THE LAST STAND

As in not off. If you want to post about mainstream flicks, this is the forum.

Moderator: Chris Slack

Post Reply
User avatar
Darth Tanner
Posts: 505
Joined: Tue Oct 19, 1999 10:00 pm
Location: Midlothian, VA U.S.A

THE LAST STAND

Post by Darth Tanner »

Been falling behind on my postings lately due to various things going on in my life, but I made a promise at the beginning of the year to post more often so all I can say is "better late than ever". Anyway, here are my thoughts on my first theatrical viewing for this year in case anyone is interested.

Having grown up on the old-school Schwarzenegger flicks, I was excited to hear that he was going to have a starring role in movie for the first time in 10 years and THE LAST STAND certainly doesn't disappoint. Although I won't call it a complete throwback to Arnold's glory days, this movie is certainly better than stuff like END OF DAYS and others he did before entering politics. The basic story (to keep it short and spoiler-free as possible) has Arnold as the sheriff of a tiny southwestern town who prepares to defend his turf when he learns that an escaped Mexican drug lord is heading his way to get across the border. There is certainly no shortage of the action we've come to expect from Schwarzenegger flicks, but there is also some laughs that are (for the most part) appropriately used and provide good comic relief. The movie is also helped by a terrific supporting cast including Forest Whitaker, Peter Stormare and Luis Guzman. There is also a cool cameo by Harry Dean Stanton but I hate to admit that I totally overlooked Sonny Landham. My only complaint is that the Johnny Knoxville character seems somewhat out of place, but he isn't in the movie THAT much to ruin it and he does serve a purpose towards the end so it's not a total washout.

Overall THE LAST STAND was pretty good and provided solid entertainment so I was really surprised to see how poorly this performed at the box office. It opened at a disappointing 9th place and quickly went downhill from there. I personally wondered if having Johnny Knoxville's name next to Arnold's at the top of the poster may have turned people away from it. But as Remo pointed out in another post, maybe this time of year isn't the best for action movies regardless of how good they turn out to be. Unless you're lucky to catch this one at a matinee before it completely disappears, I'd definitely recommend giving it a look when it comes out on video (which will probably be soon).
User avatar
Remo D
Posts: 1285
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2000 10:00 pm
Location: Marina, CA U.S.A.
Contact:

Re: THE LAST STAND

Post by Remo D »

My wife and son rather enjoyed this... I passed on it personally but will be happy to check it out on video based on your observations--thanks!
Post Reply