The guy was huge in his time. His name is huge, his forearms are huge, and his action films used to be huge. Then he became a Governor, and when he returned he was older, maybe slower, and he never managed to get rid off the thick accent. So the question was: Will Arnold Schwarznegger at the age of 65 still be worthy of being called an action hero? For me, the answer is a very simple 'Yes'.
Arnie along with the likes of Stallone and Bruce Willis defined what action films should be like in the 80s and the 90s. Once Arnie was elected as Governor of California and the other action heroes became older, you wondered who would put their feet in the boots of these guys and fill this space in Hollywood. When you think of it, no one really did it with much distinction. Jason Statham is the one who probably came the closest but his movies are tending to repeat themselves a bit too often. There have been the likes of Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, but these guys do not really market themselves as action heroes. In fact some of the best action of the last decade would have been from the Bourne series or Bond series and again Matt Damon and Daniel Craig are not your typical action heroes. So it is in fact no surprise, when Stallone actually found a market to launch a movie each in the Rocky and Rambo series, both of which did well commercially. And then as a homage to the years gone by, he rounded up all the ones who ever acted in true action movies and pulled off Expendables and its sequel, which again brought in good money to the studio. So in such a world, it is good to see Schwarznegger coming back. Call it nostalgia, call it the love for the way action heroes used to do stuff when there were gun fights, car chases, fist fights, lots of running, all wrapped in one package, where your hero was the typical hero and not the modern day version of a 'deeper character with complexities', call it whatever you may, I am glad that "he is back"!
The Last Stand stands up to the trial. Arnold Schwarznegger plays an old sheriff, probably close to retirement, who lives in a peaceful town bordering Mexico. Cometh the drug lord who has escaped the clutches of the FBI and is racing a Corvette ZR1 (the car has its moments throughout the movie!) from LA to Arnie's town to jump across to Mexico. The old sheriff is required to stand his ground and take on the drug lord, while at the same time worrying about his inexperienced deputies. Arnie still has an unmatched screen presence and while no one would gung-ho about his acting skills, he remains an imposing figure on the screen from whom you cannot take your eyes off. The best move for the movie was probably keeping it R-rated which allowed for some real gritty shooting scenes which makes the whole drama more life-like.
I liked Jee-woon Kim's direction in this film and looking on his profile on imdb.com, noticed that some of his previous works are also well rated. What Kim did best here, he seems to have structured the script around an ageing Schwarznegger while not forgetting what made him click in his prime days. There are the one-liners at the most opportune times "I am the sheriff!", the fist fight that would make you feel sorry for the guy coming across that huge bulging hand, the different arsenal of guns that Schwarznegger uses with ease. The tension built up towards the end is worthy of any Schwarznegger movie and a special mention of the car chase / slamming scene in the climax across maize fields, which was fantastic. The Last Stand is a thoroughly enjoyable ride, not only meant for Arnie fans, but fans of action movies itself. Made on a modest budget, I hope that Arnie still carries around the star appeal especially in foreign markets to bring in good numbers to the studio. This is pure unadulterated action, people. Enjoy!
And for the real die-hard ones. Yep, he still uses his favourite line in the flick though with a moderation -- "I'll be right back". Keep your ears open to catch this one!
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