After shooting down a large hanging carcass in a dirt lot owned by a disillusioned hillbilly, played by none other than Johnny Knoxville, Sheriff Owens is soon shedding tears as he races to save the life of his ill-fated deputy. The twist? The emotional wreck is played by California’s very own Arnold Schwarzenegger, in an action film that is packed with wit, tricked-out cars and hilarity.
After nearly a decade of absence, Schwarzenegger makes his highly anticipated return to the big screen with his first lead role since “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” in the Kim Jee-woon action thriller “The Last Stand.” Not only is it a relaunch for the action icon, it is also South Korean director Jee-woon’s American directorial debut.
Veteran action icon Schwarzenegger plays Sheriff Ray Owens, who left the LAPD after a failed operation that filled him with remorse. He moves to the border town of Sommerton Junction to live a quiet lifestyle but is soon faced with taking down Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), one of the most lethal cartel leaders in America, after Cortez’s impressive escape from an FBI prison. Driving a tricked-out Corvette ZR1 capable of speeding past 250 mph with an FBI hostage, Cortez is heading to Sommerton Junction without fear of being stopped by Federal Agent John Bannister (Forest Whitaker), but Sheriff Owens refuses to be defeated when Cortez threatens his new home.
While not much dialogue is used in the movie, the script connects the audience to the characters by adding quirky one-liners related to their public image. Jokes made about Schwarzenegger’s age and ability were the highlight of the movie, proving that at 65 he can still jump off of buildings and race through a corn maze with a cartel leader. Witty remarks from Knoxville and Guzman are accentuated with great use of body language that show a more professional side to their madness yet still captures their hilarious personalities.
There is a sensitive side to Schwarzenegger’s character that strips away his iron mask and introduces a softer side to the actor that hasn’t been seen before, as he sheds real tears during a chaotic death scene of one of his deputies. As the only female deputy, Sarah Torrance (Jaimie Alexander) shares this emotional scene that transitions the characters from ridiculous and passive people in uniform to badass crime-fighting heroes. From this point on, the characters develop into seasoned and meaningful figures in order to take down the escaped felon.
With few aerial shots, the director delivers this movie through close-up angles and camera movements. The shots sway and adapt to the scenes almost as if they have a pulse of their own. These effects were particularly effective during the brutal battle scenes in which there was an extremely graphic visual of cops being blown up. These shots add realism to the movie and allow the audience to feel as if they were partaking in the storyline.
Where the film falls short is in its overly ambitious attempt to load every scene with as much detail in an already intricate storyline. The audience is left wondering how it is possible for a crane to lift a highly guarded FBI van with a felon, lift him to a rooftop, have him change in an elevator and in a suave manner ride a Corvette into the sunset while the FBI is just starting to realize the van has been attacked. The film also has its cliche moments with expected one-liners from Schwarzenegger, and the female actors are there merely for aesthetic reasons. The female FBI agent taken hostage lacks depth and could be replaced with an inanimate object to capture the little significance, and bad acting, her character adds to the movie.
Aside from these minor flubs, this movie reintroduces Schwarzenegger with a touch of humour, sensitivity and relatability that is refreshing and unexpected. With age-appropriate stunts and dialogue, moviegoers will be pleased to announce that “Ah-nold” is finally back.
Email Calbucci at ncalbucci@media.ucla.edu.