MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Action Thriller/Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker, Jaimie Alexander, Luis Guzmán, Eduardo Noriega, Rodrigo Santoro, Peter Stormare, Zach Gilford, Genesis Rodriguez, Daniel Henney, Tait Fletcher, John Patrick Amedori, Harry Dean Stanton/Runtime: 107 minutes

I think it is safe to start this review off dear reader by letting each and every one of you in on a teeny tiny little secret. That secret being that, contrary to what a lot of the veterans of the film reviewing press (myself excluded naturally) might lead you to believe, there are a lot of times where just because a film gets a mixed or even negative score on dodger of controversy 24/7 movie review site Rotten Tomatoes that doesn’t mean that we as critics got it right. Indeed, shocking as it might be for a movie piranha to call out the rest of the pack in such a straightforward manner, the plain and simple fact dear reader is that there have been quite a few movies that the public has enjoyed, but that critics have wrinkled their nose at and found numerous opportunities to poke holes into and criticize. Likewise there have also been movies that the critics have raved about and called the “second coming of cinema” or some extreme in a similar vein, but the general public has left scratching their heads and either not able for the life of them to see what it was that had the aforementioned critics shouting their praises from the hills or thinking us critics need to find a new line of work and fast. It is perhaps because of this discrepancy incidentally that not only is there a significant lack of trust toward the film reviewing community as a whole, but also why when the critics and general moviegoing public do agree on a movie you should definitely start to wonder what exactly the catch is. All sarcastic comments aside dear reader, the reason I bring this up to you is because the film I am reviewing for you today, 2013’s The Last Stand, is definitely one that the critics might have missed the boat on a wee bit. I say this because at its initial time of release, this film was one that had more than a tad bit of interest toward it if for no other reason than not only was this the American film debut of noted South Korean film helmer Kim Jee-woon, but it was also the first leading role in over a decade for iconic 80s/90s action star Arnold Schwarzenegger following his time as “The Governator” of California. Yet, upon being released in theaters, the film received middle of the road reviews at best, made 48 million on a budget of 45 million, and was quickly pushed to the side by the majority of critics for whatever prestige films (if any) were being given a wide release. I say the majority incidentally because honestly I do kinda dig this movie dear reader. To be sure, this film is by no means perfect (nor is it really all that intelligent), but even so with the aid of capable work on both sides of the camera The Last Stand is a just plain fun little popcorn movie that fans of low-key gonzo action cinema like the original Assault on Precinct 13 are sure to appreciate time and time again.

The plot is as follows: Taking us as an audience to the small, low-key, and seemingly serene desert community of Sommerton Junction in Arizona and covering a time span of about 2-3 days give or take, The Last Stand gets its electrifying narrative underway by introducing us to our main character in the form of a seemingly ordinary man named Ray Owens. A man who, among other noteworthy attributes worth knowing about him, happens to be the town’s long-time sheriff. At the same time though dear reader, he wasn’t always in that position. You see once upon a time our intrepid hero was once an elite member of the LAPD’s Narcotics division. Unfortunately for him however we see that, in the aftermath of a fairly visceral drug bust saw him and him alone survive, he made the choice to deliberately go and find a small town where he could hole up and serve the law albeit with the distinct caveat of not having to worry about ever witnessing such a bloodbath as that one ever again. Tragically for Ray, we see that Lady Fate hasn’t quite forgotten about him. Indeed rather than just leave the poor guy alone, we see that Lady Fate has instead just merely been waiting to give him another chance to prove that he still has what it takes to deliver justice in a way that rescuing a cat out of a tree or issuing the town’s schmuck of a mayor a parking ticket simply for parking his Camaro in a fire lane doesn’t usually require. A chance incidentally that comes when, in that distinctly iconic community of Las Vegas, an infamous drug cartel leader by the name of Gabriel Cortez is able to make a daring escape from the custody of the FBI and, with an FBI agent as a hostage, takes off for the United States-Mexico border in a souped-up Chevrolet Corvette C6 ZR1. Of course, it should come as no surprise to learn that Cortez’s eventual goal, as discovered by both our intrepid hero and his deputies to say nothing of the FBI’s top agent on the case, is to come through Sommerton Junction with an army of henchmen waiting in the wings to clear the way for him so to speak and then cross over into Mexico via a bridge they have constructed at a canyon just outside of town. Yet, despite the FBI’s more than slight degree of skepticism towards his and his officers’ ability to handle such an impending crisis, we see that Owens decides to rise to the challenge and tackle it in a head-on manner. Thus can Ahnuld, with the aid of his deputies plus an imprisoned local who used to be a member of the U.S. Marines named Frank Martinez as well as a slightly kooky antique weapons collector named Lewis Dinkum respectively, cobble together and successfully execute a plan that will wipe out this threat to their community or is this one fight that is too much for even The Terminator and friends to handle? That I will let you see for yourself…..

Now right off, it should be said that the work behind the camera is flawed yet capable at the same time. This is because, for starters, the script for this slice of cinema is one that, if I am being fairly honest with you dear reader, is more than a wee bit of a mess. Indeed not only is the story one that is quite predictable in a lot of ways, the characters themselves are most assuredly one-note, and there are moments in this slice of cinema that I shan’t spoil for you, but don’t be surprised if they have you scratching your head in a desperate attempt to try and figure out where in the heck that came from. Indeed it really does feel like there was filmed material that could have explained these things better, but they were in such a rush to get this shot and released into theaters that it accidentally wound up on the cutting room floor in all the hustle and bustle. Making up for the numerous potholes contained in the script however is some more than capable work done by the rest of the departments behind the camera. For starters, there’s the fact that the work done at the helm by director Kim Ji-woon is really quite smooth and fairly polished for a popcorn slice of cinema of this ilk. Indeed nowhere is this style more evident than the action beats in this which all, in their own ways, are actually quite taut and engaging. Yet perhaps the element to those action beats, be they a thrilling car chase through (among other things) a corn field, a gun battle in the streets of a small town or even a wonderfully low-key fist fight at the end, that I appreciate the most is the fact that Ji-woon is actually able to ensure that the camera is not permitted to cause you to immediately start reaching for the nearest bottle of Tylenol. What I mean by that is there are so many present-day action flicks that have such an over-the-top amount of either quick cuts, shaky cam, or both that at best it is downright a pain to try and comprehend what exactly is unfolding on screen before you and at worst leaves you with a migraine and a half for at minimum the rest of that day. Yet even though Ji-woon does, in all fairness, utilize those tricks he also does not allow them to muck up the scene in question and instead strives to make them discernible yet riveting at the same time. Yes he might go a bit too out there with the viscerality on display at times for some of you out there, but even so I would definitely be fibbing if I didn’t admit to be at the least moderately impressed with Ji-woon’s skill and craftsmanship that he puts out on display here. Suffice it to say that when you also manage to throw into the mix decent work from both the cinematography department as well as a good yet nothing really special musical accompaniment from frequent Ji-woon collaborator Lee Sung-hyun (or Mowg as I hear he is also known as) among others, it’s clear to me that while the script is fairly flimsy, the rest of the work behind the camera thankfully makes up for it.

Of course, the other element that undoubtedly helps keep this slice of cinema from transitioning to just plain dumb rather than continuing to comfortably reside in the “dumb yet fun” zone of which it is a part would have to be the work done by the cast of talent assembled in front of the camera. Without question, this starts with the performance given here by Ahnuld as Sheriff Ray Owens. Indeed in many respects this character was a perfect fit for the ol’ Governator at the time in that yes he was at one time a genuine force to be reckoned with, but time and peace were able to work their magic. As a result, this is a guy who is not as fast on his feet and who might be a bit wearier as a result of his experiences, but who is nevertheless still able to kick some serious bad guy butt should the situation call for it whilst also being able to throw out a delightfully corny one-liner. Indeed the day where Arnold could take on a literal army alone might be over, but there is no denying that he is still a force to be reckoned with and this film proves that.  Besides the performance given here by Ahnuld, I also really dig the work done here by the always enjoyable Forest Whitaker as FBI Agent John Bannister. Yes this is very much your typical no-nonsense federal agent role that you have seen a million times before and yes this character is responsible for at times being the exposition provider to the audience. With that in mind though, there is no denying that Whitaker brings his typical gravitas and professionalism to play here so well that you can’t help but enjoy the work he does on screen. I also found myself pleasantly surprised here by none other than Johnny Knoxville in the role of kooky gun collector Lewis Dinkum. Yes there is a part that will remind you of other entries to be found in Knoxville’s filmography and there are moments where he is a bit on the silly side, but by and large Knoxville does a wonderful job at playing this guy who, for all intents and purposes, is the town goof yet finds in this rather perilous situation the chance to actually become a hero for once especially in a moment with him, Ahnuld, and a school bus that is just a sheer delight. Of course, it should be said that in slices of cinema like this (or in the vast majority come to think) the heroes are only really as good as the villains that they find themselves going up against. Yet whilst there is no denying that Eduardo Noriega does a fairly good job here as the chief heavy, perhaps the main bad guy performance I really enjoyed here was from the consistently engaging Peter Stormare as Cortez’s main henchman Burrell. Indeed not only does Stormare look like he is having a blast with this material complete with a fairly consistent smarmy smile on his face and just chewing up scenes left and right, but he also gets a fair bit more to do than Noriega besides driving around and looking menacing. That, and without going into spoilers, the way he exits the film is pretty fun in its own right. Suffice it to say that when you also incorporate good efforts from such talents as the always enjoyable Luis Guzman who is an absolute delight (and even gets in a quasi-sorta Conan the Barbarian throwback moment at one point that had me slightly chuckling) as Deputy Mike “Figgy” Figuerola, Daniel Henney, Zach Gilford, Jaimie Alexander, Genesis Rodriguez, and a small yet pivotal and delightful appearance from character icon Harry Dean Stanton among others it’s clear that this slice of cinema might not be an entirely smooth outing, but the work done by the cast does its best to make up for that.

All in all and at the end of the day is The Last Stand a perfect, 24 karat flawless cinematic diamond by any stretch of the imagination? Honestly no. I mean the story is more than slightly absurd, there are at least one or two nonsensical twists that seemingly come out of nowhere, the characters are by and large mere archetypes at best, and the script has more holes in it than a bad guy taken down by a shotgun at close range. With that said though, it may be flawed, but there is also no denying that this is an extremely entertaining and just fun popcorn film should you permit yourself to go into it with the ability to turn your brain off for a couple of hours and enjoy it for what it is (once done though please remember to turn it back on; you have humanity and I’s deepest and undying thanks). All sarcastic observations aside though dear reader, there is no denying that between capable work behind the camera, a collection of action beats that are actually quite entertaining, humor that actually might earn a chuckle or 5 out of you instead of being fairly consistently groan-worthy and/or eyerolling, and a roster of performances in front of the camera by a game cast of talent that are all not only very much aware of the kind of film they are making, but all look like they are having a blast with the material no matter how big or small their overall amount of screentime might be, this slice of cinema might not be perfect let alone great, but it is also by no means a film that I would slap with a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes or just dismiss as that most infamous of film categories known as the “January release” by any stretch of the imagination either. Suffice it to say then that if you are looking for a film that, if you could bet money, you would with at least 95.5% confidence say that you are going to most likely hear got nominated for such and such at the Oscars or some other award ceremony then I am sorry, but please look elsewhere because this is not the kind of film that you are looking for. On the other hand if you are looking for a fun and delightful way to kill a couple of hours that consists of Ahnuld and the gang killing a bunch of bad guys then definitely sit down and give this film a try. Sure you could do a whole lot better, but trust me when I say that (especially taking into account some of the more recent entries of its lead star’s filmography *cough Terminator Genisys cough*) you could also do a heck of a lot worse as well. Make of that what thou will and hasta la vista dear reader! On a scale of 1-5 I give The Last Stand a solid 3.5 out of 5.