The Last Stand

Ray Owens (Schwarzenegger), once one of the LAPD’s finest, has resigned himself to being Sherriff of sleepy border town Sommerton Junction, following a failed operation that left his partner crippled. But redemption comes hurtling straight for him in the form of the recently escaped, most wanted druglord in America and his gang who aim to smash right through Owens’ small town and over the border into safety. As the FBI descend upon the town for a last ditch attempt to stop the desperados, Owens and his fellow townsfolk are soon forced to rise to the challenge and stop the convoy themselves.

Korean director Kim Ji-woon (I Saw The Devil and The Good, The Bad and the Weird) starts his Hollywood career with Schwarzenegger’s big comeback, and it certainly feels like an old-school Arnie flick. Explosions, gun fights, Arnie kicking ass; Kim Ji-woon quickly establishes himself as a very competent director of American-style cinema. It would surprise me greatly if he wasn’t offered more Hollywood jobs in the future.

On the acting front, everyone puts in fine performances. Forest Whitaker is good as an FBI agent helping out Owens, and Johnny Knoxville is probably the funniest he’s been in years as the town museum curator who happens to be somewhat of a gun nut. But the show is, of course, stolen by the big man himself, Arnie, who proves that he still has what it takes to be an action star even as he pushes 70, showing no signs of slowing down in the near future.

Let’s face it: if you don’t like Arnie now, The Last Stand probably won’t be for you. Otherwise, it’s a welcome return to the screen, and hopefully the first of many more films.

Tom Freeman