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EDITOR'S PICK
`The
Last Stand` limp, predictable
Rating: *1/2
"The Last Stand" is supposed to be a mystery, suspense and action
thriller that is Arnold Schwarzenegger`s first vehicle since his two-terms as
governor of California.
Schwarzenegger stars as Ray Owens, Sheriff of the tiny idyllic Arizona border
town of Sommerton Junction, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone on
first name basis and every visitor stands odd in the crowd.
Nothing much happens there except for the routine. Till in the early hours of
one fine Sunday, the Sheriff is awakened from his slumber, with a call from one
of the residents, "Something is amiss as old Mr. Parkinson, the milk man
has never skipped his delivery." Owens sends his flunkies Frank (Zach
Gilford) and Sarah (Jaimie Alexander) to investigate.
Meanwhile, he gets a call from Los Angeles` FBI agent Bannister (Forest
Whitaker) that a fugitive Mexican drug cartel kingpin Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo
Noriega) has escaped custody, with the aid of accomplices, and is racing for the
border with a hostage in the passenger seat in a stolen high range car that can
zoom faster than a helicopter.
While Bannister and his crew try in vain to capture Cortez, Sheriff Owens
gathers his small crew. His team consists of the rank newcomer Frank, the goofy
veteran Mike Figuerola (Luis Guzman), the pretty and capable female deputy
Sarah, her ex-boyfriend who happens to be in the town`s lone jail cell (Rodrigo
Santoro) and the wacko gun-crazy Lewis (Johnny Knoxville), who gives his weapons
pet names.
When Cortez races into town, Owens and his team are ready for him. The rest of
the tale is predictable and conformist to a fault. The good and bad guys alike
run around with intimidating weapons and menacing accents. Owens ultimately
takes matters into his own hands, setting the stage for a big anticipated
showdown. With insane amount of gunfire and creative carnage, blood spurts,
sprays and sometimes gushes, making you squirm.
The final half-hour, offers some amusing and amusingly violent moments - car
chase, high energy shootouts, showdowns and one-liners. But what stands out
visually is the intimate car chase through a cornfield.
As for the performances, Schwarzenegger plays himself as a 65-year-old veteran
with a blank inexpressive dialogue delivery. The strongest impressions are made
by Zach Gilford as the touchingly inexperienced cop and Noriega`s
diabolical-looking goatee.
Director Kim Jee-woon, in his debut American film, has got most of the
components of his film right: the cast, their performances, Ji Yong Kim`s sharp
HD lensing, Mowg`s neo-Western-flavored score and Franco Carbone`s well-mounted
production design.
Overall, it rounds off as a classy tech package. But the problem is, Andrew
Knauer`s script. It seems outdated with the story.
Though tailor-made for Schwarzenegger, "The Last Standa" is a huge let
down since it relies heavily on cliches and easy payoffs.
Watch it if you have nothing better to do.