Last Man Down

Let´s go back a couple of years in time, when i celebrated my 40th birthday in 2017. We had a big party, with friends and family gathering. We had a singing question contest, and we also had some really good food included ( a lot of alcohol of course ). While we had dinner, we discussed at the table about great action films, and i remembered one of the women talked about Fast & Furious 8 and how good it was. She asked me if i could recommend a great action film, and i said:- You have to see Commmando. She looked at me and said:- Commando, isn´t that an old film? I said:- Yes, but it is one of the few films that proves that men really understand women. This woman looked strange at me after i said this, and wondered if i was being serious. Of course i was, you are always serious when you talk about Commando. This is one of the few films in this world, that knows how women think, feel, and most of all capture their emotions about life in general. So my advice to all of you men out there, if you really want to learn how to get to know women on a more personal level, you need to see Commando. This is a classic action film from director Mark L. Lester ( who later on his career directed Showdown In Little Tokyo with Brandon Lee and Dolph Lundgren ), with legendary actor Arnold Schwarzenegger as Retired United States Special Forces Colonel John Matrix, where he goes hunting down the men who kidnapped his daughter Jenny Matrix ( Alyssa Milano ). Commando is filled with a lot of fun violence, several classic dialogue scenes, and Arnold Schwarzenegger knows exactly what to do to please the audience. This is one of those 80´s films that you have to see, it is a true classic. In 2018 we actually got a similar story of Commando in the really good B action movie Commando Ninja, from director Benjamin Combes. This film turned out to be one of the best action films in a very long time. Actor Eric Carlesi as John Hunter is a perfect match, as we get loads of guns, dead bodies, and even a dinosaur attacking. A must see for everyone, and a sequel is being made right now. Since we did talk about Commando earlier, i noticed that a low budget action film called Last Man Down seemed to have found inspiration from films such as Commando, so this made me curious. Not knowing anything about the plot, i decided to pick up a DVD copy. Is this one of the better action films of 2021, or is Last Man Down just as bad as Latin Hitman with Damian Chapa ?

John Wood ( Daniel Stisen ) lives alone in a cabin, minding his own business, surviving with what the wild nature has to offer. A pandemic have been going on for quite some time, and John have left the world behind. One day, an escaped test subject called Maria ( Olga Kent ) shows up at his home with soldiers. They soldiers are all killed, and John allows Maria to stay at his cabin. The more time they spend together, the more they find out about each other, including some secrets.

If you are looking for professional acting in Last Man Down, you might be disappointed. This is not the film that care about acting, but this film clearly want to bring back the 80´s action. Since we are getting closer to the year 2022, this is a perfect timing for a film like this. Because we need action films inspired by the classics from the past, so the legacy of these films can continue for a new generation of action lovers. Let´s be honest though, this is not the kind of film that will be appreciated by everyone. You have big muscles, fighting scenes, and of course quite a lot of dead bodies. So if you enjoy all of this combined, with some cheesy fun dialogue, i have a feeling this will be a film that will fit your taste. Last Man Down is the kind of film that you recognize from the VHS shelves of rental stores, and to see a film like this be released in present day is wonderful. We have to talk about the characters for a bit, so let´s start with actor Daniel Stisen. I mentioned acting earlier, and this is why it is perfect to mention Daniel Stisen. When he looks serious, it is actually quite funny to hear him deliver the dialogue. He is of course limited when it comes to doing serious acting, so it is the action scenes where he works best. Daniel have the right physical shape for a film like this, where he gets to fight against soldiers. If he continue to make films like Last Man Down, he could be a future action star. Swedish actress Madeleine Vall ( who played the character Egeria in the 2017 film Wonder Woman ) plays the tough character Granite. Seeing her beating up guys is one of the highlights of this film, she definetely knows how to deliver in action scenes. Anything negative to say about Last Man Down? I could complain about some of the terrible acting, and that the budget is very limited, but what is the point? I enjoy this film for what it is, a love letter to the 80´s. Swedish director Fansu Njie is clearly inspired by the good old days of VHS video violence, and he does a good job with this film. There are details that he could have polished, but i appreciate his effort to do a film that respect the legacy of Cannon Films. Last Man Down proves that there is hope for Swedish films in the future, and this is the kind of film that we need in the Swedish film industry. Tired of the same love comedies on Netflix that keeps popping up every month? Your sollution to that problem is definetely called Last Man Down, avaible on DVD and Blu Ray.

Rating: DDD