will make sure these guests will never visit Sommerton Junction, ever again.

Even if The Last Stand is not the greatest Schwarzneger movie of all time, i have a feeling fans will be pleased. You get lots of action, and actually some funny scenes also. Arnold acts like he always does, and you want him to be in the same way, because that is what he is good at. The plot may not be particularly interesting, but i honestly don´t care about that in this type of motion picture. This is popcorn entertainment with a great value for old school action lovers. Director Kim ji-Woon, who directed one of my favourite thillers I Saw The Devil, may not have made his best work with The Last Stand, but he knows how to make action. Peter Stormare may look almost the same as he always does, but i find him cool as a bad guy, and he is not russian either. Forest Whitaker is actually pretty good as the FBI Agent John Bannister, while Johnny Knoxville does what he always do, make fun of himself. A good action movie indeed, almost like going back to the VHS glory days of video violence, but with bigger budget. The Last Stand may not find a new audience, but for those who want to escape from Twilight fans, this is a good choice.

Rating: DDD