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| I'd told you I'd be back! |
Basically, the film is about the leader of a drug cartel, Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), who busts out of prison. He speeds off in a modified Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZRI with a hostage and a fierce army of gang members to the Mexican border. However, before he gets there he has to pass the small town of Sommerton Junction, Arizona. The only thing in his path is Sheriff Ray Owens (Arnold Schwarzenegger), an ex-LAPD officer who leaves his post following a bungled operation that fails and cripples his partner. The sheriff is reluctant to get involved because of his inexperienced police staff, but ultimately Owens decides to get involved and stop Cortez before he gets to the border.
The formulaic script really brings down the film a lot, and the supporting characters don’t really help the situation either. However, the film's strength lies in two main things. First is Arnold's undeniable screen presence. He carries the movie on his shoulders and doesn't look back. When he's on screen, good or not, we keep watching, though his acting has visibly improved compared to his past entries. He jokes about his age, but he can still shoot and fight pretty well for a man his age.
The other major thing is the direction from South Korean helmer Kim Ji- Woon. This is Kim's Hollywood debut, having directed the creepy horror drama, "A Tale of Two Sisters", the fun Western "The Good, the Bad, the Weird", and the brutal crime thriller, "I Saw The Devil". Kim knows he is working with formula here, and he ups the ante with comic, graphic violence and fast, paced direction.
Had it not been for Arnold or Kim's involvement, this would have been a direct-to-DVD action thriller. However, the stunts are good, well choreographed, and not a tinge of CGI in sight, and the action is comically violent in certain parts of the movie.
This is a fun, popcorn movie, and I look forward to seeing Schwarzenegger doing new action movies for the new decade.
The Last Stand - 3.5/5
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