by Broken Headphones "The Last Stand" sees Austrian macho man Arnold Schwarzenegger return to the big screen following his eight-year term as Governor of California (his last starring movie role was in 2003's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"). And believe it or not, folks, this may just rank up there with some of the most entertaining flicks he's ever been a part of. I kid you not. It's a viciously fun, deliriously violent action film that successfully hearkens back to Schwarzenegger's 1980s heyday, while also acting as a snappy reminder that he doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon. Sure, it's far from an epic masterpiece, but it still delivers right on par with everything you'd expect an Arnold film to have, and then some. Simply put, it's just a blast. The plot follows Schwarzenegger as Sheriff Ray Owens, a former LAPD narcotics officer who, following a failed drug bust, traded his post and moved to a sleepy New Mexico border town known as Sommerton Junction, where he's now settled into a life of fighting what little crime takes place. But that peaceful existence is soon shattered when Gabriel Cortez (Eduardo Noriega), the most notorious, wanted drug kingpin in the western hemisphere, makes a deadly escape from an FBI prisoner convoy and plans to head straight to Mexico, right through the border town of Sommerton Junction. At first, Sheriff Owens is highly reluctant to become involved. But when U.S. law enforcement counts him out, he rallies an unexpected team and takes matters into his own hands, ultimately setting the stage for a classic fight-to-the-death showdown. I'll admit, I didn't really expect much, if anything at all, from this film to begin with, so it came as nothing short of a surprise to me that it ended up being as enjoyable as it was. Schwarzenegger easily gives one of the most committed performances I've ever seen from him as Owens, the central protagonist and biggest standout of this movie, by far. Whether he's spouting out one of his several corny one-liners or just hamming it up for the cameras, there's never really a single dull moment when Arnold is on screen. And for the most part, the same can be said for everyone else in the cast. Johnny Knoxville and Luis Guzmán, in particular, are absurdly hilarious as the movie's lowbrow comic relief. The action sequences are reasonably intense when they need to be, the graphic carnage is dementedly over-the-top in the best way possible, and the ridiculous plot twists make the story all the more fun to go along with. Of course, that isn't to say "The Last Stand" is without its drawbacks. The script is riddled with the same lazy action clichés we've seen time and time again in just about every other action flick of the last four decades, and the majority of supporting characters are so forgettable and underdeveloped, it's a wonder why they were even added to the screenplay. But I digress. All in all, I'd have to say this is easily one of the better films released in 2013 so far. It's a big, ridiculous smorgasbord of pulpy action, dumb laughs, and nonstop excitement. Thanks to Schwarzenegger's enthusiastic performance and a great sense of stylization, "The Last Stand" is one gleefully mindless, sadistically bloody, tongue-in-cheek adventure that's sure to leave any longtime fan of Arnold's flicks satisfyingly entertained. If you get the chance, it's definitely worth a solid, one-time rent. by Ed1032 One wouldn't think this movie would work. Fat Arnold? Luis Guzman? Knoxville? Very thin plot? But amazingly, there is just the right amount of each ingredient. It's very much in the vein of 80's action greats, like Commando. There is just enough heart, just enough humor, just enough plot and just enough action. Some movies cram too much action in, like almost every Jason Statham movie; Sometimes there's too much of a side character, like almost every other Knoxville film, but this movie is nearly perfect. Go in with an open mind and an appreciation of 80's/90's action, and I doubt you'll be dissapointed. by DreamReaper911 When I first saw this movie in theaters, my dad & I were practically the only people in the entire theater and we really enjoyed it. It had plenty of humor, suspense, and some of the best action sequences I'd seen this entire year. I really enjoyed the plot, regardless of what the major film critics thought about the movie. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would be back, and he meant it in a big way.
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