Featured Audience Ratings

• Manu G

  
  Not in his town. Not on his watch. Good movie! This movie is full of intense, bloody action, exciting car chases and funny one liner's. The film never takes itself too serious and is surprisingly funny throughout. Arnold's acting is a little rusty, but he more than made up… More
  Not in his town. Not on his watch. Good movie! This movie is full of intense, bloody action, exciting car chases and funny one liner's. The film never takes itself too serious and is surprisingly funny throughout. Arnold's acting is a little rusty, but he more than made up for it in the action scenes. And the many action sequences were exciting and bloody, the theater kept cheering out loud. The pacing was perfect, the film flew by. Overall The Last Stand has exciting shoot outs, fun car chase scenes, and does a great job of mixing in comedy. Those things with it's pacing make it a very entertaining and crowd pleasing movie that should be enjoyed in your home for movie night. Sheriff Owens is a man who has resigned himself to a life of fighting what little crime takes place in sleepy border town Sommerton Junction after leaving his LAPD post following a bungled operation that left him wracked with failure and defeat after his partner was crippled. After a spectacular escape from an FBI prisoner convoy, the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the hemisphere is hurtling toward the border at 200 mph in a specially outfitted car with a hostage and a fierce army of gang members. He is headed, it turns out, straight for Summerton Junction, where the whole of U.S. law enforcement will have their last opportunity to make a stand and intercept him before he slips across the border forever. At first reluctant to become involved, and then counted out because of the perceived ineptitude of his small town force, Owens ultimately accepts responsibility for the face off.

• Phil H

  
  He's back, he said he would be back, and he is...and boy is he old!. Yep as old Arnie gets out of his 4x4 police Jeep and strolls in front of the camera in his first movie vehicle since 'T3' we see just how old he is, and no amount of tan makeup is gonna cover it.… More
  He's back, he said he would be back, and he is...and boy is he old!. Yep as old Arnie gets out of his 4x4 police Jeep and strolls in front of the camera in his first movie vehicle since 'T3' we see just how old he is, and no amount of tan makeup is gonna cover it. Seeing this really made me think if Arnie should be doing these types of films anymore, the guy looks like a piece of sun baked leather, and that's thanks to the makeup as I said. What makes this worse is the fact Arnie plays being an old man to the hilt, he really hammers that fact home in the film. We know your old Arnie, we know you probably shouldn't be doing action films anymore, but no need to really rub it in, your making it worse. The fact that almost everything he does seems to be a stuntman kinda says it all. So some Drug baron has broken free whilst on a transfer and is making his way to Mexico to get across the border. He's killed tonnes of cops, he's driving a supposedly fast Corvette and appears to be invincible with his legion of gun totting henchmen. Well that's what he thought until he tries to get across the border through Arnie's town, not on Arnie's watch Mr. Yep you guessed it, Arnie and his little band of oddballs will save the day. The whole film is basically the local sheriff v the bad guys with your obligatory stand off in the main street at high noon type scenario. All the regular cliches, every turn is predictable, faceless henchmen, plenty of shoulders being shot but never anywhere serious for the good guys and the ridiculous sight of old man Arnie fighting someone who knows martial arts. I mean really, this whole idea couldn't be more corny if you tried. I wanted to like this film but its really so very bland and pointless, it really does feel like a film purely for Arnold to get back in the saddle with. A cobbled together unoriginal plot with whoever they can muster to make an interesting team up with Arnold. How very original to have Knoxville (of all people) play the local town loon complete with jester-like attire, just in case you miss the point he wears an old WWII type aviators hat to round off his eccentric character. The only thing that did surprise me was the fact the film is actually pretty violent with lots of blood and bullet holes. I thought this was just some dumb spoof/comedy, especially with the idiot Knoxville in it, turns out its a semi serious action flick, if you don't count Arnie hobbling around. I'm a huge Arnie fan and always will be but this is not gonna cut it, its time to stop with the action films as this just feels forced. End of the day its just an excuse for Arnie to shoot people again, but I guess we all knew that. Desperately clinging on to past glory methinks.

• Al S

  
  Arnold is literally back and better than ever, he returns in top and old form returning to his action hero throne with humor, grit and awesome fire-power. This is Schwarzenegger's best and most fun movie since True Lies. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives a great, gritty and awesome… More
  Arnold is literally back and better than ever, he returns in top and old form returning to his action hero throne with humor, grit and awesome fire-power. This is Schwarzenegger's best and most fun movie since True Lies. Arnold Schwarzenegger gives a great, gritty and awesome performance. It's truly great to have hm back saving the day. Also having a blast in their roles are his crew of misfits who give wonderful and fun performances and they have great chemistry together. Forest Whitaker is excellent. It's fast, furious and wickedly entertaining from start to finish. A crisp, explosive and spectacular edge of your seat action-packed thrill-machine. An adrenaline-fueled and heart-pounding joy-ride. A sharp, very funny and wildly enjoyable movie. It's a great slam=bang combo of action and humor. Director, Kim Jee-Woon crafts a terrific first attempt an English language action film with great character-developed moments, explosive action sequences and non-stop excitement. A full-clip of fun and then some.

• Directors C

  
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] An Arnold Schwarzenegger comeback movie has to be explosive, mindless and destructive. But above all it needs to maintain that senseless over the top nostalgia that made his earlier flicks such massive hits. The… More
  [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] An Arnold Schwarzenegger comeback movie has to be explosive, mindless and destructive. But above all it needs to maintain that senseless over the top nostalgia that made his earlier flicks such massive hits. The Last Stand successfully tackles these expectations, but only by the inch of it's skin. When The Expendables came out a few years ago, the unexpected Arnie appearance was lacking in a significant wow factor for me, simply because we never got to see him back in the saddle, delivering one liners and killing waves of bad people. That problem was fixed last year when he made a very welcome return to form with The Expendables 2, in which he made a full on return to violent adrenalin fueled action movies and starred alongside some of the greatest action film legends. That one appearance for me was hilariously refreshing, subsequently I had great anticipation for Kim Ji Woon's The Last Stand as we get to see the big guy for the full 100 minutes. We do of course get to see Schwarzenegger giving a rusty, so bad in the good sense performance but it's not until much later on in the film when he actually starts to do what he does best, kill people. It goes without saying that the plot is formulaic and predictable but what's worse is that it gets in the way of an exciting final act. Before then we see good guy Forest Whitaker and villain Rodrigo Santoro play mind games for a good while and the occasional action set piece. That said when the action sequences do arrive they are spectacular. What ultimately saved the film as a whole for me were the splendidly charming performances and the genuine moments of sarcastic one liner wit. It's by no means as jaw dropping as it should have been and to greater extent a dissapointment by Kim Ji Woon's directorial standards. But looking at it as a relentless and bloody shoot em up exploitation movie, a great one it is not, it manages to be satisfying, good old fashioned fun. It's worth a look if you're undemanding of anything short of spectacular, as it sparked enough fond memories, for me at least, of the lead in his hay day.

• Luke B

  
  As a huge fan of Kim Jee Woon and growing up on Arnold movies, I couldn't decide which I'd rather prefer. An Arnold movie or a Kim Jee Woon film, luckily I got a little bit of both, but mostly an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. This is to the driector's credit who allows… More
  As a huge fan of Kim Jee Woon and growing up on Arnold movies, I couldn't decide which I'd rather prefer. An Arnold movie or a Kim Jee Woon film, luckily I got a little bit of both, but mostly an Arnold Schwarzenegger film. This is to the driector's credit who allows his star to really run the show. The Last Stand sees Arnie return to an action lead as a sheriff of a small town who must make a stand against a Mexican drug lord trying to jump the border. Arnie is back to his badass self, and it really doesn't feel as though he has been away. The action scenes are right up my alley, mixing humour and violence as well as being constantly exciting. The film is a little daft, and the lack of focus at the beginning sees us jumping from FBI agents to the small-town cops, to a super fast driving drug lord, without any clear direction, but when it comes together we're able to enjoy the carnage. Never once trying to be something it's not, this is a damn fine action film that adds some balls to the lack of action goodness Hollywood has given us in recent years.

• Albert K

  
  Not the best way to come back to the game, but we're reminded of the reason why we loved Arnold Schwarzennegger so much. Although he's not the greatest actor or the most believable one, he's sure got that energy about him that not many action stars have. For this and… More
  Not the best way to come back to the game, but we're reminded of the reason why we loved Arnold Schwarzennegger so much. Although he's not the greatest actor or the most believable one, he's sure got that energy about him that not many action stars have. For this and for the adequate directing, "The Last Stand" is a pretty good time at the movies, just don't expect to hail this as one of your favorites. Kim Jee-Woon, the director of this B-movie shoot-em-up, is quite the director. He's crafted some exceptional films ("I Saw the Devil", "The Good, The Bad, The Weird", "A Tale of Two Sisters", etc.), and with his debut into America, he churns out a forgettable action flick? What're you thinking bro? This is coming from another Korean. Mr. Kim doesn't quite blend in with the rest of American filmmaking as of yet. Why do I say this? Certain sequences (especially the cornfield car chase sequence) are directed outstandingly; others like the comedic relief scenes or the scenes shot within cockpit of the Corvette are edited or done poorly. There's a particular scene near the beginning of the film where 3 characters are taking shots at a slab of meat with a hand cannon and to this extent, it's supposed to be silly comedic relief, all done with goofy music playing in the background. This type of style is seen really often in Korean comedies and unfortunately, it just doesn't translate well here in America. Not once during this sequence or any comedic relief scenes, did I laugh. Regardless, this movie is a damn good time. Turn off your brain, forget that Arnold Schwarzenegger can't act, and see a simple but entertaining plot reel out. Expect the cheese to ooze out cause it's got a lot of it. Oh yes, expect the one-liners you've come to know come out of Arnold's lips. Yeah, the script is poorly written and it doesn't have the greatest actors, but surprisingly for such a cheesy flick, the plot, though severely stilted, works. "The Last Stand"'s got a lot of energy, spice, and zing to it. To put it in a nutshell, "The Last Stand" is a great movie to watch on cable television and if you're looking for a getaway popcorn flick, this B-movie will suffice.

• Liam G

  
  Leave it to Kim Jee-Woon to demonstrate that all a January-released action movie needs to be entertaining is a very simple plot with preposterous but thrilling action sequences, a great on-screen presence in Arnold Schwarzenegger and just the right tone.

• Jeff "

  
  Arnold Schwarzenegger is back with his first lead performance since 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Schwarzenegger is one of the greatest action stars in cinema. Although he is pretty bland in dialogue delivery, he always managed to light up the screen with clever one… More
  Arnold Schwarzenegger is back with his first lead performance since 2003's Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Schwarzenegger is one of the greatest action stars in cinema. Although he is pretty bland in dialogue delivery, he always managed to light up the screen with clever one liners and take no prisoners attitude in killing bad guys. For me, that's why I enjoy his films and that's why they're some of the most entertaining in the genre. The Last Stand is an effective and very entertaining action flick that should definitely appeal to viewers looking for a quick adrenaline fix. So far the year 2013 has been a slightly disappointing year for movies. However this is one of the better films to come out in the first month of the New Year and it delivers exciting action and a good plot. Acting wise, there are some good performances here and quite frankly some surprising ones as well. The biggest surprise is Johnny Knoxville. The Jackass host is very good in his part, and he does a certain knack in giving his roles a humorous quality to them, which he embraces fully. The film is one of the most rewarding films so far and it compensates for the sheer awfulness of films like Texas Chainsaw and All Superheroes Must Die. With that being said, this is the most fun I've had at the movies in a while. Director Kim Jee-Woon who also directed the revenge horror thriller I See the Devil, crafts this solid adrenaline soaked action flick with flair and keeps the ball rolling by bringing thrill after thrill from beginning to end. Schwarzenegger is back and in a big way. To be honest, I was hesitant about going to see this, but I am very happy I did. The Last Stand has great action, humorous bits that compliment the serious aspects and a very good cast of varied talent that make this one a very enjoyable flick that redeems the disappointment of a few films that have been released this year. So, grab popcorn, sit back in the theater and enjoy the return of one of the best action stars in the genre.

• Michael E

  
  Well its been a while since Arnold has been in anything as a main character, Ten years now I believe (Expendables 2 was supporting character?) But the biggest question I think anyone should ask themselves, does the 65 year old former Governator still have what's in him to make an… More
  Well its been a while since Arnold has been in anything as a main character, Ten years now I believe (Expendables 2 was supporting character?) But the biggest question I think anyone should ask themselves, does the 65 year old former Governator still have what's in him to make an entertaining action film? Might as well start with the characters. Arnold plays Ray Owens and he does his typical badass performance, the only difference is, well, Arnold is old now, and Arnold knows this and this film does acknowledge this, but you know what? Arnold still does his fun and entertaining badass character very well. Then we have mainly the supporting characters, mainly all being the deputies, the FBI agent, and the drug cartel leader and the convict. As far as the deputies go, we have Luiz Gusman, Jaimie Alexander, Johnny Knoxville, and Rodrigo Santoro. Luiz Gusman does the usual comedic performance he does in most films, he's funny but not to the point of being insultingly annoying or stupid and does the role well. Jaimie Alexander doesn't really leave that much of an impact on me as much as all the other characters and really is kind of just there and doesn't really do that much in the film except in the shootout near the end of the film. Rodrigo Santoro is a newly deputized convict that was arrested and friends with a cop who is murdered about 30 minutes into the film, and they develop his character a little bit, but not really enough to make him a great or standout character but is passable. Now the big one, Johnny "Jackass host" Knoxville. This is the main thing that really worried me about this film, seeing how Knoxville, while funny in Jackass, is very annoying and obnoxious in almost any film he's in (not counting the Jackass movies,) but here I was shocked actually at how funny he actually was for once. They make him a trigger happy gun museum owner and Knoxville does a pretty good job at making this character memorable and one of the highlights of the whole film and I will admit I did make a couple Jackass jokes while watching his scenes. Now Forrest Whitaker plays a head FBI agent who is constantly watching the convict throughout the film and is the one who informed Arnold about the convict coming. Whitaker, is honestly not that memorable of a character, all his major purpose to me was in this film was just to say "fuck" every third sentence and just watch what is going on with the convict and the hostage agent. Now he doesn't do horrible, but it just isn't that memorable of a character, but they do give him a couple good lines. Now onto the two antagonists. There is the leader of the drug cartel played by Peter Stormare, and as far as I know, he is mainly known for villain characters, and he does a good job at playing this bastard character and he does have a lot of great moments in this movie but he doesn't really do much outside of the shootout scene near the end of the film. The last real main character is the convict named Cortes played by Eduardo Noriega, and I have to say, this is one of the smartest action villains I've seen in a long time. He takes an FBI agent hostage while he is riding in a modified car able to go up to 300 miles per hour and this guy knows how to get out of literally every situation thrown at him. Throw a police roadblock at him he knows how to get through it without getting one scratch on his car, throw a police helicopter at him, he knows how to lose it. The only problem with this character that keeps him from being a fantastic villain is that, he isn't developed hardly at all, and his personality, is very, very bland. Next the action, considering that the last real big Arnold starring action film he was in was Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines and Expendables 2 I was having high hopes to see how they could handle a modern action film with Arnold as the lead role, and personally it didn't disappoint. The best scene in the whole film, and I think everyone will agree with me who saw it, is the final shootout with Arnold and his crew against the drug cartel. The scene pulls no stops on the gore and explosions and it's nice to see "some" practical blood effects and explosions for once and not a whole lot of CG in an action film. The only reason I say some in quotes is because sometimes the blood is a practical effect and it looks good, but sometimes its the powdery mist sort of CG blood at times, and it is very strange to me why sometimes its practical and sometimes it's not. The film also has some other great action scenes such as all the scenes with Cortes in his car, and the final car chase/battle in the street and cornfields and the final hand to hand fight with Arnold and Cortes. Some of these are some of the most entertaining shootouts I've seen in a while and are all fantastic scenes and mix well with all the cheesy and fun dialogue in the film. There's also a great scene involving an old woman in the final shootout that I bet you will laugh at if you see it. Overall, while Arnold is definitely showing his age, he still knows how to make one entertaining action film and for director Kim Jee-Woon's first film I'm excited to see what else this guy could do with more action films like this. I wouldn't mind seeing him work with Sylvester Stallone or Van Damme. If you want to see just a fun stupid action movie and a great return for Arnold, I say check this out.

• Michael S

  
  "The Last Stand" is the English-language debut of director Kim Jee- Woon (I Saw the Devil, The Good, the Bad, the Weird), the Korean helmer known for his atmospheric thrillers and strong technical merits. While his first Hollywood film has traces of the style and… More
  "The Last Stand" is the English-language debut of director Kim Jee- Woon (I Saw the Devil, The Good, the Bad, the Weird), the Korean helmer known for his atmospheric thrillers and strong technical merits. While his first Hollywood film has traces of the style and sensibilities of his Korean efforts,"The Last Stand" is ultimately a fun, if somewhat standard, romp that gets bogged down by too much exposition, sub-par pacing, and not enough bang, bang for your buck. That's not to say there isn't some good action, stunt work, and style on display: there is.There's just too little and the film's big action sequence arrives way too late in the picture (and lasts only briefly). The big selling point here is Arnold, and it's a welcome return. He's still got it; I just wish he was given more material to work with (one-liners, shoot outs etc). The film really comes alive whenever he's onscreen with the comic relief of Luis Guzman and Johnny Knoxville (playing a loopy weirdo straight out of Korean action cinema). If the film focused more on them and less on it's throwaway villain, useless plot developments, and FBI stereotype (played by Forest Whitaker), "The Last Stand" could have been a highly effective and memorable modern western. As it stands (no pun intended) it's good...it's serviceable, but should have been a lot better.

• Kevin C

  
  Harkens back to the days of 'Commando' and 'Raw Deal', but doesn't recapture the (shallow, yet charming) glory of them.

• E.J. B

  
  The Last Stand is every bit as awesome or as terrible as you would expect. The plot is ludicrous, and the villain is a power-crazed drug lord played in an insanely over-the-top way. And as most throwback movies go, the film is packed with jokes and references to star Arnold… More
  The Last Stand is every bit as awesome or as terrible as you would expect. The plot is ludicrous, and the villain is a power-crazed drug lord played in an insanely over-the-top way. And as most throwback movies go, the film is packed with jokes and references to star Arnold Schwarzenegger's early career works. Kim Jee-Woon, director of I Saw the Devil has a great eye for staging fun, exciting action sequences. He even tries to take the story into a more slow-burn crime drama during the first third of the picture. The tone for the film will not draw audiences who aren't already fans of this sort of thing. It's also a bit of a disappointment for Arnold's big return to the screen as co-stars Luis Guzman, Johnny Knoxville, Peter Stormare, Forest Whitaker, and Genesis Rodrigues frequently end up stealing the show from Arnold. But there's no denying the mindless entertainment value of this film.

• KJ P

  
  Shlocky, laughable, dumb, hilarious, gory, and just plain awesome, are all words to describe this film. It's literally all over the place, from scenes that are completely unnecessary and dialogue that is dreadful, to such an awesome climax it doesn;t even feel like the same… More
  Shlocky, laughable, dumb, hilarious, gory, and just plain awesome, are all words to describe this film. It's literally all over the place, from scenes that are completely unnecessary and dialogue that is dreadful, to such an awesome climax it doesn;t even feel like the same movie. If this film had better writers it could have been incredible for fans of Schwarzenegger. As a drug mercenary is coming through Arnie's town, ready for anything, they must prove themselves stronger than the FBI, in order to bring satisfaction to themselves? Anyways, this film goes from bad to incredible in a matter of minutes. I really don't know what to say about this film, besides the fact that I had so much fun during my screening. "The Last Stand" is brilliant in so many bad ways, but that is why I enjoyed it so much.

• Aaron N

  
  Irv: How you feelin' Sherriff? Sherriff Owns: Old. In 1993, Hong Kong film director John Woo made his American feature film debut with Hard Target, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. That film is not very good as a whole, but the action is solid and one can see Woo's… More
  Irv: How you feelin' Sherriff? Sherriff Owns: Old. In 1993, Hong Kong film director John Woo made his American feature film debut with Hard Target, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. That film is not very good as a whole, but the action is solid and one can see Woo's signature style lurking beneath what is essentially a studio-produced action film, with a bit more talent behind the lens. The Last Stand is the American feature film debut of South Korean director Kim Jee-woon and it is better than Hard Target. It also has its share of problems, given the type of film it is, but Jee-woon's style is apparent and hopefully future American efforts from him are even more successful. The Last Stand also marks the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger in a leading role for the first time in ten years, proving that while he may be getting older, the one-liners haven't much changed. read the whole review at thecodeiszeek.com

• Shawn M

  
  good to see arnie back, but the movie was really average

• The Movie W

  
  Mexican drug lord Gabriel Cortez (Noriega) makes an escape from F.B.I custody in Las Vegas and speeds toward the small border town of Sommerton in a souped up Chevy capable of speeds approaching 200mph. There, a team of hired mercenaries, led by Burrell (Stormare), have erected a… More
  Mexican drug lord Gabriel Cortez (Noriega) makes an escape from F.B.I custody in Las Vegas and speeds toward the small border town of Sommerton in a souped up Chevy capable of speeds approaching 200mph. There, a team of hired mercenaries, led by Burrell (Stormare), have erected a bridge over a canyon which will allow Noriega to cross over into Mexico. Despite the best efforts of agent Bannister (Whitaker) to thwart him, Cortez seems destined to make it across. All that stands in his way is the under-resourced Sommerton police department, led by Sheriff Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger), a veteran of the L.A.P.D. With a premise borrowing heavily from Howard Hawks classic western 'Rio Bravo', Schwarzenegger's comeback film should have been a fun ride in the mould of the action epics he appeared in throughout the eighties. Instead, it has more in common with the action cinema of the nineties, torn between the tongue-in-cheek approach of the eighties and the why-so-serious method favored by today's glum blockbusters. The screenplay suffers from schizophrenia, with slapstick characters like Knoxvilles gun-nut sitting awkwardly alongside Whitaker's F.B.I man. At times it almost feels like two films uncomfortably strung together. The audience for this really just want to see Arnie blowing faceless goons to pieces with ridiculously large guns, while spouting bad one-liners in an Austrian accent so strong it's hard to believe he's lived in the U.S for four decades. Eventually we get this, (and it's handled with an over-the-top relish by Korean director Kim), but it feels like an age before we do. The movie's final third is a lot of fun, well handled by Kim who makes full use of the giant train set which is a big Hollywood production. By the time we arrive at this point however we've been bored to tears by the sort of endless scenes of officials discussing tactics that made mid-nineties blockbusters like 'The Rock' and 'Armageddon' such bores. Some serious trimming of fat could turn this into a far more enjoyable film. Too much time is wasted on pointless characters and in making excuses for its star's age (Arnie doesn't look a day over fifty, so why mention it?) In the space of a few weeks we'll have seen the return to action of Sly, Arnie and Willis. As it stands it's Stallone 1, Schwarzenegger 0. It remains to be seen how John McClane's upcoming adventure fares, hopefully better than this.

• Kevin M

  
  I enjoyed this a lot. There are a lot of badass scenes, which is exactly what a good action film needs. For example, Arnold tackles a guy off of a roof, and while midair, shoots him in the head. There are also several really cool scenes with a Corvette, and the roar of it's… More
  I enjoyed this a lot. There are a lot of badass scenes, which is exactly what a good action film needs. For example, Arnold tackles a guy off of a roof, and while midair, shoots him in the head. There are also several really cool scenes with a Corvette, and the roar of it's engine sounded incredible in the theater. Moments like these are what define an action film, and The Last Stand has many of them. Arnold is certainly not out of fuel, but he's not even close to what he used to be, physically: thankfully the film is smart enough to acknowledge this, on two occasions. Schwarzenegger's signature style of action films included countless hilarious and memorable one-liners. Unfortunately, The Last Stand doesn't have many of these. Despite the film having several cool but ridiculous stunts, this film is a lot more realistic compared to his films from the 90's. What I mean is that a dangerous drug cartel is a lot more realistic an antagonist than a Terminator or an extravagant alien (Predator), so The Last Stand certainly distinguishes itself from his older films. While Arnold is definitely the focus of the film, the entire supporting cast was also great. Johnny Knoxville plays a weird gun collector guy but is still awesome here. He helps Arnold use a gatling gun and looks totally out of his mind as he feeds the gun it's ammunition. Luis Guzman and Rodrigo Santoro are also great supports. Despite the film having a few setbacks, The Last Stand is still a genuinely fun film, an is a perfect vessel to seat Arnold Schwarzenegger's (hopefully) big comeback.

• Bradley W

  
  The Last Stand delivers exactly what it promised, a heart pounding action film that proves to be an exciting return for Arnold Schwarzenegger to the big screen. I realize he has made a few cameo appearances like in "The Expendables 2," but it's been almost 10 years… More
  The Last Stand delivers exactly what it promised, a heart pounding action film that proves to be an exciting return for Arnold Schwarzenegger to the big screen. I realize he has made a few cameo appearances like in "The Expendables 2," but it's been almost 10 years since he has starred in a film, and his return was pretty cool if I say so myself. This films script is (of course) a complete mess; it has underdeveloped characters, ridiculous dialogue, and is as predictable as a film can come. But I knew all this when I walked into the theater, I wasn't looking for the next masterpiece, I was looking for a fun and exciting action film and it delivered what I was promised. You cannot get angry at a film for doing exactly what it promised in the trailer, unless it turns out to be a boring action film which I can promise you that I wasn't bored. Arnold Schwarzenegger films have a knack for being unoriginal and silly, so when I watched the film I felt like I was watching a high-octane version of "High Noon." Kim Ji-woon directed this film and I can honestly say that I can see a good future for this director in the action genre. He takes a boring script and is able to keep us entertained with some raw and exciting action scenes and gave me exactly what I paid for. I was also sad to say that this cast was very unmemorable, with the exception of Schwarzenegger and Forest Whitaker. So overall, you won't get anything new or special in this film, but it will give you exactly what you paid for and it's a good time. The story follows Sheriff Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger) who decides to defend his town when a high profile criminal is driving through to get to the Mexican border. The plot of this film is just like any other Schwarzenegger action film, a lot of bullets and no brains. But it's really difficult to hate that because the movie never said it was going to be smart or interesting, it just promised to be fun and exciting and that's what it is. After thinking about it a while, I have finally come to the realization that this movie would never even be recognized unless Arnold was in it. Think about it, what else was driving us to see this movie besides its main star? I wanted to see him return to the old days where he was in cheesy action films like "Commando" or "True Lies," and thankfully this movie did what I wished. But it's hard to look past the fact that besides the action this film really has no real original story to it at all. I mean we have Johnny Knoxville playing some crazy guy in town with hundreds of guns and equipment, and he really has no further point in this film. The rest of the characters are just here to shoot guns and deliver cliché dialogue. It's also a story where we know how it's going to end, so the least we can ask for is for there to be some twists or surprises, but it's pretty straightforward. When I walked out of the theater to this film I felt happy, mainly because I had just saw a film that was fun even though it had no substance. But the film is also very humorous, and I was glad to see some very funny punch lines that only Schwarzenegger could pull off. This script has bland characters and a bland story, but in the end it doesn't matter because I still got experience a very fun film. The cast is as cheesy as you had imagined them, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Arnold Schwarzenegger is one of the greatest action film icons of all-time, so we could only hope that this former Governor of California still has the greatness left in him. Luckily, he is as cool and funny as he ever was, even if he does look like he is 80 years old. He has never been a great actor, but his acting was never supposed to be good, in fact I love what a cheesy and funny actor he is. I was so happy to see this guy back on the big screen and luckily the director perfectly uses his talents to make the audience fall in love with him again. Forest Whitaker has always been a great actor, but he chooses to do so many weird films that we question what his angle is. He is great in this film, but his acting abilities could still be put to so much better if he chose to do something great enough for his talents. I guess I just hate when Oscar winners set the bar so low for themselves. Johnny Knoxville is fun and brings a lot of laughter to the film, but after looking back his character and presence didn't have much of a purpose. Rodrigo Santoro brings some good laughs and I enjoyed his performance, I enjoy when he plays characters like this. Zach Gilford and Jaimie Alexander both just annoyed me in this film; their stupid love story played no interest in the film and would've been much better without it. Eduardo Noriega wasn't very memorable, but for what he was given I believe it could've been worse. Overall this casts ensemble was pretty good, but its Schwarzenegger that takes home the gold as his cheesy and exciting return is as perfect as I had hoped. The Last Stand may just be a regular action film, but it's an action film that has revived by love of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and that is a pretty good accomplishment if you ask me. If you have ever seen the film "High Noon" than you will be reminded of that film when you see this. For those of you who have never seen this western classic, let me tell you it's about. It's about an aging sheriff who discovers a criminal is coming to bring danger to his town, so he alone must fight him and his gang when nobody else will. I love this because it represents honor and bravery for what we believe, and I enjoyed how The Last Stand tried to pay tribute to that film in a lot of ways. Of course this film can't even compare to that classic, but I respect what it was trying to do. This film has one of the coolest men who ever lived going against an army of criminals with his group of deputies just because he believes it's the right thing to do, and it doesn't get much cooler than that. Kim Ji-woon has taken a new direction with what he usually does, and I can honestly say that I liked it. It was stylish and raw, and wasn't afraid to bite the bullet with its violence. I don't blame him for the cliché script, and I wish they had taken more time with the story so this film could've actually been great, but instead we get a film that is actually a lot of fun. I can't tell you what you will think of this movie because I don't know how you view action films or Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I can promise you that I had a good time and I recommend you see this if you're looking for a fun time.

• Caesar M

  
  Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the action genre with his first starring role in ten years with The Last Stand. It doesn't measure to director Ji-woon Kim best nor will it stand proudly with Schwarzenegger best either, but it's good to see Arnold do what he does best again.… More
  Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the action genre with his first starring role in ten years with The Last Stand. It doesn't measure to director Ji-woon Kim best nor will it stand proudly with Schwarzenegger best either, but it's good to see Arnold do what he does best again. The Last Stand is about a small town sheriff who must stopped the leader of a drug cartel from crossing the Mexican border. In terms of plot it does not get any more complicated and developed beyond its simple premise. This is both good and bad. Good because its well pace and does not drag out its simple premise. Bad because it lacks any reason for us to care about the characters. It seems more focus in fitting action scenes whenever possible than actually giving us character to care for. The dramatic scenes of the film are solid, but without that development of the characters they don't have quite the punch they could have had. It does however contain a good amount of violence and humor to fuel it simple premise to make for enjoyable experience. Arnold Schwarzenegger is clearly the biggest selling point for the movie and believe it or not he's the best actor in the movie. I had doubts about Schwarzenegger returning to acting a after ten years absent. This role required Schwarzenegger to do more dramatic acting which he does well. He still carries a strong presence on film as he still retains the humor we enjoy from him and makes killing baddies fun to watch despite his old age. I do however question the decision to include Johnny Knoxville as the "comedic relief". I say "comedic relief" because he's not a funny a guy and why cast him? Schwarzenegger proved before he can make people laugh whether intentional or not. Also, anyone who is not Johnny Knoxville will make you laugh. I personally think Jim Carry would have been a better fit in Johnny Knoxville role. Another bad actor in this film is Forest Whitaker and wow is he uninspired. Whitaker only changes his facial expression once and his lackluster performance is a possible Razzie contender. Thankfully, Forest Whitaker doesn't share much time. I was happy with the rest of cast and especially with Jaimie Alexander who was the second best actor on screen. I do feel the need to address Spanish actor Eduardo Noriega as the villain. Eduardo Noriega wasn't bad, but he did have trouble speaking English and should have been given more takes on his scenes. The Last Stand isn't perfect, but if you're a Schwarzenegger and action fan it should satisfy. Simply put, it's good see Arnold Schwarzenegger back on screen. Note: If you intend on watching this I would recommend you not to watch any trailers. The trailers show a good chunk (around 80%) of the action scenes and will hold little surprises if you do watch them. Also, the actual name of the director is Ji-woon Kim, not Kim Jee-Woon.

• Chrisanne C

  
  Arnie is back!! Charming, violent but forgettable. He's definitely not retiring - yup - this film is certainly not for the cissies! Just leave your brain at the door and enjoy the fun.

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